It's been a few weeks since our trip to Bruges and I am missing all of those beautiful buildings something terrible! It was my first time ever in Belgium and it definitely lived up to all of the amazing things I'd heard from people. I promised you all (on both Snapchat and Instagram) a blog post all about our time in Bruges, so today I thought I share 'The Ultimate Guide To Bruges' and give you lots of ideas of what to do and see if you ever take a trip there.
1. Walk around admiring the beautiful buildings.
Trust me, this isn't a weird thing to do in Bruges, most of the tourists walk around with their heads back looking up at the amazing architecture! Bruges has to be one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been to and I was surprised to find that the buildings and houses were actually prettier than the ones I've seen in Amsterdam.
Each day we were in Bruges we spent a good bit of time just walking around the city, discovering new streets and areas. One tip I would have is to bring a nice comfy pair of shoes because the best way to see everything is to walk!
2. Visit the many museums Bruges has to offer.
Since Bruges is steeped in history, there's so much to discover about it in the many museums located around the city. There's a museum for everyone including a chocolate museum, a beer museum, and even a diamond museum! The Historium Bruges is particularly good as it tells a story of medieval Bruges by using characters so it's not too boring for kids either. Historium Bruges is also located in the market place at the heart of the city so it's perfect for popping into if it starts to pour rain (which it does a lot in Bruges).
3. Climb the 366 steps up to the top of the Belfry of Bruges
I am not a fan of heights, small spaces, or spiral stair cases so the idea of climbing up all of those steps to the top of the Belfry wasn't the most appealing activity to me, but there was no way I could visit Bruges without seeing the place that famous scene from 'In Bruges' was shot! Being totally honest though, the climb wasn't that bad and it didn't take long at all. I would advise any of you who are planning on going up to the top to not bring too many bags with you as it is quite a squeeze at times.
When we were up at the top the bells started going off which was the most magical (but very loud) experience. There are 47 bells in total and there was lots of information on the walls so you could learn all about the towers history which I thought was brilliant. As you can see the view you get of Bruges from the top of the Belfry tower is well worth it, you could see so much and it's something I'll never forget! For more info on the Belfry of Bruges you can visit their website here.
4. Explore the city on a canal boat tour.
I think this was one of my favourite things we did whilst in Bruges, I actually didn't even know Bruges had canals until we arrived! It's a brilliant way to see the city from a different perspective and the tour guides have loads of local info about the city. The man we had on our tour had a brilliant sense of humour so it was a great laugh and well worth the €8 we paid.
There are lots of different canal tour companies located around the main area of the city so it's easy to hop on a tour without having to wait for a long time.
5. Indulge in ALL of the Belgian delicacies.
I will be doing a separate post on where we ate in Bruges because trust me, we ate A LOT, but I think trying all of the food Belgium is famous for is definitely one to put on your to-do list. From fries, to flemish stew, to Belgian waffles and chocolate there is so much to try and to be honest, we actually planned our day around which food we'd try!
6. Visit a chocolate shop (or five)!
Of course Belgium is famous for it's chocolate so it'd be a crime to visit Bruges without sampling the local delicacy! The chocolate shops are out of this world and not just because of the incredible selection of sweet treats they have to offer. Lots of them also have amazing interiors, some even had chandeliers and I loved popping in and out of loads of different shops to see what amazing chocolate creations they had in store!
Our favourite chocolate shop was a family owned store called Dumon which was actually recommended to us by our friend Tammy. They have every kind of chocolate you could imagine and I became addicted to the candied chocolate covered orange sticks! Dumon offer international shipping so if you're craving some authentic Belgian chocolate you can order it here.
7. Watch 'In Bruges' in Bruges.
You can't go to Bruges without watching Collin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson running around the city now can you? I hadn't actually watched this movie in years but we just couldn't resist indulging in the cliché and it was actually fun to spot all the places we'd visited in the city so far.
Getting There.
A question I've been asked by a few people is "Was Bruges difficult to get to?" and the answer is nope, not at all. Although Bruges doesn't have it's own airport, meaning you have to fly to Brussels or Antwerp, the Belgian public transport is so good that you barely mind having to catch a train from the airport to Bruges.
There's a train station connected to the airport so it's as simple as getting off your flight, heading downstairs to the train station and hopping on one of the very cool double decker trains. The journey from the airport to Bruges took about an hour and a half and it was a great way to see some of the Belgian countryside!
Are any of you planning a trip to Bruges? I hope this post helps you with your trip. Thanks for reading!
