Advantages: Scenery, Great hotels, food and shopping
Disadvantages: Can be crowded in Summer

...I have visited Brugge or Bruges to the French, in the Flanders region of Belgium many times. I have to say it is probably my favourite European city. There are two parts to Brugge, the new and the main residential exterior area, and the old walled medieval town and haunt for the many tourists that are drawn to it. Brugge dates back hundreds of years but detailed history of it starts around the 13th century, hence there is some marvellous architecture to observe, including the 272 foot high Belfry, located in the central Markt and main square. If you fancy the exercise, scale the 370 odd steps to gain a superb view of the town. There are great and inexpensive places to eat and drink in Brugge. If you like Belgian beer, try the local golden ales, that in some cases will literally blow your head off. The beers are served to you... Read review

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Advantages: cute.
Disadvantages: but bland, and if you've limited time you should go elsewhere

...Bruges was a big disappointment for me. Sure, it's a cute, well-preserved little city, but at the end of the day all the travel brochures describing it as "delightful" aren't that far of the mark, if you take "delightful" to mean "old but boring". If Bruges had more character, it might be more interesting. My big problem with it is seen as one of its virtues - it has remained relatively untouched by war, and so stands in pretty much the same state as it always has. This creates a sense of uniformity, but also of monotony, in the design of the old city - cute, but also twee and ultimately boring. Occasionally referred to as the "Venice of the North", the waterways which criss cross it are pretty, but do not deserve this moniker. There are positive aspects to Bruges. Some of the architecture is superb, the pubs and restaurants are good... Read review

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Advantages: It's beautiful, everyone speaks English
Disadvantages: The beer and chocolate are too nice (weightwatchers beware !!!)

...I spent a weekend in Bruges and I'm counting the days to my return. The city is absolutely stunning. I visted for the Christmas market in December 2000 and all I can say is visit Bruges. The city is absolutely beautiful. The view from the top of the tower in the main town sqaure is absolutely breathtaking giving a great view of the city (providing you don't mind heights!). For Christmas, a skating rink is put up in the town square and there are all sorts of market shops around as well. The square is the place to pick up a horse and trap excursion around the city and also the place to eat as well with plenty of restaurants around the edge. The food is excellent and fairly priced too. Canal trips are also available to see Bruges and both the canal trip and the horse and trap trips are well worth the money. If you have time, just walk... Read review

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Advantages: Stunning buildings, lots of bars and two breweries to visit.
Disadvantages: Gets VERY busy and be prepared to pay tourist prices!

...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... Read review

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Advantages: Romantic, Clean, Welcoming
Disadvantages: Awkward Journey

...We had booked our three night break in Bruges through the Sunday Times Leisure Direction. On paper this appeared to be a four day break to be taken in the period between Christmas and New Year but we failed to take too much notice of the travelling time involved in getting from West Dorset to Bruges. Our best option would have been to fly from Bristol to Brussels but we had set our hearts on journeying by Eurostar from Waterloo International to Brussels as a first time experience that had to be done at least once in a lifetime. Yes, Eurostar must be heaven to those who live in London and the South East and within easy access to Waterloo or Ashford in Kent but to fellow West Country travellers-beware. We left home by car at 8.00 am to catch the 9.00 am South-West Train direct to Waterloo London due to arrive at 11.30 am. This left us... Read review

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Advantages: relaxing and inexpensive way to visit the continent for a short break. comfortable cabins excellent food
Disadvantages: crossing can be rough in winter months and lack of security is a bit worrying in the present climate

...Travelled to Bruges from Hull on 1st February 2003 with my partner. The ferry was the Pride of Hull which departed on the Friday evening and arrived Saturday morning at 8am. We then transferred to Bruges by coach, after an excellent breakfast which was great value from self service buffet. The en-suite cabin was very cosy and adequate for an overnight crossing.There is a shower and toiletries provided with towels. We spent an interesting day in Bruges,despite the weather ....... five inches of snow....however plenty of cosy cafes to get something warm to eat and drink at a reasonable price. The coach picked us up at the railway station and we arrived safely back to board the ferry for our return journey. The staff were excellent, plenty of entertainment on boardand the shopping facilities were very good. The cigarette prices... Read review

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Advantages: Pretty and unspoilt
Disadvantages: Can get crowded in the summer

...Bruges is one of the most picturesque towns in Europe. With improved road links, it is now just over an hour’s drive from Calais. Parking is free and you can easily explore the town on foot. The current strength of the pound means there are some bargains to be had, or you could just soak up the wonderful atmosphere. WHAT’S BRUGES LIKE? It is a quaint old town with cobbled streets and canals running through it. You can take a guided boat ride (which is touristy, but interesting), or a horse-drawn carriage ride (more expensive!). The town is still unspoilt, and there is some lovely architecture in the main square. There is a wide variety of restaurants, many of which offer excellent value for money. THINGS TO DO (besides shopping, eating and drinking) There are a number of good museums, including a lace museum... Read review

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Advantages: Old charm retained. Architecture impressive
Disadvantages: some restarants can be expensive - look around

...This City is known as the Venice of the North due to the 12 miles of canals that run through the city. Despite the fact that I have never visited Venice, I was very impressed with Brugge which will be European City of Culture next year. We decided to visit Brugge for a short break during the October half term holidays. It was chosen because it was less than a 2 hour drive from Calais. It was easy to find and there were few traffic problems until we arrived at the City itself which was to be expected as we arrived at 5.30 in the Evening. We stayed at the Novotel in the Centre of Brugge which was ideally situated for exploring. Most of the major attractions were no more than 15 minutes walk away. The Hotel was very friendly and not too expensive (approx £65 room only for a family of 4). Upon arrival, we studied the City map... Read review

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Advantages: The perfect hotel made a perfect weekend....
Disadvantages: ...can't I live there?!

...In November 2005 my fiancé took me to Bruges for a romantic weekend. Little did i kniw this would turn out to be the happiest weekend of my life- as he proposed whilst we were there! On arriving at the hotel, my breath was taken away by the sheer beauty of the reception and staircase area. Beautiful chandeliers suspended fromt he cieling and tasteful antique look furniture all very stylishly coordinanted in shades of gold. The hotel staff were in the process of decorating the hotel for Christmas making it even more magical. The lady on reception could not have been more helpful, explaining about the room and also about the local area, giving us a map and telling us about the walking tours around Bruges organised by the hotel. When we opened the door to our room it actually brough tears to my eyes. The decor was just so opulent... Read review

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Advantages: Very pleasant, easy to visit, excellent food and beer
Disadvantages: None

...Bruges is a delightful city in the North of Belgium in the part of the country known as Flanders. The first habitants called it Bruggia or Burg and it literally just means borough. However in the 13th century the Counts of Flandres built parts of the town and it became a centre for trade and the arts from the 13th century. It is that town that it is possible to see today. I recently visited the city again. As regular readers of some of my reviews know I often travel with my job in Northern Europe and was visiting the Gent and Brussels areas again this past week. Like many Belgian towns and cities Bruges has a splendid Market Place surrounded by old impressive buildings. In the Bruges Market Place there is the Provincial Palace along one side and the Belfry at one end. Around three sides of the square now there are shops and bars... Read review

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