What to do in Bruges in a weekend?

Belfort tower from the Rosario dock. Bruges

Bruges in a weekend?

 

Bruges is one of the best preserved medieval cities in all of Europe, and it is worth spending a weekend in this city, whether you are traveling as a couple, family, friends or alone. There are many plans that the city offers you to make the most of it.

Bruges

What to do on friday

If you want to make the most of your stay in the city, we recommend that you travel on Friday afternoon. The easiest way is to travel to Brussels, the capital of the country, and from the airport itself there is a train that takes you directly to Bruges. The train ride takes an hour and a half.

We recommend that you arrive at the hotel. Drop your suitcases and go to the Markt square or Burg square to see several of its most iconic buildings beautifully illuminated. The vision will leave you speechless.

It is a good time to get to know the most hidden places in the city that, despite being central, are rarely visited. From the Markt you can easily get to the city’s Windmills. And on the way you can visit such spectacular places as the “first stock exchange”, the statue of Jan Van Eyck in its square, the Church of the English or the first town tavern.

Go ahead and discover all these hidden gems, and many more, in our Free Tour Hidden Bruges

You can dine in several of the restaurants around these squares, where typical Belgian cuisine is offered. And before the end of the day, the best thing would be to take a walk along the many canals of the city. There is no better way to digest dinner than with this beautiful view.

Saturday through the historic center of the city.

On our second day, the best thing would be to go to the historic center, and take a tour of the city, today. If you come to Bruges, you cannot miss such impressive places as the Markt. With its municipal bell tower of more than eighty meters, the Burg, a mixture of styles, in which the Brabantine Gothic Town Hall stands out, the peculiar square of the tanners. The San Juan hospital, one of the oldest hospitals in Europe, …

Of course, the churches of the city do not leave anyone indifferent, in which the Church of Our Lady stands out, which is the home of the sculpture of Michelangelo, the Madonna and the child, the Church of San Juan, where it is kept the reliquary of Santa Agueda, or the Basilica of the Holy Blood, which keeps, as its name says, the Holy Blood.

Something completely recommended is to get lost in its streets and alleys, and discover the wonderful medieval city, which seems that time has stopped there. And so, you can reach the beguinario, the city of women within the city of medieval times, or even one of the most romantic places in Bruges, the Minnewater.

If you want to discover these places and many more, and know the stories they hide, we encourage you to sign up for our Bruges Free Tour.

San Juan Hospital. Bruges
San Juan Hospital. Bruges
Bruges Beguinage
Bruges Beguinage

Saturday afternoon.

After a little break to eat, it’s time for dessert, and what better dessert than chocolate in Belgium. In Bruges, one of the things that impacts the most is the number of chocolate shops that exist, and that a large part of them are artisanal, since here the chocolate industry reaches a peak.

There are several chocolate shops that stand out for their quality and innovation in this art, but if one should be highlighted, it is The Chocolate Line (https://www.thechocolateline.be . This chocolate shop has only two establishments in the whole country, one in Bruges and the other in Antwerp. The quality of his chocolate is exquisite, he makes annual expeditions to cocoa plantations and has his own cocoa plantation in Mexico. Another recommended artisan chocolate shop is Pur Chocolat Artisanale Chocolatier (https://www.facebook.com/Pur-Chocolat-Artisanale-Chocolatier-610102715715880), they have a wide variety of products and all of them of good quality at a reasonable price. They also offer a very special type of beer, chocolate beer.

     If you want to take a tour of the world of Belgian chocolate and beer, join our Chocolate and Beer Tour in Bruges.

Chocolate and beer. Bruges

Sunday.

 

On the last day of your stay in the city. We recommend that you take the opportunity to visit certain jewels inside that are often left out. The Historium, located on the Markt, where you can take a virtual and special effects tour of Bruges’ golden age, and see what the city was like and how its inhabitants lived. Another recommended place is the renovated Gruuthusemuseum, a palace that belonged to one of the most powerful families in Bruges, and is now a museum. Your ticket is combined with that of the Church of Our Lady, so with the same ticket you can also see Michelangelo’s Madonna.

You can always go to one of the seaside towns to see the beauty of the North Sea. As Bruges is only 15 kilometers from the coast. You could travel by train, by bus or in one of the favorite forms of transport for Bruges, the bicycle. In the city there are several places that rent bicycles for both half and full days and it is an excellent way to get around to see the closest places.

Hopefully our help will be useful, in what to do in Bruges in a weekend.