Choose from 9 Fun Things to Do in Bruges
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Belfry (Belfort)
Dominating the city skyline from all angles, the striking, 83-meter high Belfry (Belfort) is one of Bruges’ most iconic landmarks, standing proud over the central Market Square. Dating back to 1240, the historic bell tower has undergone a number of changes over the years, damaged by fire in the late 13th-century and hit by lightning twice. Today, the Belfort is both a UNESCO World heritage site and one of the city’s top tourist attractions.
A popular pastime for visitors is climbing the 366 spiraling steps to the top of the 83-meter-high tower, from where the panoramic views look out over the entire city and it’s possible to peek inside the carillon with its 47 bells and impressive clockwork mechanism. Along the way, a number of small rooms are also open to the public, including the old treasury, where the city’s rights and charters were once kept, and an exhibition on the tower’s bells.
Practical Info
The Belfry (Belfort) is located in the Market Square in central Bruges and is open daily from 9.30am- 5pm. Adult admission costs €8.
Address: Markt 7, Bruges, Belgium
Hours: Open daily 9.30am- 5pm
Admission: Adults: €8
From $ 12
Bruges Waterways
With its maze of cobbled streets and squares, striking old buildings, and network of scenic canals, the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre of Bruges is undeniably picturesque. A boat trip down the romantic canals of Bruges is at the top of the bucket list for many Belgium visitors, and there’s no better way to experience this beautiful city than from the water.
The Basics
A Bruges sightseeing excursion isn’t complete without a canal tour. Boat tours typically last about 30 minutes, cruising around the historic center and passing landmarks such as the Groeninge Museum (Groeningemuseum), Old St. John's Hospital, and Basilica of the Holy Blood. Even if you choose not to spend the night in Bruges, the city is small enough to explore on a day or half-day trip from Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, or even other European destinations such as Paris and Amsterdam.
Things to Know Before You Go
- Boat tours leave from the city’s four main quays, or piers—Tanner’s Square (Huidenvettersplein), Nieuwstraat, Wollestraat, and Quay of the Rosary (Rozenhoedkaai).
- Most boats are open-air, so dress for the season’s weather.
- Many boat cruises offer wheelchair access, but it’s best to check in advance with the tour operator.
How to Get There
Bruges (Brugge) is located in Belgium’s West Flanders province, roughly an hour by train from Brussels, where the closest international airport is located. Many day trips offer coach transportation to Bruges from nearby cities such as Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels.
When to Get There
Most boat tours run from March through November, but winter cruises are sometimes possible depending on the weather. It’s best to book ahead, especially during the busy summer months, when lines can be long.
Photographing the Bruges Waterways
The most memorable photographs of Bruges focus on the city’s canals, and there are plenty of opportunities for budding photographers to capture the waterways on camera. Head down to the waterfront at sunrise or sunset for the most impressive light, or set up a tripod at night to capture glittering reflections on the water. Notable photo spots include the swan-filled waters by the Begijnhof building, the Church of Our Lady gardens, the tree-lined promenade of the Quay of the Rosary, and the Meestraat Bridge.
Address: Bruges, Belgium
From $ 53
Bruges Beer Museum
There are more than 600 beers brewed in Belgium, from fruit and white beers to Trappist ales brewed by monks, strong dubbels and yeasty lambics. The Flanders region has been known for its specialty beers since the Middle Ages and the Beer Museum, sandwiched between the Markt and Burg in medieval Bruges, provides a high-tech overview of the development of the Flemish brewing industry. The museum opened in 2014 and its tours are cleverly guided by iPad, educating visitors on the many different varieties of Belgian beer, their fermentation and brewing methods. All ingredients can be tasted along the way and interactive touch screens offer beer challenges, explain provenances and suggest food pairings; for kids there is a special tour that involves finding and rescuing an 850-year-old bear.
All tours of the museum end up in the tasting room, for panoramic views over the medieval architecture of Markt as well as the chance to taste three of 16 draught beers accompanied by cheeses to mop up the alcohol. Soft drinks are available for all visitors younger than 16.
Practical Info
Breidelstraat 3, Bruges. Open daily 9am–5pm. Admission prices start at €9 without sampling, €14 with three tastings. Children under 16 are not allowed to sample the beers. Accessible on foot in the pedestrianized heart of Bruges.
Address: Breidelstraat 3, Bruges, Flanders, Belgium 8000, Belgium
Hours: Open daily 9am–5pm
Admission: Prices start at €9 without sampling; €14 with three tastings
From $ 10
Sint-Janshospitaal (Saint John's Hospital)
SintJanshospitaal (Old St John's Hospital) is one of the oldest surviving hospital buildings in Europe. The hospital cared for pilgrims, travellers, and the sick for more than 800 years. The old infirmary cared for patients from the 12th century to the middle of the 19th century when the hospital moved to a nearby red brick building, where patients were treated until 1978.
Visitors may tour the chapel and the medieval wards where monks and nuns performed their charitable work, and explore the hospital’s impressive collection of artwork, vintage medical instruments, and archives. Also worth a visit are the pharmacy and its herb garden, the Diksmuide attic, the old dormitory, and the custodian’s room. SintJanshospitaal owns six works by the artist Hans Memling (one of the most important Flemish Primitive painters, who lived and worked in Bruges in the 15th century), as well as many religious sculptures and paintings that depict what life in the hospital was like throughout the centuries. The museum, which is now located in the old infirmary, teaches the curious visitor more about hospital life in the past and how the wards would have looked then.
Practical Info
SintJanshospitaal is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can easily be reached by public transit. The nearest train station is ‘Brugge’ and the nearest bus stop is ‘O.L.V. Kerk, Katelijnestraat ingang O.L.V. Kerk.’ Your museum ticket price includes entry to the hospital’s restored 17th-century pharmacy (Apotheek), which is accessed by a semihidden rear door.
Address: Mariastraat 38, Bruges, Belgium
Admission: €8 adults; €6 seniors older than 65 and adults younger than 26; free for children under 12
From $ 53
Groeningemuseum
One of Belgium’s best fine art museums, the Groeningemuseum, holds a collection that covers around 600 years of Flemish and Belgian painting, from the 14th through the 20th century. Notable pieces include the 15th-century Flemish painter Jan van Eyck’s Madonna with Canon Van der Paele. This piece was completed in 1436 and features highly sophisticated techniques such as fine detailing and the use of multiple layers of oil and varnish to achieve texture and depth. This painting is regarded as one of Van Eyck’s most ambitious works.
Other works on display include Hans Memling’s Moreel's Triptych; Hieronymus Bosch’s The Last Judement, Gerard David’s Judgment of Cambyses, which depicts the corrupt Persian judge Sisamnes being flayed alive, and other pieces by early Flemish painter Rogier van der Weyden and the surrealists Magritte and Paul Delvaux.
The museum is small but thoughtfully arranged so that the layout of its 11 rooms follow a chronological order. Unlike many European art museums, the Groeningemuseum does not suffer from large crowds, even in the peak summer tourist season. The museum is set back from a main street in a small park behind a medieval gate. When you have finished inside the building, the surrounding gardens make an attractive place to spend some time.
Other works on display include Hans Memling’s Moreel's Triptych; Hieronymus Bosch’s The Last Judement, Gerard David’s Judgment of Cambyses, which depicts the corrupt Persian judge Sisamnes being flayed alive, and other pieces by early Flemish painter Rogier van der Weyden and the surrealists Magritte and Paul Delvaux.
The museum is small but thoughtfully arranged so that the layout of its 11 rooms follow a chronological order. Unlike many European art museums, the Groeningemuseum does not suffer from large crowds, even in the peak summer tourist season. The museum is set back from a main street in a small park behind a medieval gate. When you have finished inside the building, the surrounding gardens make an attractive place to spend some time.
Practical Info
The Groeningemuseum is in the city center, close to the canal-side flea market, and is open every day except Mondays. The entrance fee includes admission to the neighboring Arentshuis, an 18th-century mansion that houses the work of the Belgian-British artist Frank Brangwyn. An English audio guide is available and there is detailed information in four languages in each room.
Address: Dijver 12 8000, Bruges, Belgium
Hours: Tue-Sun 9:30am–5pm
Admission: €8 for ages 6-25; €1 for up to age 5
From $ 25
St. Bavo Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal)
Fronted by a Romanesque, baroque and Gothic facade, Ghent’s cavernous cathedral serves as a repository for a valuable collection of art treasures, including works by Rubens and Laurent Delvaux. Its showpiece attraction is the Van Eyck brothers’ world-renowned 24-panel altarpiece, The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.
The Basics
As the holder of one of the most significant and influential works of Northern Renaissance Art, St. Bavo Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal) is the first port of call for many visitors to Ghent. The cathedral is a common stop on guided day trips from Belgium’s capital, Brussels, and is commonly combined with a trip to the UNESCO-listed Belgian city of Bruges. Tour guides are not allowed to talk inside the chapel, so visitors normally explore independently. Audio guides help explain the various panels of the painting to visitors.
Things to Know Before You Go
- The cathedral is a pilgrimage site for art enthusiasts.
- The altarpiece underwent a painstaking restoration process beginning in 2012, with the panels having been restored to their original glory.
- Wheelchair users may need assistance at the entrance, which is sloped. The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb is accessible, though the crypt, chapels, and choir aisle are not.
How to Get There
Ride the tram (1, 2, or 4) to Korenmarkt. From there, it’s less than a 5-minute walk to Sint-Baafsplein square where the cathedral is situated. The Duivelsteen tram stop (served by lines 1 and 4) is also just a few minutes’ walk from the cathedral.
When to Get There
Arrive at least 30 minutes (ideally more) before closing time, as visitors are required to leave the chapel in which The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb is situated 15 minutes before closing time. Note that between noon and 1pm every day, the panels of the Van Eyck altarpiece are closed allowing visitors to see only the restored exterior panels.
Appreciating Art at St. Bavo’s Cathedral
Art aficionados will be impressed by the quality of the artworks, carvings, memorials, and tombs on display at St. Bavo Cathedral. Among the most important pieces are The Conversion of Saint Bavo in the Rubens Chapel, the Calvary Triptych by Justus van Gent, the baroque-style high altar, and the exquisite marble-and-oak rococo pulpit by Laurent Delvaux.
Of course, the star of the show is The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, which was begun by Hubert van Eyck and finished by Jan van Eyck in 1432. Over the years, many of the painting’s panels have been replaced, removed, and even stolen, though almost all—bar De Rechtvaardige Rechters (The Just Judges) which remains at large—have been recovered and restored.
Address: Sint-Baafsplein, Gent, Belgium
Admission: Varies
From $ 53
Choco Story
A visit to the museum of chocolate, Choco Story is best reserved for only the most serious of cocoa bean aficionados. The museum’s exhibits run through centuries of the history of chocolate, from the Mayans to the present, and cover every step of the chocolate-making process, from the field to the grocery store shelf, in such painstaking detail that you might find yourself skipping the history lesson and heading straight for the museum shop to stock up on sweets.
If you stick with the tour, however, you will find that weighty historical detail is livened up with displays of antique chocolate-related equipment; a fun cartoon character that explains the virtues and purported health benefits of chocolate, and demonstrations of chocolatiers at work. Best of all, visitors get a sample of the freshly made pralines at the end.
The museum is located in Bruges’ city center, not far from The Burg and the market square, and tours are offered every day. If you have some extra time, you can join a chocolate-making workshop at the museum and learn how to make your very own pralines and truffles.
If you stick with the tour, however, you will find that weighty historical detail is livened up with displays of antique chocolate-related equipment; a fun cartoon character that explains the virtues and purported health benefits of chocolate, and demonstrations of chocolatiers at work. Best of all, visitors get a sample of the freshly made pralines at the end.
The museum is located in Bruges’ city center, not far from The Burg and the market square, and tours are offered every day. If you have some extra time, you can join a chocolate-making workshop at the museum and learn how to make your very own pralines and truffles.
Address: Wijnzakstraat 2 (Sint-Jansplein) 8000, Bruges, Belgium
Hours: Open from 10am- 5pm every day
Admission: Adults: €7 Groups, 65+, Student: €6 Children (6-11 year): €4 Children < 6 year: Free
From $ 9
St Nicholas' Church
Owner of the oldest of the three great spires that dominate the pedestrianized heart of Ghent, St Nicholas’ Church was constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries in an eye-catching mixture of Romanesque and Flemish Gothic architectural styles. Built of Tournai limestone, its lovely exterior is adorned with flying buttresses and spiky spires as well as an imposing central tower; all this grandeur was paid for by Ghent’s wealthy medieval merchants to signal their wealth to the rival Flanders trading cities of Bruges and Antwerp. It’s probably more beautiful inside than out, but nevertheless all eyes lead to the Baroque high altar with its twisted side columns, floodlit through stained-glass windows high above. The church is currently under restoration but faint traces of fresco can still be seen on the supporting pillars of the nave. For the best view of St Nicholas’s flying buttresses, head for the viewing platform of the Belfry a few steps away.
Practical Info
Korenmarkt. Free admission. Open Mon 2–5pm, Tue–Sun 10am–5pm.
Address: Cataloniëstraat, Ghent 9000, Belgium
Hours: Mon 2–5pm, Tue–Sun 10am–5pm
From $ 53
Beguinage (Begijnhof)
Bruges’ Beguinage (Begijnhof) or “Ter Weyngaerde" is one of the most famous and best preserved of Belgium’s Beguinages, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the town’s most-visited attractions, it offers a glimpse into the European Beguine movement of the Middle Ages.
The Basics
Most Bruges city tours include a stop at the Beguinage, and it’s a striking sight with its stark white buildings fronted by tall trees and looking out over a daffodil-filled courtyard. Visitors can wander around the historic buildings and gardens, explore the traditional crafts workshops, and peek inside the 13th-century church. The Beguinage Museum is also a highlight, providing insight into the Beguinage and the solitude of the Beguine lifestyle. Visit independently, ask part of a group walking tour, or even on a day trip from Paris.
Things to Know Before You Go
- Entrance to the Beguinage is free, but there is an entrance fee for the Beguinage Museum.
- Wear comfortable shoes if you plan on walking to the Beguinage—the area around the Beguinage is made up of flat cobblestones and narrow waterfront lanes.
- The Beguinage is mostly wheelchair accessible, although some parts of the historic buildings are not.
How to Get There
The Beguinage is located just south of the historic center of Bruges, an around 15-minute walk from the main market square. The easiest way to get there is on foot or by bike, but taxis will also drop you off just outside.
When to Get There
The Beguinage is open year-round, but it can get busy in the summer months of July and August, when it’s best to visit in the early morning to avoid crowds.
History of the Beguinage
Bruges’ Beguinage is one of the most notable examples of a traditional Flemish beguinage, a secluded complex of houses, churches, and gardens set up to house Beguines—pious lay women who devoted their lives to God. Countess Johanna of Constantinople founded the Beguinage in Bruges in 1230. Until 1926, it housed a small community of Beguines. Today, the compound is home to around 25 Benedictine nuns, but remnants of its Beguine past still live on.
Address: Wijngaardstraat, Bruges, Belgium
From $ 12