Best Of Bruges
DAY 1: We start our journey from the UK travelling from Manchester by train to London Euston to connect onto the Eurostar from St Pancreas to Bruges – this was all done with ease, great service, easy check in and fast security check. Arrived late afternoon into Bruges for check in at the hotel, followed by a quick wonder around the city not forgetting sampling the thing we came to taste beer & chocolate before heading for dinner at Bones (fantastic place to eat) and early night.
DAY 2: City tour with its cobbled streets, crooked bridges, meandering canals and World Heritage-listed medieval buildings, Bruges is so pretty it’s almost too good to be true. We took ourselves for mid-morning boat trip which took in the sights for a different point of view – The Rozenhoedkaai stop is where you want to head to get that postcard perfect shot of the canals, swans and boats. Later that day Bruges is full of places to drink beer, but if you want to see how it’s made, then you need to visit De Halve Maan (aka The Half Moon). This family-run brewery offers 45-minute tours and takes you along narrow passageways and up ladders to the brewery’s roof for views across the city. You’ll see how they make their beers and end up by tasting their Bruges Zot blond beer you can even lunch at the brewery restaurant which uses their brews in traditional dishes, we sampled a sharing plate which was lovely.
DAY 3: You can climb to the top of the 83-metre Belfry Tower up 366 narrow, steep spiral stairs which is in the main square - the 360-degree views across the city at top are spectacular. From here, we went to Grote Marktthen then onto the side streets to explore Bruges’ pretty squares, you’ll never get lost as it's so compact. In the Burg, you’ll find the Staduis (City Hall) with its impressive golden vaulted ceiling and painted walls which tell the story of the history of Belgium. There’s also the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a double-decker chapel which has a Romanesque church down below and a neo-Gothic church up above. Just around the corner call into 2be, a bar and beer shop which sells brews from all across Belgium, and has them displayed in a huge ‘wall of beer’ along the side of the building, we opted for the tasting menu (6 different beers starting with 13% up to 20%+) which was fun sat out with the sun shining on the terrace overlooking the canal, which is one of the best vantage points to watch the tour boats sail by. Go for a walk through the enchanting Minnewaterpark and the Beguinage: Two must-see places of interest. Bruges will immediately enthral you…
DAY 4: Homebound - Bruges is the perfect place and would highly recommend and will be back. Bruges is just perfect for a weekend break – easy to get to and explore on foot, and bursting with charming streets, fantastic beers, boutique chocolate-makers and canalside bars. So if you fancy a sweet couple of days, here’s how to spend the perfect weekend in Bruges.
My top places to eat in Bruges: That’s Toast, Sanseveria Bagelsalon, In’t Nieuw Museum, Pieter Pourbus, Bistro Bruut, Nomad, Lizzies waffles
My top places to drink in Bruges: Vino Vino, Pigeon house, Blend, Le Trappiste, De Garre, De Halve Maan