I visited the "venice of the north" in September 2006 with my girlfriend by Eurostar, and i had a very nice time!
We left london on a thursday night, catching the 6.10pm eurostar train from waterloo, and arriving in Brussels midi station. We then had to take a connecting train to Bruges, which took about 50 minutes,and considering that there are 2 trains every hour to bruges, the journey isnt taxing at all, and I much preferred taking the Eurostar to Bruges rather than taking the plane.
The city of Bruges itself is very compact, and if you put your mind to it, you could probably walk and see most of the city in a day.
On the first night that we were there, we arrived at our hotel, one of the Small luxury hotels of the world called the Romantik Pandhotel, which is situated brilliantly in the centre of Bruges. However, we found our double room a bit on the small side, though it was very clean and well equipped. The staff were also very friendly,knowledgeable and helpful with any queries we had. Having said that,i f i were to go for a second trip,and if i was a bit more "financially free" :) i would probably opt for the fabulous looking L'orangerie hotel, which is widely recieved as the best hotel in the centre of bruges.
on the first day that we were there, we first had breakfast in one of the cafes in the main marketplace, or Markt. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the square itself is so full of character and history that you could happily sit there for hours soaking up the atmosphere. The markt is dominated by the Belfort, which is a big tower overlooking the square. Visitors can, for a small fee opt to walk up the Belfort via 350 or so stairs to gain a fabulous panoramic view of the city. However, if you are claustrophobic, I would probably give this a miss as the starway can get fairly narrow and steep towards the top (though i have to say the view was worth it)
The Burg was the next destination, which is another square steeped with historically medieval architecture.
The main draw to this city, is the canals, and what trip to bruges would be complete without a boat ride!? There are many companies doing boat tours, and they seem to be similarly priced, so i guess one company is just as good as any other. The guides speak in 3 languages (english, french and Flemish), so you can just sit back, relax, and tune in whenever your language is up. The boats take you down most places in the city except for the "Minnewater" or "lovers lake" area , which can be reached by foot towards the south of the city. As the name suggests, for the lovebirds amongst you, this area is a must.
Bruges is full of cafes and restaurants, and the one restaurant i would highly recommend is the Saint-amour restaurant. It is fairly pricey (if you come from london, you will feel right at home here) but the food is exquisite. My Pork chop was cooked to perfection, and I have never seen my girlfriend eat so much since I've known her! The main chef is excellant and has achieved many awards (i forget what they are called). At the end of the night, he comes round and chats to his guests, and he seemed only too happy to answer our mainly silly questions!
The only real drawback to Bruges is that there is not too much to see beyond this. Maybe the church of Mary and the work by michaelangelo, and the beer museum. If you are into art, then there are some big collections around the city.
For this reason, two days is probably a good length of stay, and i would avoid the weekends if at all possible as tourist numbers go through the roof!
Best things to try are : Beer, Mussels (moules), Chocolates!
Have fun!
More details
Family Friendly
Good
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
very helpful
very helpful
very helpful
