Bruges is not to be missed.
Known for its intertwining canals, its Medieval buildings, and its cobblestone streets, Bruges is without a doubt one of Belgium’s most beautiful cities.
But apart from its beauty, we also learned that there are so many great things to do in Bruges, and we cannot wait to show you in this city guide.
You can visit famous breweries, look for the world’s only beer pipe line, walk in the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage city center, climb to the top of a Medieval tower, eat the finest Belgian chocolate, and much more!
In this city guide, we share everything that we think is worth doing on a trip to Bruges, and hopefully it will help you discover this fine city of Belgium.
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Plan your trip to Bruges in Belgium
Before you embark on your trip to Bruges, and start exploring all the wonderful things to do, we want to share a little information that might be useful to you.
We’ll go through the following: Why visit Bruges, how to get to Bruges from Brussels, and tips for visiting on a day trip. It’ll hopefully help you plan your own trip to Bruges.
Want to skip all the practical stuff? Then jump to the list of things to do.
Why visit beautiful Bruges
Here are 3 quick reasons to why you should visit Bruges in Belgium:
- History: The historic centre of Brugge (Bruges) has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000 because it’s an outstanding example of a historic settlement from the Middle Ages. So if you’re curious about European history, you really ought to visit.
- Beauty: It’s such a beautiful city that it’s hard to describe it. You really have to go there and see all the small alleys and hidden canal walks by yourself. So, if you want to experience a beautiful city in Europe that has a real Medieval feel to it, then it’s the perfect city to explore.
- Accessibility: It’s easy to visit Bruges on a one day trip from brussels – you just hop on the train.
Where to stay in Bruges
Did you realize that a day trip to Bruges wasn’t enough? Well we really can’t blame you! There are just so many things to do in Bruges that it’s hard to cram them all into one single day.
So just in case you decide to stay for a night or two, here are some of the best places to stay in Bruges. We’ve done our research (as always) on Booking.com and looked for the best hotels for you.
5 places to stay in Bruges (Ranked from low to high prices)
- Snuffel Hostel: Want something cheap? Stay in this high rated hostel in the city center.
- Hotel Central: Want something affordable for two? Check out this nice hotel in the city center.
- Crowne Plaza Hotel Brugge: Want something luxurious? Then stay at this lovely 4-star hotel, which has it all – including ancient ruins in the basement.
- Hotel Dukes’ Palace Brugge: Want to stay somewhere extraordinary? Then check out this incredible 5-star hotel, which is located in a former palace.
Top tips for visiting Bruges
The best things to do in Bruges
We’ve finally made it to the crème de la crème of this blog post. So, without further ado, here are all the top attractions and things to do in Bruges.
1. The Markt in Bruges
It’s almost inevitable not to make it past the “Markt”, also known as the “Market Square”, which is the heart of Bruges. This is the perfect place to start exploring the city.
The Market Square is surrounded by beautiful old and colorful houses, the famous belfry, and the Historium Museum – also located in a beautiful building! It’s a great place to take some pictures, and it’s a must-visit on your day trip to Bruges.
2. Belfry of Bruges
One of the most popular (and most expensive) things to do in Bruges is to visit the iconic Belfry. This 83-meter tall bell tower is located on the Market Square, and it’s the pride of the city.
Luckily, you can easily visit this popular attraction in Bruges.
You can explore 4 rooms in the bell tower, go to the top for a panoramic view over Bruges, and dance to the sound of the deafening bells while you’re there. We visited the tower on our day trip to Bruges, and we really enjoyed our experience.
The entrance fee to the Belfry Tower is €15, it’s free to enter with the Musea Brugge Card, and the opening hours differ from Winter (10 AM – 6 PM) and Summer (9 AM – 8 PM). If you want to know more, then check out the blog post linked below.
3. Church of Our Lady
The Church of Our Lady is a beautiful catholic church that dates back to the 13th century. It has an impressive tower, which stands 115 meters tall, and is therefore the tallest tower in all of Bruges.
Apart from being a church, it’s also a museum where you can find many art treasures such as the world-famous “Madonna and Child”, which is a rare Michelangelo sculpture that for once is located outside of Italy.
Watching the artworks in the Church of Our Lady is definitely one of the more popular things to do in Bruges.
The entrance fee to see the artworks are €8, it’s free to enter with the Musea Brugge Card, and it’s open daily from 9:30 AM – 5 PM except for Sundays when it doesn’t open until 1:30 PM.
4. St. Salvator’s Cathedral
The third and last big tower that you can see in Bruges is part of the city’s cathedral Sint Salvator (Or Saint Saviour). The beautiful tower is 99 meters tall and is therefore the second largest tower in Bruges.
It was originally built as a church back in the 10th century, and remains Bruges’ oldest church to this day. However, over the years it has burned down and been rebuilt a couple of times, and it wasn’t before 1834 that it received the status of cathedral.
It’s completely free to enter the cathedral and it’s open from 10 AM – 1 PM + 2 PM – 5:30 PM during the week days. Notice that there are different opening hours in the weekends.
5. Holy Blood Basilica
The last of the religious things to do in Bruges is to visit the Holy Blood Basilica. The rather unusual name “Holy Blood” comes from a relic within the basilica, which is said to contain the blood of Jesus Christ himself.
Whether that’s really true or not, we can’t answer… But it’s surely a beautiful little attraction in Bruges.
The basilica has a lower and an upper chapel, which are both free to enter. It was originally made as the chapel for the Count of Flanders, and it didn’t get its basilica status until 1923.
The entrance fee to see the treasury is €5, and it’s open daily from 10 AM – 5:15 PM.
6. Bruges City Hall
Another great thing to do in Bruges is to visit the city hall, also known as “Stadhuis” – yes, it’s another really old and beautiful building. The Stadhuis is gothic-styled and was built between 1376 and 1421.
This is what used to be the political centre of Bruges. And you know what? It still is.
The Bruges City Council meetings actually still take place in the Stadhuis even though it’s turned into a museum today.
While we didn’t visit the city hall from the inside, we made sure to go by and gawk at the beautiful architecture from the outside. Definitely one of the things you must do in Bruges.
The entrance fee to the Stadhuis is €8, it’s free to enter with the Musea Brugge Card, and it’s open daily from 9:30 AM – 5 PM.
7. Other history and art museums
Apart from the Belfry, the Church of our Lady, and the City Hall there are 7 additional history and art museums that you can visit to learn about the heritage of Bruges – all with free entrance if you have a Musea Brugge Card.
Check out the following: Brugse Vrije, Gezellehuis, Groeningemuseum, Gruuthusemuseum, Sint-Janshospitaal, Sint-Janhuismolen, and the museum of Folk Life.
Whether you’re into art, history, windmills, or city palaces, you’ll be able to find a museum that fits just to your taste in Bruges.
8. Funny and odd museums
If you aren’t keen on art and history museums, then we still guarantee that there is a museum for you in Bruges.
You can find some really funny and strange museums around the city. These museums aren’t managed by the municipality, instead they’re private. Check out some of Bruges’ different museums in the list below:
As you can see a lot of museums are food/drink related. Belgium is known for beer, chocolate, and fries, so of course you can learn about these things in museums… It’s unbelievable how many things there are to do in Bruges, you could easily spent days here.
9. Do a beer brewery tour
One of the best things to do in Bruges is to visit a brewery. You can choose one of two famous breweries in the city: De Halve Maan and Bourgogne de Flandres.
On the brewery tours, you get to see how the beer is made and of course have a taste of the golden finish product that comes out of the pipes.
De Halve Maan: A brewery tour will set you back €16, it takes around 45 minutes, and there are several times lots you can book every day between 12 PM – 5:30 PM. Book your tour on their website: Halvemaan.be
Bourgogne de Flandres: A self-guided brewery tour will set you back €16, and you can visit any time between 10:30 AM – 5 PM. You can book your tour on Get Your Guide.
10. Go on a guided tour
Do you want to get the whole package of Bruges?
There are several tour operators that offer guided tours around town. Whether you’re looking for a guided history tour around the city, a photography tour, a bike tour, or maybe a tour that focuses on chocolate?
There are so many things to do in Bruges, so you can always find a tour that fits your interests.
We recommend using Viator or Get Your Guide for booking tours.
11. Horse carriage tour
Another thing to do in Bruges is to jump on a horse carriage tour.
Now, we’re not horse experts in any way… But we would never do this activity ourselves, so we can’t really recommend it as one of the absolute best things to do in Bruges.
Whenever Glenn and I visit a new place, we always avoid the animal activities for the sole reason that we just don’t know how the animals are treated and whether they’re abused or not. We feel like some things should remain in the past when it comes to animals, and horse carriages are one of them. This is just a personal opinion (So please don’t start a fuss about us being political correct, we’re entitled to have this opinion).
So while we don’t really recommend you to do this, we certainly still want you to have all the practical information at hand, because that’s what this travel guide is all about.
The fact is that there are so many horse carriages around Bruges, so it’s part of the cityscape. That’s why we feel that we need to mention this activity.
Prices start at €70 for a horse carriage with a maximum of 5 people in it.
12. Free walking tour
One of the greatest things to do in any city (including Bruges) is a free walking tour.
A guide takes you and the group around the landmarks of the city and share history and funny anecdotes that you didn’t know about.
While the tour itself is “free”, a tip in the end is greatly appreciated. We think it’s obligatory to give the guide something for his/her hard work.
There are several operators that do the walking tours around Bruges. They both have day tours and night tours, which we think is pretty cool.
It cost €3 to secure your spot on a walking tour through our two above affiliate links, and the duration are between 1,5-2 hours. The tour only runs a couple of times a day, and you can check the availability through the 2 above affiliate links.
13. Picturesque canal walk
Another thing you simply must do in Bruges is to go on a canal walk.
There are so many small canals intertwining in and out of the old historic city center, and you can find some incredible scenery along these canals.
So just strap on your shoes, set your camera to the right settings, and start walking while taking some beautiful pictures. The most popular viewpoints are probably the view at Rozenhoedkaai, where you can see two of the city’s towers at once, or the view in the small walkway behind the Church of Our Lady.
There are so many attractions, museums, and things to do in Bruges, yet we think one of the best reasons to visit Bruges is to experience at the beautiful scenery along the canals.
14. Boat tour in the canals
One of the top things to do in Bruges is a boat tour in the canals.
The boat trip takes around half an hour and during this time you will be taken by some of Bruges’ highlights.
There are 5 different locations from where you can do a canal tour in Bruges, so just follow the canals and you’ll be sure to find a place of departure.
The boat companies are normally open from 10 AM – 6 PM from early March to mid-November, although you can sometimes be lucky to find a boat tour company that operates out of season. The adult prices are €15, which we think is a bit steep for just half an hour of exploration.
However, you can easily combine the canal tour with a walking tour and get more out of your day. Check out this Small boat cruise & guided walking tour in Bruges.
15. Walk to the windmills
On the outskirts of the historic city center, just next to the Gent-Brugge Canal, you’ll find a super cool walkway with windmills.
In the 16th century there was more than 20 windmills in the area, but today only 4 remains.
All the windmills, except for one, have been moved from their original position. And today, the windmills serve more of a historical purpose rather than actually being used.
The Sint-Janshuismill, which was built in 1770, is the only windmill that still stands in its original position. It’s also the only windmill that has been turned into a museum, which you can visit for €5 or get free entrance with the Musea Brugge Card.
You can only visit the Sint-Janshuismill Museum during the Summer period, starting from 1st of April. You can see visiting hours and book a time slot for your visit here.
16. Bruges Triennial 2024
During our day trip to Bruges, in the Gezellehuis Garden, we stumbled upon something that we had no idea of what was… It looked like a giant red scaffolding, which surrounded a massive tree. And apparently you could climb it to the top for some great city views.
We later learned that it’s part of an art exhibition named “Bruges Triennial”.
The Bruges Triennial is a a unique type of art exhibition that only happens every 3 years. This year (2024) it’s back and runs from 13 April – 1 September.
During this time period, you can find 12 different art and architecture installations scattered around Bruges. It’s such a cool way of using the city, and we encourage you to visit some of these art installations if you’re in the city during the Bruges Triennial.
17. Hof de Jonghe (Sheep Park)
Fancy a snuggle with a sheep?
One of the best free (and most unusual) things to do in Bruges is to visit Hof de Jonghe. It’s a small park in a residential area that has a couple of sheep living there.
We tracked down this little park during our day trip to Bruges, but sadly there was no sheep. We honestly don’t know when the sheep are here… But if you need a little break from the bustling city center, and want to potentially watch some cute sheep, then head to Hof de Jonghe and see for yourself.
18. Minnewater Park
Not far from Brugge Station, you’ll find the Minnewater Park. Also known as the “Lake of Love”, this little green spot in Bruges is absolutely incredible.
If you’re looking for a piece of quiet from the bustling city, we’d recommend you to come here.
It’s also a great place to spot swans!
19. Ten Wijngaerde (Beguinage)
Next to Minnewater Park, you’ll find the local Beguinage. A Beguinage is a place where unmarried and widowed women live a peaceful life dedicated to god.
The beautiful garden in here was founded back in 1245, and it’s surrounded by white houses and a church. Today, nuns of the Benedict Order, and other unmarried women live here.
Visiting this place is one of the greater things to do if you’re looking for some peace and quiet in Bruges. You aren’t allowed to take any pictures and you have to be silent once you enter the area.
You can enter the Beguinage every day from 6:30 AM – 6:30 PM.
20. Enjoy a drink at a local bar
Don’t you think it’s time for a break from all the sightseeing?
When you need a break on your day of exploring, we suggest you go to a bar and try out one of the local beers in Bruges.
Just remember that the beers in Belgium are very strong, and it’s not uncommon to drink beer with an alcohol percentage of 8 or more.
We found an affordable and cozy bar by the Fish Market named “Hollandse Vismijn”. We can definitely recommend this place when you feel thirsty and need a break.
21. Eat a Belgian snack
We always find that it’s necessary to eat a few snacks when sightseeing – Gotta keep the blood sugar level high, so we can keep on exploring as much as possible!
There are several Belgian snacks that you can try out on your one day trip to Bruges depending on whether you want something sweet or savory.
The classic savory snack is definitely the Belgian Frites. Eating fries is a must on your visit to Belgium since they allegedly originate from this country. Head to a “Frituur Shop” somewhere in Bruges for a good deal on fries.
The best sweet snack you can get in Bruges is of course… the Belgian waffle. There are several waffle houses scattered around the city, and you can often locate them by following the sweet smell of sugar, dough, and yumminess.
22. Buy some Belgian chocolate
The street that connects the Markt and the City Hall is full of chocolate shops.
Belgium is famous for its world-renowned chocolate (they invented the praline), so you want to head to this street for some delicious high-quality chocolate. PS, you can also find waffles on this street.
23. Visit a market
Belgium is a big country for local markets, and Brugge doesn’t let you down.
There are several markets around the city with the most popular ones being the daily Fish market and the Flower and Food market on Wednesdays.
Bruges also has an incredible Christmas market every year. So make sure to check that one out if you’re in Belgium during December.
24. Go shopping
Brugge is the capital of West Flanders, which means it’s actually a pretty big city.
And like most big cities, one of the greater things to do in Bruges is to go shopping! Bruges has all the classic commercial clothes stores, but there are also some interesting quirky quality shops on the way, which we haven’t seen in other cities.
So, if you need a new pair of shoes, a summer dress, or a scarf for the cold winter winds in Belgium, then you don’t have to look far.
Our favorite things to do in Bruges
We want to end this blog post with sharing our favorite things to do in Bruges whether you visit on a day trip or stay here for several nights.
While there are so many attractions, museums, and monuments to see in Bruges, we found that it’s the more simple things that makes Bruges such a great city. Our all-time favorite thing to do was to just get lost in the city center, preferably by following the canals. The canals will take you past so many cute picturesque places!
Also, once we reached the Markt, we couldn’t help ourselves to just stand still. Standing in the middle of the Market Square is like standing in the heart of Bruges. Try to do a 360-spin and see how many beautiful and colorful buildings you can spot at once.
Another one of the things we love to do in any Belgian city is to go to a bar, and Bruges is no different. Belgium have such a great bar culture, and every city has its own delicious beer. So, unless you don’t drink alcohol, we’ll recommend you to try out the local beer. It’s really a must in our opinion.
All in all, Bruges offers so many great experiences for every kind of traveller.
We hope you enjoyed this travel guide about all the best things to do in Bruges. If you have the time, then we advice you to spend a couple of nights here to really appreciate Bruges and see the city at night.
Don’t hesitate to comment if you have any questions, or other Brugge attractions that you think we should include in this blog post.
Thanks for reading and happy travels!
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