This list of essential places to visit in Bruges, will help you prepare a trip to one of the best preserved and most beautiful medieval cities in the world.
Its historic center full of canals, cobbled streets and beautiful houses, has made it the most visited city in Belgium, where you can not forget to try its cuisine, at which time some of its specialties such as chocolate, craft beer And the chips, we are sure they will put the icing on the getaway.
To this jewel of Flanders, a World Heritage Site, it is worth at least dedicating a full day, although if you have time we recommend you spend at least one night in the city and take a walk at sunset while its beautiful buildings are illuminated, since This is one of the most magical moments of the day.
Based on our trip to Bruges and Brussels in 4 days, we have made a list of what we believe are, the 10 essential places to see in Bruges. We start!
How to get to Bruges from Brussels
If you are staying in Brussels, the best option to get to Bruges is to book the train. They leave every 20 minutes from any station in the city, the journey is one hour and the price is around 15 euros.
In case you want to arrive directly from the two airports near Brussels, you have these alternatives:
- From Charleroi Airport, take a bus to Brussels Midi station and then take a train to Bruges, for a total price of about 30 euros.
- From Brussels Airport take a direct train to Bruges, or with a stopover in the city of Brussels, for a price of about 20 euros.
If you have only one day, another good option is to book this bus tour with a guide in Spanish or this one that also includes the city of Ghent, considered two of the best excursions in Brussels.
You can find more information about the transfer in this post about how to go from Brussels to Bruges.
1. Grote Markt
Grote Markt, or the Plaza Mayor, is the heart of Bruges and the point where many of the walking routes through the historic center begin and end. In this square, surrounded by medieval buildings with picturesque facades, stands out the Belfort Belfry Tower, its most impressive building and in which we are safe, you will stay with your mouth open.
In addition to this tower, in the center of the square there is a statue in honor of local heroes Jan Breydel and Pieter De Koninck.
If it is your first visit to the city, a good option to get to know the history better is to book this guided tour in Spanish or this free tour of the old town. Free!
Grote Markt
2. The Rosary Pier
If there is something we recommend you do on this pier through which the Dijver, one of the most important channels of Bruges, is to see it at least twice, once during the day and once at night. And it is not in vain that we have to remember that the Muelle del Rosario is one of the most photographed corners and one of the essential places to visit in Bruges, in which the medieval buildings with classic facades that seem taken from a fairy tale, are its main protagonists.
Dock of the Rosary
3. Minnewater Park
Known by the name of Lake of Love, Minnewater Park is one of the most romantic places to see in Bruges. Located south of the historic center, this park with a beautiful lake full of swans, is perfect for a walk at sunset with which to end the day in the city.
During the tour, in addition to gardens, you can see several interesting buildings such as the Castillo de la Faille, an old hospital, an ammunition depot or the sluice house that was used to control the water level of the canals.
A good option if you do not have much time is to book a panoramic bus tour of the city where you will pass through the Minnewater Park and the beautiful area of the Kruisvest mills, located in the north of Bruges.
Minnewater Park
4. Burg Square
Walking along Breidelstraat Street from the Grote Markt, you will reach Burg Square, another of the places to visit in Bruges more crowded The historic buildings that surround the square such as the Town Hall or Stadhuis, the Palace of Justice or the Basilica of the Holy Blood, among others, make it rival in beauty with the Plaza Mayor.
The City Hall of Bruges or Stadhuis of the fourteenth century is considered one of the oldest in Europe and stands out for a Gothic-style exterior and for its two interior rooms: the Gothic Hall and the Historic Hall.
The Basilica of the Holy Blood of the twelfth century, is composed of two churches, one on each floor, in the one on the upper floor a blister is kept as a relic that they say, contains a few drops of the blood of Christ.
Meanwhile, the Palace of Justice is an 18th-century manor house that stands out for its facade with golden statues.
Visiting hours of the town hall: Monday to Sunday from 09: 30h to 17h.
Visiting hours of the basilica: Monday to Sunday from 09: 30h to 12h and from 2pm to 5pm.
Visiting hours of the Palace of Justice: Monday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Burg Square, one of the places to visit in Bruges
5. Begijnhof, one of the best places to visit in Bruges
El Beaterio, near the Minnewater Park, is another of places to see in Bruges that you can't miss The Beguards of Belgium, declared World Heritage Sites, were built in medieval times so that orphaned women or widows had a decent home. In this case, the Beguinage of Bruges was built by the Countess of Flanders in 1245 and today, still today, Benedictine nuns are housed.
This small city within Bruges of green areas and with a small poplar forest takes you to the medieval era for its good state of conservation, where you can also visit a small museum where the history and way of life of the Beguines is explained .
Visiting hours: Monday to Sunday from 06:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sundays from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission to the Begijnhof is free and is only paid at the museum.
Begijnhof, one of the places to see in Bruges
Our recommended hotel in Bruges
Hotel Loreto, located in the city center and less than 5 minutes walk from Bruges train station, is one of the most recommended accommodation in the city. It has spacious and clean rooms, with all the comforts and includes a good buffet breakfast in the price.
6. Walk through the canals
One of the best things to do in Bruges, known as "the Venice of the North"is to take a boat trip through several of its canals.
You will not have problems to find the perfect place to start the walk, since from different docks of the city leave these small boats that are filled with tourists to discover hidden corners and see their medieval buildings from another perspective.
Going under the beautiful stone bridge of San Bonifacio, seeing the square of Jan van Eyck, the inner courtyards of the houses, navigating the Dijver channel, until reaching the Lake of Love, are just some of the wonders of the tour.
The boats leave every day from 10 am to 6 pm from the wharves Wollestraat, Nieuwstraat, Huidenvettersplein, Rozenhoedkaai and Katelijnestraat.
The duration of the ride is about 30 minutes and the price is about 8 euros per person.
Canals of Bruges
7. Belfort
The Belfort, a bell tower over 80 meters high, is one of the symbols and places to visit in Bruges that you can't miss
From this 13th-century Gothic tower, located on the Grote Markt, you will enjoy fantastic views of the historic center and the city, even if you don't forget that to get to the top, where the famous 47 bells of the chime are located, it is only necessary to climb the 366 steps.
Visiting hours: Monday to Sunday from 09: 30h to 17h.
Belfort Tower
8. Groeninge Museum and Memling Museum
The Groeninge Museum, located in a quiet area of Bruges, is the most important museum in Bruges. For about an hour you will take a journey through several centuries of the best Belgian painting with its great masters, in which you can see some of his most famous works such as "Virgin with the canon Van der Paele"by Jan van Eyck, the"Guillaume Moreel triptych"from Memling or"Death of the Virgin"by Hugo van der Goes, among many others.
The Memling Museum is located in the old San Juan Hospital, one of the oldest in Europe and stands out for its beautiful interior, in which, for example, in the old chapel you can see 6 paintings by the artist Hans Memling, you can also visit the pharmacy and the hospital rooms.
Museum hours: from Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Memling Museum
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
9. Church of Our Lady
The Church of Our Lady of Bruges or Vrouwekerk, is another of the most important places to visit in Bruges. This Gothic-style building with a brick tower of more than 120 meters stands out for housing the marble Madonna of Michelangelo inside.
Church visiting hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 09: 30h to 17h. Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Madonna of Michelangelo
10. Cathedral of San Salvador
The Cathedral of San Salvador, the oldest church in Bruges, has a 100-meter high tower from the 12th century crowned by a Gothic spire. Inside there are several works of art in the form of tapestries, sculptures, tombs, paintings and a beautiful altar.
Visiting hours of the cathedral: Monday to Friday from 10 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5:30 pm. Saturday until 3:30 p.m. Sunday from 11: 30h to 12h and from 2pm to 5pm.
San Salvador Cathedral
To trace the route through the city you can use this guide of Bruges in one day.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 places to visit in Bruges, add yours in the comments.
