Bruges, Belgium, Complete Tour

00:00 intro
01:23 map route
01:42 Markt
02:00 Belfry
03:18 outdoor produce market
06:46 walking tour
07:50 Rosary Quay
08:34 Groenerei canal
09:21 Dijver craft and flea market
10:25 bicycles
11:21 Philipstockstraat
11:35 Vlamingstraat
11:50 Jan van Eyckplein
13:19 Spiegelrei
13:52 Gouden-Handrei canal
16:56 Sint-Jakobsstraat
17:42 De Republiek
https://republiekbrugge.be/
19:14 Geernaartstraat
19:35 Eiermarkt
20:08 Geldmunstraat and Steenstraat
25:07 Simon Stevinplein
25:40 Tourist Information Office website
https://www.visitbruges.be/en
26:04 Minnewater
27:49 Begijnhof
29:17 De Halve Maan Brewery https://www.halvemaan.be/en
30:32 Walplein
31:29 Katelijnestraat
32:27 Duke’s Palace Hotel

Homepage

33:58 Burg
34:36 sunrise taxi, travel tips
36:46 windmills
37:33 Sint-Anna
38:23 Langestraat

Ooh. Bruges. There are few cities in Europe of equal interest as Bruges, Belgium, with its precious heritage of the Middle Ages that has preserved so much of its medieval character, a city of sleepy streets, ancient buildings and picturesque canals and it’s a lively place to go shopping and enjoy some great meals sitting at an outdoor restaurant. Fine dining or just a quick bite washed down with the national beverage beer, of course, and appreciate some of the world’s best art.
Then find some bargains at a flea market. We’ll bring you to streets lined with shops and cafes and then get you off the beaten track on those little side alleys. High towers rise above several of the major churches that date back to the Gothic and earlier periods. You’ll enjoy the stained glass and old architecture, then step into several of the history museums, some of them in former palaces with dramatic architecture looking like an old stone fortress.
Perhaps the canals are the most beautiful sights to see in Bruges, and we’re going to show you many of them. The boat docks are just a block away from the main market square, as we walk north to south, east to west, throughout the city in our complete tour. A quick outline on the map shows the route that we will be taking walking out in both directions from the central market, next heading south to charming plazas, parks, a lake, then north to the windmills and through a quiet residential neighborhood.
The Markt is the most popular gathering place in town. You will come back to this plaza time and again during your visit because it’s in the center with wonderful sights all around it, especially the most famous building in town, the symbol of the city — it’s the belfry, which dates back to the 13th century and is 83 meters high, with the Market Hall’s courtyard at its base where you can purchase a ticket to the staircase that will lead you 366 steps to the top. It’s protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. In the center stands a colossal old monument with a statue of two heroes who were skilled masters and leaders of the citizens of Bruges in the massacre of the French garrison in 1302, which helped the Flemish gain their freedom from France.
Naturally, you will see lots of bicycles in Belgium, like the nearby Netherlands. They love getting around on two wheels, and some of them are quite innovative, such as the ever-popular cargo bike. Another way to get around town is taking a horse carriage ride tour. You can find lots of them right here waiting for you at the market.
Later we reach the De Halve Maan Brewery, with an outdoor beer garden featuring their own brews. It’s a family-friendly place where you can have a beer along with a light meal, and you can step inside and do a tour of the brewery.
We’ll visit Dukes Palace Hotel, where I had the good fortune to stay for three nights in my visit to Bruges. It was a bit of a splurge on five-star deluxe, but I figured, duh, as long as I’m in Bruges, one of the great cities, I want to be as comfortable as possible.

travel videos & photos at: https://townsofeurope.com/ with text, maps & links.

Ooh. Bruges. There are few cities in Europe of equal interest as Bruges, Belgium, with its precious heritage of the Middle Ages that has preserved so much of its medieval character, a city of sleepy streets, ancient buildings and picturesque canals and it’s a lively place to go shopping

And enjoy some great meals sitting at an outdoor restaurant. Fine dining or just a quick bite washed down with the national beverage beer, of course, and appreciate some of the world’s best art. Then find some bargains at a flea market.

We’ll bring you to streets lined with shops and cafes and then get you off the beaten track on those little side alleys. High towers rise above several of the major churches that date back to the Gothic and earlier periods.

You’ll enjoy the stained glass and old architecture, then step into several of the history museums, some of them in former palaces with dramatic architecture looking like an old stone fortress. Perhaps the canals are the most beautiful sights to see in Bruges, and we’re going to show you many of them.

The boat docks are just a block away from the main market square, as we walk north to south, east to west, throughout the city in our complete tour. A quick outline on the map shows the route that we will be taking walking out in both

Directions from the central market, next heading south to charming plazas, parks, a lake, then north to the windmills and through a quiet residential neighborhood. Starting our walking tours from the main marketplace called the Markt, or as locals call it, the mar-kt. This is the most popular gathering place in town.

You will come back to this plaza time and again during your visit because it’s in the center with wonderful sights all around it, especially the most famous building in town, the symbol of the city — it’s the belfry, which dates back to the 13th century and is

83 meters high, with the Market Hall’s courtyard at its base where you can purchase a ticket to the staircase that will lead you 366 steps to the top. It’s protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. In the center stands a colossal old monument with a statue of two heroes who were skilled

Masters and leaders of the citizens of Bruges in the massacre of the French garrison in 1302, which helped the Flemish gain their freedom from France. Naturally, you will see lots of bicycles in Belgium, like the nearby Netherlands. They love getting around on two wheels and some of them are quite innovative, such as

The ever popular cargo bike. Another way to get around town is taking a horse carriage ride tour. You can find lots of them right here waiting for you at the market. Of course, the best way to get around is walking in this pedestrian friendly city.

You do always want to be alert for those bicycles whizzing by because they don’t make much noise and they can go pretty quickly. So pay attention. Every Wednesday morning, there’s an outdoor produce market selling all kinds of foods from the local farms.

They’ve got cheeses, fruits and vegetables, freshly baked bread purchased directly from the baker, rotisserie chickens, a big variety of locally grown flowers. Open from 8 a.m. till 1:30 p.m,, it’s mostly for the locals who live in the historic center, but always a delight for visitors to see this colorful action.

Come early before sunrise and you can watch them setting up and maybe have a chat with some of the customers. How would you describe Bruges? I’m Bruges, as I’m born here? Well, you’ve seen a lot of changes in Bruges. There are no changes. I mean, among the people and the tourism.

Oh, yes, yes, in degrees, there is more tourists than before, yeah. But here in Bruges we love the tourists, because they come to Bruges for art, for everything. They are relaxed. So we love the tourists. For the history. For the history, for the scenery. Could you describe this market?

For us, centrum people, people who are leaving really in the center of the city, it’s very necessary and very important for us, because this is like, this is organic food. So instead of a supermarket, you’d rather come here? Oh, yeah, never go to a supermarket, no, never for vegetables, yes.

And can I ask, what do you do? What did you do? I’m a painter. A painter? Professional painter. An artist? Artist, yes. Oh. You have to do something in life. Yeah, sure. So that keeps you busy, so you never retire. Never retire. Oh, you love to paint. I love to paint. Yes. Yes.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Nice talking. Okay. Bye bye. Bye bye. Let’s consider the dining options here at the market, which has got more than a dozen restaurants all around it, in colorful 17th century houses, with the general consensus that these are obviously touristic places.

So let the buyer beware, but don’t just dismiss them all out of hand because of this great setting. You can sit outdoors, have a decent meal, or at least drink a beer. And if you’re just eating mussels and fries or a pizza, what can go wrong?

And you might be pleasantly surprised by other decent items on the menus. But most of all, it’s this grand setting, a perfect place for people watching and enjoying the fantastical architecture all around you. If you’d like a simple snack of fries and soda, they’re served up at this kiosk right

On the square, then sit down on the bench enjoying a budget meal, alfresco. You can find many much better restaurants elsewhere in town, but none of them have this splendid location. During this program, we are walking all over town, showing you many other locations where there are lots of restaurants.

As we venture out from the central market square we’ll also see the canals with some beautiful reflections of those historic old buildings, shopping streets, little cafes, quiet side lanes, parks offering a peaceful green oasis, historic plazas and picturesque neighborhoods. We’ll see more of these shopping streets later.

But now we are starting our walking tour out from the market square following the red line for our first walk. Exiting the markt south edge, we begin along Wollestraat, where you will see some locals going about their business. The street has lots of fascinating shops, the usual for souvenirs, clothing,there’s

Restaurants and cafes and little side streets here. And this ancient portico is on the back side of the halls that are supporting the belfry tower along one of the oldest streets in town. Here you’ll find little corner bars for a fast thirst quencher, jewelry shops and chocolate shops.

We reached the bridge of St John Nepomuk at the end, and a series of the finest canals of Bruges. The bridge crosses the Dijver canal, which is the only place in town preserving the route of the original main river running through Bruges.

That canal extends to the Rosary Quay, which is one of the most photographed spots in the city. Fire up your Instagram for this location, especially beautiful in the early morning light. We’re visiting Bruges, one of the most beautiful towns in the world, and this location with

The scenery behind me is the most astonishing sight you might ever see in your travels, especially when you get up early in the morning, just around sunrise. It’s nice and quiet at that time of day. During the midday, this town gets really busy.

But here we have got a supreme sight with the great belfry of Bruges in the background and reflections in the canals. The same canal continues northeast as the Groenerei, one of those very beautiful and famous waterways of the city, close to the center, yet quiet and peaceful with some hotels along its banks.

We are only 300 meters away from the market, and yet here the atmosphere is completely different. It’s quiet, peaceful. It’s not even touristic. There are no horse carriages going by, very few shops along the way. It’s just a great spot to be.

You can walk along it in one direction on the beautiful sidewalk right along the banks of the canal that gives you lovely views and then at the end, just turn around and walk back the same way, leading to a broader section of Dijver Canal with a green park along its bank that

Hosts a lively crafts and flea market every weekend and public holiday, mid-March to mid-September. It’s open from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m.. Goods for sale include the usual assortment of old ceramics, some jewelry, there are some handmade crafts for sale here, and there are souvenirs of course.

You are always welcome to try a little bargaining, especially if you’re buying several items from one vendor. But don’t expect to find an undiscovered painting by Rembrandt or other underpriced works of great value. It’s mostly tried and true used merchandise.

You might even walk away with a fantastic bargain while enjoying the thrill of that hunt with many tour boats going by. It’s more than just a place to shop in this beautiful setting, and the locals are all quite friendly, so it’s a place to strike up a conversation.

At the top end of the park, we saw a two wheeled rally. These local kids are enjoying a big group bicycle ride. Bicycles are so popular here with the locals because the town is relatively small and flat,

So it’s easy to get around on two wheels, especially if you are kids on the way to school in the morning. A block away, there’s a small restaurant plaza whose name translates as the Tanners Square, where they used to work on leather.

Now it’s a popular terrace for outdoor dining, surrounded by those picturesque medieval-style buildings. Nearby is the oldest fish market in Belgium, still selling fresh fish in the mornings from Wednesday till Saturday. In the afternoon sometimes there are vendors selling handmade goods. The neo-classic building rests on 126 Tuscan columns.

From here we walk a couple of blocks to Philipstockstraat, which has some excellent restaurants, always with a large supply of varieties of beer and traditional brick buildings with those Flemish gables. That connects up with another major street, Vlamingstraat, with shops and traditional old buildings.

And along the way, we pass the Municipal Theater, with a few little tree shaded plazas and outdoor tables, leading us to another of the many historic sites of the city, Jan van Eyckplein, which is now dedicated to that famous painter who lived in Bruges for the last 15 years of his life.

In those days, this plaza was the most important trading center in all of Europe because Bruges played a central role in the distribution of trading and merchandise from the south of Europe and from the north of Europe. The Toll House collected money from all the merchants, and the Burghers Lodge was headquarters

For the merchants and international elite traders. Nowadays, it’s a quiet, peaceful place with a small outdoor restaurant. The only boats coming through now are filled with a cargo of tourists, and in the morning it’s very quiet and tranquil with the golden light.

You’d never realize that this had been the very busy, almost chaotic merchant trading center. It was the main harbor where important traders and merchants assembled from all over Europe. You could hear every imaginable language, a tangle of people loading and unloading processed goods on the busy docks.

It was a time of great prosperity and wealth. They were dealing in Dutch flax and hemp, English wool, Spanish leather, Italian silk, wines from Portugal, Greece and France, hardware from Germany. This canal was the main harbor where all the action happened, called Spiegelrei, which

Means mirror because of the calm reflections that are often here. This was the global headquarters for the Hanseatic League, Europe’s main trading network. In the 15th century, the Duke of Burgundy established one of his courts here, luring even more people to move to Bruges, which finally swelled to a population of about 60,000

People, one of Europe’s largest cities in those days. Another of the main canals extends beyond this bridge, and we are going to take a stroll along it. It’s another beautiful location in the city. Trading goods were also shipped through the city on this canal.

The golden age for Bruges was in the 14th and 15th centuries. Because there were so many wealthy people here, they moved into majestic city mansions and spent fortunes on decorating their residences. This brought in many artists and craftsmen from all over Europe to do their work here,

Organized in guilds or unions, that ensured that all of the products were of the highest quality. With that powerful economy, Bruges also became a manufacturing center, employing many thousands of people in textile production, enhanced by their monopoly on English wool.

But later in the 15th century, the economy of Bruegel’s collapsed — several problems. The river silted up. The mud prevented boats from coming in for trading. The political leaders had problems with Bruges and so they left and they brought the business with them, moving it to Antwerp.

During the next several centuries, there were no further developments in Bruges, which is a good thing for us today because it preserved all of these historic sites. We’ve reached the Augustine Bridge, which is where the canal changes names to become

The Augustine Canal, named after an Augustinian monastery that was here centuries ago but is gone now. As we continue walking along this canal, we come upon another bridge, Flemings, and notice the beautiful cobblestone paving. Well, that takes a lot of work to get it so perfect, often involving the use of some heavy

Machinery. Belgium is the land of cobblestones. During the Middle Ages, Bruges was a fortified city with a protective wall running around it, which has survived here and there in town in various fragments, such as along this canal.

Just beyond that, we stroll along a delightful and quiet side lane there will lead us back over to the canal again, protected by the Madonna, as we see often in town. We have reached Ezelbrug, which is about the halfway point of this canal, which now begins

To get more and more narrow and still picturesque, a quiet neighborhood with very few tourists, except me. “There is a variety of canals here in Bruges. It’s really quite lovely when you come across these small canals in the residential neighborhoods.

There’s no boat traffic and sometimes there’s no sidewalk next to it, but it’s very pleasant when you cross the bridge. You can have a look down the canal and you get a nice view. (horsehoofs beat pavement) The horse carriages are coming in from their stables heading to the Market Square.

The street leads us past the Church of St James, originally built around the year 1240 and expanded later in the Gothic style with later Baroque enhancements to the church interior. This rounded corner at St Jacobsstraat in has one of the nicest collections of old Flemish

Buildings in town with a picturesque little outdoor cafe serving that ever-popular Belgian beer, Duvel, on a street that has several hotels, shops, private homes, restaurants and one of the narrowest alleys in town that dates back to the Middle Ages, connecting straight through to Naaldenstraat on the other side.

There used to be a butter factory here. Next to it on St Jakobstraat Is a fascinating restaurant with a big garden courtyard out back. Over here in the Republic, we’re not the traditional Belgium kitchen. We try to be a little bit more alternative. We have a lot of vegan and vegetarian options.

You’re close to the center, but you’re not in the center. You’re correct. Three blocks away from the center, a few blocks away. And so it’s a different atmosphere. It is indeed. And so is your clientele a mix of local and visitor? Yes, it is.

It’s a nice balance of tourists and local, young, old, everybody is welcome here. Try the beet salad with tomatoes and onions. Or how about nachos Republica, maybe haddock with sweet potato cream and white beans. It’s more than just a restaurant because this historic building functions as a meeting place

And community hub for locals, hosting events and workshops and exhibitions, forming a creative hub that focuses on innovation, with the Grand Cafe inside the building where residents, tourists and entrepreneurs meet and connect. This same street continues a few more blocks with more restaurants and shops and beautiful

Old buildings until it reaches the market square at the end of the road. But it’s one of those side streets a little off the beaten track that you might not be aware of, and you could easily skip it, but it is worth exploring.

It leads back to the marketplace and next to that we find a busy outdoor dining terrace popular with locals, as much as with visitors, surrounded by old Flemish gabled buildings. It shows that when you get 100 feet away from the market square, you dive right into the

Local culture, also open in the morning when it’s much less busy. Across the street we have another popular corner that used to be an egg market, but now it’s a wide sidewalk with restaurant tables. Eiermarkt is a lively neighborhood that extends along for several blocks.

There are waffle shops, chocolate and several kinds of gelaterias. Eat while standing up or have a seat and watch the bicycles buzzing by these colorful buildings. This is also the beginning of one of the main streets that goes through the center of town.

We’ve gone from St Jakobstraat to the Egg Market and now we’re going to walk along Geldmunstraat and Steenstraat, the two main shopping streets of Bruges. This street name Geldmunstraat, translates to Money Mint Street, hinting at its past as a center for financial activities.

And in the morning, it’s a main route used by kids to bicycle to school, pedaling along side by side. You see the bicycling can be a very sociable activity carrying on a conversation as you glide along. One of the best-known shops on the street is the Boterehuis, in business since 1933.

It’s a small but packed quality shop featuring hundreds of cheeses from small local farmers and from all over the world, along with stone-baked farmers bread and the very best of Spanish hams, a great place to purchase the fixings for a picnic or a meal back in your room.

The shopfronts along this street and throughout Bruges are so attractive, they’re like works of art in themselves. Even when the stores are closed, it’s enjoyable to take a stroll along the streets and observe the building architectures, each one different than the next, and the artistic designs of the shop window displays.

There are several small supermarkets in the center with a good choice of ready to eat meals, sandwiches and salads, all kinds of beverages. You can dine inexpensively in Bruges if you choose. And now the same street changes names to Noordzandstraat, with many more shops down here, including

A Jack WolfSkin, selling fine outdoor clothing. While the main streets are quite enjoyable with their old buildings and modern shops, the side streets also have a lot of appeal, so be sure to get off the main drag and go

Down these little streets such as this one that would lead you all the way back to the market square. As you walk along it, you’ll see other streets branching off from it, forming a little bit of a maze that’s really quite fun to walk in. You’re not going to get lost.

Kemelstraat is another great side lane to discover because here you will see a famous beer pub with 300 different kinds of beer, including five of them on tap. This little pedestrian side street has a lovely restaurant where I had lunch. Flemish stew with a beer. What’s the food?

The foods that we have, Flemish food, French foods, many beers, a lot of beers, and wines, and wine. And this street is a beautiful pedestrian street. No cars, no cars. No cars here. What’s the name of the street? Dweersstraat.

Inside is a large dining area and bar and rooms out back, and a small hotel upstairs. The street is just one block long, stretching 140 meters. And then it extends and changes names — another cozy little lane with restaurants and a hotel.

That brings us to the other main shopping street that we’re exploring, Steenstraat, lined with a great variety of items for sale in these stores, and there are restaurants and there’s some hotels along the way. Even if you are not going to buy something, you would love some window shopping along this street.

The architecture and displays are lovely to see. As we stroll along, this is a good time for me to share some travel tips about how to get the most out of your visit to Bruges. You might get tired because there is so much to see, so you want to pace yourself.

Get an early start for the day when it’s cool and not crowded and then take a break. Sit down at a cafe for a coffee or refreshments. The most important travel tip that provides all the advice you need to make your visit a success is stay here for several days.

With that, you don’t have to worry about checking off all the items on your list because you’ll have plenty of time to see everything. I stayed for three nights thinking, well, that was plenty, but in hindsight I would have liked to have a fourth night.

Yes, four days in Bruges can be easily filled with so many wonderful activities. After all, this is one of the greatest destinations in Europe. That provides time for a side trip to the beach town of Ostend on the north shore, just

15 minutes away by train, then get back to town, continuing your explorations. There are some who suggest stay in Bruges as a base and make day trips to Ghent and Antwerp. However, that’s a bad idea. Ghent and Antwerp are fantastic cities that are each worth staying for two or three days.

Our walk leads us to Simon Stevinplein, a renowned Flemish mathematician, now surrounded by wonderful outdoor cafes. If you really do not have much time in your visit to Belgium, you could stay in Brussels and visit Bruges as a day trip. It’s only one hour away.

Get an early start, stay all day into the evening, and then return to Brussels. With careful planning, knowing where you want to go and what to see, you could get a lot out of one day. When doing your research for the trip, be sure to have a look at the official tourist

Information website. There you can find maps with routes for walking tours, along with a lot of information about historic sites, restaurants, hotel accommodations and tours, all of which could easily take three days. We’re now going to explore the south part of Bruges.

This is the lake called Minnewater, but more affectionately known as the Lake of Love. The lush atmosphere makes this place the ultimate romantic hotspot with mysterious trees, an abundance of greenery and medieval ruins, with that tall gunpowder tower that owes its name to the gunpowder that was once stored there.

The lake was created as a reservoir back in the 13th century to regulate the water level of the river, in that way, prevent the city from getting flooded. Have a stroll through the Lake of Love Park, with beautiful cobblestone pathways and bicycle paths. But just be careful going over the bridge.

In the old days, the park was a vast grassy plain used as a bleach field until the beginning of the 20th century. Women used to spread the washed linen there to be bleached by the sun and smell fresh and fragrant.

There’s a restaurant in the park in this traditional Flemish style brick building with the Gables serving traditional Belgian cuisine, with seating indoors or outdoors, with a view of the lake. After leaving the park, you come upon this classic postcard card scene of Bruges with swans gliding beneath the willow trees.

Their natural diet of water plants is supplemented by the caretakers who treat them to mixed greens, lettuce, spinach or Belgian endives. The government takes good care of their flock of 100 swans. The canal ends at this Lock House that was part of the hydraulic engineering of the lake.

Tour boats reach the end of their route here, turning around to go back to town. When you cross over this bridge and enter through the open gateway, you have stepped into another world. This is the Begijnhof, which had been a residence for single ladies, people who were religiously

Devout but did not take the eternal vows of a nun, and lived a free and independent life in these tranquil surroundings, a peaceful green oasis surrounded by about 30 white houses dating from the 16th through the 18th centuries, although a community was first established here in the 13th century.

Today it’s occupied by some single ladies from Bruges and some nuns of the Benedictine Order, a tradition that’s found throughout Belgium and the Netherlands. This site is included on the UNESCO’s World Heritage list. At the north end stands the Church of Saint Elizabeth, founded in 1245 and rebuilt in

1605 with an interior in the Baroque style. For seclusion from the bustle of the world, it would be difficult to find a spot to surpass this with an expanse of smooth green turf, lofty elms, and entourage of whitewashed houses.

Just in front, we have the horse head drinking fountain to refresh those carriages still passing along this street. Nearby, we reach the De Halve Maan  Brewery, you in are welcome to visit. They have an outdoor beer garden featuring their own brews.

It’s a family-friendly place where you can have a beer along with a light meal, and you can step inside and do a tour of the brewery. Right away we enter into the brew house where they brew all the beer. The big kettles are filled with hot water, to which they add malt.

The liquid is then pumped into other kettles for further processing. There are 220 steps on the route through the brewery, sometimes quite steep, with the reward of a grand view of the old town from the open air rooftop. Halveman is a family business with a tradition stretching back through six generations to

1856 when it was founded, continually adapting to changing consumer demands, developing many different flavors of beer. The brewery has grown into one of the most popular attractions in Bruges, with about 100,000 visitors every year. You pay an admission fee and that includes a glass of beer at the end.

Beer is sent through an underground pipeline to the bottling plant three kilometers away. Halve Maan is on Walplein, another delight outdoor tree-shaded plaza with tables for the nearby restaurants, also with benches for the public. On the north edge of Walplein we’ve got Walstraat, another one of those charming cobbled lanes

Lined with shops and restaurants, and there are some horse carriages going by, part of a lovely neighborhood with other attractive streets, including a very unusual one. Stoofstraat in looks to be very narrow. It’s only 31 inches wide at its narrowest point, that’s about 80 centimeters, making

This the narrowest street in all of Bruges. It used to be part of the red light district with a bathhouse where wealthy men came to bathe and enjoy some company. Perhaps the narrow width offered some privacy for those activities. And then you pop out onto a wide and busy street.

This one is quite long, extending about 600 meters where it seems like everybody is out here to stand up on the cobbled paving and eat something — waffles, ice cream, chocolate, beer, burgers and fries, the perfect Belgian combination.

You stand and eat because they don’t have public benches and many of the eateries are for takeaway only. Mmm. Belgian chocolates. Perhaps this country is most famous for those delicious stuffed pralines, which makes a good energy snack and a nice gift to bring home.

It seems that horse carriages have the right of way, so be careful and give them space to get by. While strolling along here, I noticed a pampered pooch in his protected bicycle basket. It’s a pedestrian street, but bicycles are allowed everywhere.

This lane leads to the Dukes Palace Hotel, where I had the good fortune to stay for three nights in my visit to Bruges. It was a bit of a splurge on five-star deluxe, but I figured, duh, as long as I’m in Bruges,

One of the great cities, I want to be as comfortable as possible. They even have a large garden with a cafe terrace. I had a chance to talk with the front office manager. So this is Hotel Duke’s Palace.

We’re in the city center of Bruges with a lovely garden of 3000 square meters, and all the facilities you can expect from a five-star superior. So once coming to Bruges, we always recommend to take two days. Why? Because touristically seen it’s divided into two major areas.

We have the area around the market square, which is the most central square with the iconic belfry tower. The market square is located only the 200 meters from the hotel. A second area is located near the convent, and next to the convent we have the Lake Of

Love, of course, where you can find the iconic swans. And the hotel is in between those two areas? Yes, indeed. The hotel is somewhat in between, which gives us an excellent location of course. Among the various benefits of staying at a lovely hotel is the excellent breakfast that

You’re going to be getting at the buffet. All kinds of cooked foods, breads, fruits, beverages, power up to get your day started with a high level of service and comfort. Then if you get out very early, you’re going to have most of the town to yourself.

Here we are in the Burg square, which for centuries has been the political center of Bruges. And yet this morning it’s practically empty. Crowne Plaza on the Burg is another one of the highest rated hotels in town. When you get up at sunrise, it is never crowded.

There’s another fine hotel in the center, the four-star Casselbergh. The buses are running already, but looks like nobody got on board yet. Oh, you can stroll through these empty streets and have the whole city to yourself.

I decided to take advantage of my early start to this day with a taxi ride to the north end of town to see the windmills and then walk back into the center. So the taxi ride went very smoothly with no other cars on the road. There was no traffic to slow us down.

This turned into a streamlined city tour, passing dozens of the old historic buildings in the golden light of dawn. While we drive along, heading to the windmills, I can share a few more tips with you. About the seasonality and timing, it’s best to avoid the summer if you possibly can, because

It can get very crowded. This video was filmed in September and that was fine. Spring and fall are the best times to be here. Make your reservations in advance for a hotel that’s within the historic center, walking

Is the best way to get around with so many sites to see, wear comfortable shoes, do that canal tour boat ride. It’s fun to walk around the city at night. We’re seeing it here at sunrise. It’s easier in the evening when the canals and buildings are lit up.

Consider purchasing a Bruges Musea Card for admission to most museums. We’ve reached the end of the taxi ride at a big canal, but I’ve got time to slip in a few more tips. Arriving by train is a great way to come, but the station is about a kilometer and a

Half away from the market square. So you could take a public bus or taxi, especially with luggage, or you could walk 500 meters over to Lake Minnewater and begin your walking tour from that point. We have reached a very big canal with barges that can travel all the way up to the North

Sea and into the ocean, connecting Bruges in a maritime highway that reaches the world. The barge comes out of the canal lock, the gates go up, traffic resumes, and we can start walking along this beautiful park next to the canal, looking for windmills.

Four sturdy windmills dominate the view on this stretch of the city ramparts, which during the Middle Ages had been a defensive wall around the town. All that’s left now are hills for the windmills. As early as the 13th century, the sails of mills turned in the wind here, and by the

16th century, as many as 30 windmills could be counted, mostly milling grain for bakers who used it to make bread. Along with the windmills, you will discover a beautiful park along the canal, a popular destination for walking and bicycling designed in the English landscape style, where you

Can enjoy walking, cycling or picnicking on seven kilometers of the city ramparts. Leaving the ramparts we arrive at Carmersstraat, one of the main streets that runs through this district called Sint-Anna, or St Anne’s, with its working-class cottages and green corners that epitomizes tranquil Bruges.

Take a leisurely stroll through the streets and let the serenity sink in. We are far from the tourist center. The imposing domed church of the English Convent is a well-preserved and walled complex that’s almost four centuries old and still active today.

This district is a welcome relief from the busyness of all those exciting activities in the historic center, a place that you see locals pedaling around and kids on their way to school. The other great street of Sint-Anna district is langestraat, a road mostly for locals.

So you are not going to see touristic shops here, but there are some nice little bars and cafes, intriguing little side lanes with houses and stores for the local people. We are getting off the beaten track and away from the touristic center.

This is where the real people live, the workers who are in the shops and leading tours, the waiters in your restaurant, perhaps the parents of those workers who have settled here in a comfortable neighborhood, shopping in the local supermarket. Let the serene atmosphere sink in.

Catch a breath of fresh air away from the excitement of this center city. So if you really want to get behind the scenes and learn all about Bruges, it takes a few days. Don’t be in a rush when you’re here, it is such a wonderful place.

The center is fantastic and these fringe neighborhoods are also quite rewarding. As you come back into the town center, you will find more of those wonderful restaurants, beautiful canals and amazing sights. We have other movies about Bruges, taking a boat ride through the canals and visiting the museums and churches.

Look for them in our collection. We frequently upload new movies, so please subscribe to our channel and click that little alarm bell so you’ll be notified. And if you enjoyed the movie, how about a thumbs up? And we always welcome comments down below.

Or if you have questions about the destination, make note and we’ll answer them. Thanks for watching.