Happy 2009 everyone. Having trouble juggling the hours in the day....but have managed to come throu...
Happy 2009 everyone. Having trouble juggling the hours in the day....but have managed to come through with a review at long last. :)
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During our excellent trip to Belgium in June this year we had a day out in the beautiful city of Bruges. As with our other trips the main motivation was to sample beer and to go on a glorified bar crawl ~ but we did have a wander round the city and had ample opportunity to buy chocolates and look at the scenery.
~~~WHERE IS BRUGES?
Bruges is in the small European country of Belgium and can be found in an area in the north called West Flanders. The main language in this area of the country is Dutch (French is the dominant language in the Southern regions ~ Wallonia), although English is widely spoken and also German. Belgium is part of the E.U. so the currency is the Euro. Bruges is known for its canals, earning it the name of “Venice of the North” and you will find lace and chocolates are the main items for sale in the tourist shops.
Flanders is apparently one of the most prosperous regions in the E.U. and the other cities you will find here include Ghent (in East Flanders) and Antwerp (one of the Fashion capitals of Europe).
~~~HOW DID WE GET THERE?
We traveled to Bruges on the train from Ostende
and the journey took us approximately 20 minutes ~ no time at all. Bruges is also easily accessible by road and rail from other destinations in Europe (we traveled from the UK and rail links from the channel tunnel and ferry ports were regular and convenient).
~~~GETTING AROUND.
Once we arrived in Bruges we opted for the old fashioned method of transport and walked from the station to the centre. It isn’t a huge city, so walking is fine and (as with most of Belgium) it is pretty flat too. If you do want to try other ways of getting around there are Boat Trips (you need to go to the jetties near the Vismarkt ~ queues were big when we were there and trips cost about €5 for adults and €2.60 for kids), horse drawn carriages (half an hour for around €27 ~ our friends went on the tour because one has slight difficulties in walking and said it was an excellent and informative trip), bicycles (there are dedicated cycle routes around most of the city), by bus (the minibus tour around the city was recommended to us but we didn’t have time).
I wouldn’t advise going into the centre in a car ~ cars aren’t encouraged in the tourist areas and parking spaces are VERY scarce. If you do drive, park at the Railway Station and the walk ~ at €2.50 for the day it won’t break the bank and will be much more convenient for you. I also wouldn’t advise driving because you would miss out on all the great beer!
~~~ BREWERIES, FOOD & FAVOURITE BARS!
The first place we walked to when we got into Bruges was the De Halve Mann (Half Moon) Brewery who produce Straffe Hendrik (Strong Henry) beer. Here you can take a really good brewery tour and also get a couple of beers thrown in for around €3. Tours take place at several times during the day and are available in different languages ~ just make sure you go in with the correct group! We really enjoyed the tour, the wonderful views of Bruges from the roof and the beer ~ a spring special brew, imaginatively named “Spring”!
This tour involves climbing up and down lots of steep metal stairs (almost like ladders), low doorways and a few dodgy floors ~ please bear this in mind!! (for details see http://www.halvemaan.be/english/brouwerij.html)
After a few drinks in the excellent bars in Bruges we headed off to De Gouden Boom (the Golden Tree) Brewery which has been brewing in the city since 1587. We couldn’t actually go in the brewery house, but the museum next tour is very interesting ~ lots of breweriana, objects associated with brewing and a replica of a turn of the century bar. There is also information about the 31 breweries that used to exist in Bruges…there are now just the two! This isn’t a guided tour but a sheet telling you all about the exhibits serves as your ticket and can be exchanged at the end for a glass of draught beer ~ I had Kastelbier Bruin. Again there are a lot of steps and the toilet roll dispenser is at head level ~ I found it by hitting my head!
We had a sandwich at lunchtime from a kiosk outside had a tour of a couple of bars between breweries! My favourites were:
De Garre ~ a very small bar very easy to miss down a little alley called De Garre. It gets very full very quickly and allows party bookings, so sometimes you can’t get in at all.
‘t Bruges Bertje (Little Bruges Bear), in Kemelstraat ~ a small, two-roomed bar with a choice of around 250 beers.
Erasmus, in Wollestraat ~ a hotel that also has a bar and outside seating area. I liked this place, once we had got on the good side of the owner by asking for his advice on what beer to have!
Most bars do bar snacks and some offer full menus ~ Dyver has an a la carte menu made of dishes made with beer! There are lots of other places to eat, including sandwich shops, street food stalls and a few restaurants. Prices aren’t cheap, but a sandwich outside on a sunny day is great; especially if you’re looking out over the canals.
~~~SO…IS IT JUST BARS?
Oh, yes. We did have a look round too while walking between bars, but our time was limited, so we didn’t get to see all Bruges had to offer. The best way not to get lost in Bruges is to keep the Belfry Tower in view ~ it has 366 steps so is easy to spot! The buildings are stunning, the canals are pretty and there are lots of flowers. Bruges has its fair share of Museums, including the Memling Museum (full of 15th Century paintings), the Diamond Museum (bet you can’t guess what that one’s all about) and the Groeninge Museum (packed with religious art).
~~~DID I LIKE IT?
I thought Bruges was great! It is visually very stunning and is certainly worthy of another visit in the future. My only gripes were that it is expensive, as tourist places often are, and it can get far too busy for comfort. I found it quite easy to get around with the aid of a good map and that the people were helpful if you did lose track of your position.
There was an excellent selection of bars to visit and a good choice of beers to sample. I would thoroughly recommend going to the breweries ~ but would advise anyone with mobility problems to give the actual tours a miss! The rest of Bruges was pretty flat, so accessibility shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you bear in mind that the cobbled streets do start to play havoc with your ankles after a while. The centre of the city is compact, making it a great place for a day trip. We only got lost once and it wasn’t too hard to get back on the right track!
A lot of the attractions are free too, so that is a bonus for those on a budget ~ walking through the park near the train station is lovely, full of tree lined paths and flowers. Looking at the architecture is a great way to pass a few hours and will also cost you nothing! We enjoyed looking round the markets ~ shopping costs, but browsing and people watching is free!
I would really recommend a trip to Bruges, whether you are going for the day from another Belgian town, or booking a City Break to Bruges itself. There seemed to be a lot of families and people of all ages ~ most bars seemed to allow children inside and sitting outside was lovely too.
So…a stunning city, with lots to see and do, with some damn fine beer thrown in! Did I visit heaven?
Pictures of Bruges (Belgium)
In the Half Moon Brewery.
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Jul 22nd, 2004
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