A few years ago I visited Bruges as a port of call whilst doing a mini cruise onboard Anthem of the Sea, it was a city that I always wished to return to. Recently I finally managed to make an extended visit to Bruges which is a city that didn’t disappoint. Due to being in an accident a couple days before my visit I was unable to do as much as I would have liked to do whilst in Bruges. 

Bruges is a historic city which has some sights that are part of UNESCO World Heritage. As a city it is easy to walk around to admire the various picturesque buildings as well as various chocolate shops. 

Some people will often refer to the city as the Venice of the north due to the canals that are around the city. You are able to take a canal tour which costs €10 for 30 minutes, this was something I did on my first visit to Bruges, where you discover secret gardens as well as picturesque bridges.

Belfry of Bruges

One of Bruges most prominent sights which is a medieval bell tower located in the centre. Belfry used to house a treasury and municipal archives. There are 366 narrow steep steps that are accessible by the public to the top of the tower for an entry fee. As a tower it leans slightly to the east which is not very noticeable when looking at the tower. The former market hall can be found to the side and back of the tower which is a rectangular building with an inner courtyard. 

Markt (Market Square)

Located in the heart of the city centre there are historical sights which include:

Belfry

West Flanders Provincial Court

Church of Our Lady

At this church you will find a tower which is the tallest structure in the city of Bruges as well as second tallest brickwork tower in the world. 

Basilica of the Holy Blood

A Roman Catholic basilica which consists of a lower and upper chapel. The lower chapel is dedicated to St Basil the great. The structure of the basilica is a dark romanesque structure. 

Bruges City Hall

This city hall in Bruges is one of the oldest city halls in the Netherlands region.

Museums

In Bruges there are various museums relating to food and drink which you are able to visit include:

Chocostory – a chocolate museum

Friet Museum – a fries museum

Bruges Beer Experience – a museum about the Belgian beer heritage. 

As you are walking around the city of Bruges you may come across the beer wall at 2BE which is a wall that is covered with different beers from all over the world.

Food

There are plenty of food and drink choices around Bruges. During my time in Bruges breakfast was included in the hotel I was staying at so I only needed to find somewhere for evening meal. For each meal I somehow managed to have Italian food each night which couldn’t be helped as there a lot of Italian restaurants to choose from. 

On the first night I went to Sirene D’or restaurant located in the market square which was Italian restaurant. I chose to have four cheese ravioli with bacon which was lovely. This is a restaurant that I would recommend as it was reasonably priced. 

On the second night I went to De Vier Winden which was located near Belfry where I enjoyed a margarita pizza as well as a traditional Belgian beer. The food here was nice but it wouldn’t be somewhere that I would visit again for food. 

On the third and final evening I went to an authentic Italian restaurant called Trattoria Trium which was not far from the hotel. Whilst here I had spaghetti bolognese which was delicious and this is somewhere that I would definitely recommend for anyone visiting Bruges to visit. 

Chocolate

There are so many different shops to visit for chocolate whilst in Bruges. One chocolate shop we went to was Chocolates & Happiness, for me I found this shop to serve the best chocolate as I bought pralines seashells. 

Visit The Chocolate Line where you can enjoy chocolate created by Dominique Person as you are able to  find chocolate in unique flavours. The window display at The Chocolate Line is changed monthly. Also take a trip to Pralinette where you are spoilt for choice again in which chocolate to choose from. 

Visit Le Comptoir de Mathilde where you are able to find a range of chocolate and jelly sweets which is French based. As you are walking around the shop you are able to see that all the furnishings are wood as they pride themselves on having a unique boutique concept. 

If you are a biscuit fan then I would recommend visiting Juliette for some biscuits.

During my time in Bruges I stayed at Hotel Aragon. A review shall be coming to the blog soon. 

As a city Bruges is somewhere that I would recommend visiting.

Have you been to Bruges before or are you planning a visit?

LauraJane