Bruges; a guide to ‘The Venice of the North’
I have visited Bruges twice now, once in the summer and once during the christmas market. Bruges is considered to be the Venice of the north because of its many canals & its historic centre. It is home to many churches and beautiful architecture, and tons of things to do! Belgium is of course known for its waffles & chocolate and you’ll find plenty of that here in this city.
Why visit Bruges?
Bruges is a great city to visit for a weekend away as it’s not too big and easily explored by foot. It is a city that unlike many other cities in Europe (like Amsterdam, London, Paris) actually still promotes tourism and is very well built around this (though not for it!) Bruges is known for its canals & cobbled streets. Though beware that because it promotes its tourism it can get incredibly busy during peak season, which in this case is summer, major European holidays and especially Christmas!
How to get to Bruges
Bruges doesn’t have it’s own airport but that shouldn’t stop you from visiting! If you’re coming from far, I’d suggest flying into one of Brussels airports and either renting a car to drive to Bruges or it’s also possible to take the train or Flixbus to the city. Bruges train & bus station is just outside its historic centre so after only 20 minutes of walking you’ll be standing on the market square.
If you live in one of Belgium’s surrounding countries there’s probably a Flixbus that can take you here, or you can go entirely by train in which case you’ll likely have a change in Antwerp. On my first time in Brugge I took my own transportation of a bicycle but my second time I took the Flixbus from Rotterdam Central Station to Brugge which took only a few hours. I picked this over taking the train because it would take about the same amount of time but the Flixbus is generally cheaper than taking the train.
When to go & for how long
I visited towards the end of August, in the late summer it was still quite busy but the weather & temperatures were quite nice. Not too warm, not yet cold. Towards mid-September may be a better time to visit as it may be less crowded while the weather remains good. During summer season and especially during the weekends it is busy with people taking a daytrip or visiting the city on their summer vacation. It is one of Bruges’ peak seasons so expect prices to be high and accomodation to be relatively fully booked unless you book early.
The fall and spring months are the shoulder seasons, while weather can still be pleasent, prices may drop and it’ll likely be much quieter in the city. It’s a good time to visit if you want to avoid the big crowds and have a much more authentic experience.
In the winter months, especially December, you’d have the chance to stroll around the christmas markets. Generally the winterglow festival in Bruges starts late November and is held all throughout December to end somewhere early January. Exact dates can vary so make sure to check before planning your trip! Beware that the christmas markets are busy (especially in the weekend) as Brugge attracts millions of people to it’s winterglow festival each year.
How to get around
Bruges is a small city, it’s easy to walk from one side to another and explore it on foot. However if you’re not a fan of walking there’s city busses, tour busses, canal tours and even horse-pulled carriages for you to explore the city by. It is not possible to get into the historic centre by car but taxi’s can take you to your hotel in the historic centre if you wish it. You can also rent a bike to explore the city and it’s surroundings. One of the castles (Loppem Castle) I highly recommend visiting is merely a half hour by bike from the main square which will take you by Castle Tillegem as well.
If you want to explore more cities in Belgium, like Ghent & Antwerp you can rent a car or take the train.
Where to stay
There’s a lot of places to stay in Bruges, for every budget there’s something. My personal favourite stay was in the heart of the historic centre at De Zomere B&B. You’ll be staying in one of the oldest houses of Bruges, it has more than 500 years of history and was renovated for the first time in 1980 and since 2018 it has been available as an bed & breakfast. It is the first time in history that this house has been opened to the public. The B&B is hosted by Frederik and his wife who are exceptional hosts and run this place beautifully. Frederik combined the houses historic features beautifully with modern aspects and has creatively yet minimally decorated each one of the five rooms. A double room in this B&B will cost you €206,- a night which is well worth it! An amazingly delicious breakfast will be served to you in the breakfast room after which you’ll have enough energy to explore Bruges’ sites which are only a few minutes of walking away.
If you’re looking for a more budget option like I was when on my cycling trip, I can recommend you St Christopher's Inn The Bauhaus where you can have a bed in a mixed dormitory for as little as €21,- a night. This hostel does not have a kitchen but at the Bauhaus Bar right next to it you can eat or have a drink. The hostel is on the edge to the east of the historic centre but sights are still close by.
Where to go (& photography guide!)
I recommend photographing Bruges early in the morning at sunrise, or even dawn. When here on my cycling trip in the summer I woke up at 5:45 and silently left my hostel to enter the quiet streets of the city. Early in the morning the only people that you’ll encounter are locals & perhaps some other photographers. The lighting is beautiful as the warm glow of golden hour hits the iconic old buildings of the historical centre. Between 6 A.M. and 9 A.M. is in my opinion the best time to take photos of this iconic city!
Of course in the winter these times will be much different as light circumstances change. The christmas markets are most fun to photograph after sunset when all the lights twinkle in the dark sky. If you’re lucky enough to catch the city covered in snow I’d also definitely recommend photographing by broad day light, unfortunately on my winter trip here I only encountered a lot of rain.
Rosary quay
The bend in the Dijver at Rosary quay is perhaps one of the most photographed spots in Bruges. From here you photograph Casa Pérez de Malvenda and have the bell tower of Belfort in the background. During the day it is packed with tourists trying to capture the image of Bruges, but early in the morning, I had the entire place to myself.
Rosary quay early in the morning, circa 6:00 A.M.
Boniface Bridge
This little bridge is another location that is absolutely packed with people trying to take a picture on this bridge, once again, in the morning it was deserted. From this bridge you photograph the backside of the Church of Our Lady and when you cross the bridge and turn around you will see a serene image of houses on the Dijver. One of them is such a beautiful wooden house, which will really make the image. To add some foreground I recommend to make use of the flowers and plant that grow from the cracks of the stone half wall.
Boniface bridge & Church of Our Lady.
A row of houses with wooden fronts & climbing plants.
Mary’s Bridge
From Mary’s Bridge you view Saint John’s Hospital & the convention bureau of Visit Bruges; basically just two very beautiful medieval buildings. When the golden hour light hits these buildings magic happens. Is that too dramatic? I don’t think so. Just look at these photos.
View from Mary’s Bridge
View from Mary’s Bridge
Basilica of the Holy Blood
Already fairly impressive looking from the outside, I was still impressed when I entered the doors to this basilica. You’re not allowed to take photos everywhere, so beware of that!
Walk around and enjoy!
Bruges has so much to offer, from shop fronts to canals, street performers and the horses with carriages touring around the city. Make sure to wander into building like the Provincial Court, City Hall, and its various churches. During winterglow you can wander around the christmas markets or the streets to photograph the many lights as well.
Eleonora Verbekehof
Castle Minnewater from Minnewater bridge
Castle of Loppem
If you have the means & the time, I recommend a day trip to the castle of Loppem. This gothic revival castle is surrounded by peaceful gardens where locals walk their dogs, take a stroll, relax & even do some fishing! Despite being located near a highway, it is incredibly quiet here. I spent 1.5hrs exploring the gardens, unfortunately the castle itself was closed.
