Bruges seemingly has it all; chocolate, beer, canals, waffles and windmills. Yet, despite
this, it took the combined effort of Colin Farrell, Voldemort and Mad Eye Moody to really
sell people on being In Bruges. If this city’s never been on your radar, hopefully this video
will convince you otherwise of what is a perfect long weekend location. After spending 48 hours
here, I’ve compiled this list of things you should definitely check out, some cannot
miss cafes we discovered, and an assortment of tips along the way. If you’re new here,
we make travel movies from around the world, hoping you might just find your next holiday
inspiration. So join our growing monkey troop and see where we might take you next. This
is Suitcase Monkey eating more chocolate than is medically advised.
So lets start then with one of Belgiums finest exports. Bruges is a chocolate lovers paradise
and every second shop is like a Willy Wonka adventure. Some being more literal than others.
These 5 chocolatiers regularly come top of the list so they are definitely a good place
to start. Although stick around until the end of this video to see the best hot chocolate
experience I’ve ever had.
I also wanted to point out this sign here. This indicates the shop is a member of the
Bruges chocolate Guild, meaning the chocolates are both handmade and are a local specialty.
As with most historical cities, the best way to really understand its history is through
a walking tour. There are many different operators available, but we took the Legends of Bruges
tour which was excellent.
Bruges is the largest city in the province of West Flanders, which is located in the
Flemish Region of Belgium.
Receiving city status in the 12th Century it was an important
trading hub during the Middle Ages. It is a fairly compact city so admiring its architecture
on foot can keep you entertained for hours.
The guide was also a great way to discover places we might have otherwise missed. One
was the whole area around Minnewater or the Lake of Love as its known. It’s a picturesque,
peaceful spot well worth a visit.
You can reserve your free walking tour space online, which I’ll link to below.
You cannot come to this city and not see the Belfry of Bruges. As in, like literally, it’s
everywhere, you can’t not see it. Standing 83 meters tall, it once acted as a watchtower,
with its 47 bells alerting people to danger, announcements and of course the time. Although
it’s not for the feint of heart, I’d recommend climbing the 366 steps for the best views
of the city. Be aware, wait times can be venture upwards of 30 to 60 minutes, especially around
midday when full capacity is often reached.
There are a number of squares in Bruges where the cobbled streets open themselves up and
make for a popular stop. The number 1 is without doubt the Markt Square, which sits in front
of the Belfry. Along with impressive views of the bell tower itself, lies one of the
more iconic images within Bruges. It’s the busiest area in town so is alive with a heap
of activity.
Only a few minutes away, is Burg Square which is actually one of the earliest places of
settlement here. It’s been a popular hub since the second century and its Town Hall
is incredibly impressive. Beer literally flows through the streets of
Bruges, as it moves through pipes that run beneath its cobbled streets. Beer is a massive
export for Belgium and for some, is reason enough to visit here alone. Now, we are by
no means beer connoisseurs so keeping that in mind, I’d suggest checking out The Beerwall
at 2Be. This is a popular bar that offers an assortment of beer through its sample menus.
They all come with nibbles with each menu explaining the flavours. This gave us laymans
a great selection to enjoy. It also demonstrates why I shouldn’t speak to camera to review
complex flavours...
The bar exterior is surrounded by canals so even for us, this was all well
worth it. There are also numerous beer experiences such as the Halve Mann Brewery tour for those
wanting to go a little further.
Next up are the markets. If you visit around Winter, there are a number of Christmas activities
from late November to early January. We booked early December for this very reason as nothing
gets us in the festive mood like an overload of this.
Throughout the year however, every
Wednesday hosts a food and flowers market in Markt Square.
A couple of tips I wanted to give in terms of finding a hotel: Since we arrived by train,
we found it best to book somewhere on the south west side. Since this is closest to
the station it meant our hotel was only a 15 minute walk away, instead of staying somewhere
more to the north, doubling the walk there and back. We found this affordable, clean,
quiet hotel that was only 9 minutes from the Belfry. I’ve linked our hotel in the description
below if you’re interested to book. I also think it’s best not to have breakfast included
where possible, since there are so many different cafes around. Just a few minutes from our
hotel, was this really nice bakery that was perfect for an early morning snack.
A popular way of seeing the city with minimal effort, is by taking either a boat along the
canal or a horse drawn carriage, both lasting 30 minutes. The horses start from Markt Square
and cost 50 euros in total, with a maximum of 5 people sharing the cost.
The boats depart from 5 different locations around the city and offer some unique perspectives that can’t
be seen otherwise.
Because we had 2 full days here, we had enough time to walk the eastern outskirts. Here we
found 4 majestic windmills, some dating back over 200 years. These are the last windmills
standing from a peak of 23 back in the 16th century and were used for corn, oil and flour.
They are all lined up along the canal and the journey makes for a nice change of pace
away from the busy streets.
Getting there from London is really easy as you can book a return through Eurostar. With
this, you are actually buying a timed ticket to Brussels Midi station, then making a simple
change to hop on any local train to Bruges. This local leg can be used any time within
24 hours, meaning you could spend some extra time in Brussels before moving on. The journey
onwards to Bruges takes about 50 minutes. It’s relatively easy to find return trips
around £100, its more comfortable than flying and they often have deals so keep an eye out.
Probably my favourite thing we did in Bruges was visiting the Old Chocolate House. Now
this place is super busy and we had to come back a few times in order to get in. But it
was definitely worth the return trip. Seated in a quaint tea room, we were first served
one big giant bowl of hot milk. Accompanying this is 1 of 12 different types of chocolate,
served in a cup, also edible since its made from chocolate. This allows you to find your
own preference for the perfect blend of chocolate to milk ratio.
This was excellent.
Along with this, we ordered an assortment of cupcakes and mini desserts to round off our sweet tooth
overload.
And quickly, while we’re on the subject of food, I want to highlight this hot and
savoury cafe we stumbled on. Simply called Soup, it specialises in creamy hot soup and
was an excellent way to warm up in December.
As mentioned at the start, we make travel movies from around the world, hoping you might
just find your next holiday inspiration. So if you’ve come this far, and you advent
yet subscribed, join our growing monkey troop to find where we might take you next. Please
drop this video a like since it really helps us and follow us to keep in touch. Thanks
for watching Suitcase Monkey.