A plan for Brugge

History

In the 2nd century AD there was a Gallo-Roman settlement, but the city got its foundations in the 9th century when the Vikings landed. The name Brugge indeed likely comes from the Old Norse "bryggja", translating to harbor or jetty, and was first mentioned between 850 and 875. During the following centuries there were strong connections to the north, and Bruges became one of the trading points of the Hanseatic League. Interestingly, the historical Hanseatic harbour of Bergen is also known as Bryggen.

Bruges became the capital of Flanders in 1089, and an 1134 storm created the tidal canal Zwin, improving the connection to the sea. As such the city developed into the economic capital of northwestern Europe in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, and this was the golden age of the city. This age saw the construction of many of the city's impressive old buildings, and its second city wall. The world's first stock exchange was formed, the Waterhalle was a lively trading place, and the city of 46,000 inhabitants was a home to painters, architects and other artists and the Duke of Burgundy set up one of his courts here.

The death of Mary of Burgundy in 1482 marked the beginning of the end of the golden days. The royal family soon left, nearby Antwerp became a more important trading point, silting eventually made the Zwin unusable, and the Spanish rule from 1592 to 1713 during which several wars were fought in the region all made the city one of the poorest, rather than richest cities in the region. The city changed hands between the Austrians, French and Dutch before becoming part of the independent Belgium in 1830.

Bruges was known as a "dead city" for centuries. The sanding of the harbour and the difficulties of digging canals in the sand caused heavy economic burdens on the city between the Middle Ages and the 20th century. The population managed to survive but did not grow as there was no new industrial activity during that period.

As a result, once over the encircling canal and inside the city walls, Bruges closes in around you with street after street of charming historic houses and a canal always nearby. The newly cleaned houses and the small canals should however not confuse you; they are truly centuries old. And if you can get away from the chocolate shops, you can visit some more quiet areas such as St. Anna, and imagine what life in the late Middle Ages must have been like. The historic centre of Bruges and its belfry are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Several youth hostels, and probably the train station and tourist information offer a useful map with some very interesting, 'non-tourist' places to see during the day and some unique places to visit at night. It provides a good way of getting an authentic feel for the town whilst avoiding the tourist hotspots and allows you to find some hidden gems.

Some highlights:

1 Grote Markt. The market square is the heart of the old town. It covers an area of 1 ha, and on its southern edge is the city belfry (Halletoren/Belfort), which is one of the city's best known landmarks. There are nice views from the tower (see Do below) (updated Jul 2020)

2 Groeninge Museum, Dijver 12. Daily 09:30-17:00. Known as 'The city museum of Fine Arts', it houses a collection of artworks that span several centuries (14th-20th), focusing mainly on works by painters who lived and worked in Bruges. €15 / €7 (audioguide and ticket to Arents House and Forum+ included in the entrance). (updated Sep 2024)

Grote Markt and Belfry Climb, Grote Markt (the big square). Tue-Sun 09:30-17:00. Climb the 366 steps to the top of the 83-m-high tower. Excellent views of the city, Grote Markt and hear the bells ring up close. €16 for adults 26+; discounts for children & youth.. (updated Sep 2026)

Canal Tour. To see Bruges from another perspective, take a ride on one of the tour boats around the canals — the multilingual guides provide a potted history of the city in just a few minutes — at only a few euros, it's the best introduction to Bruges. A boat tour will show you places which are otherwise unreachable, as not every canal runs next to a street. Advisable to get there at opening time to avoid the crowds. Cannot be reserved online and all boat tours cost the same. €15 plus almost obligatory tip to the driver/guide. (updated Oct 2022)

Horse drawn carts, Grote Markt. Carriages can be hired for a romantic 30-minute trip around the old city of Bruges. Carts can carry up to 5 passengers. €70.

1 Ambassadors Tours Bruges, Markt Square (in front of the Belfry Tower, look for the yellow umbrellas), ☏ +32 484 935 878, hello@ambassadorstours.com. Daily 10:00 - 22:00. Passionate local storytellers offer tours in the medieval city center. No old-fashioned tour focussing solely on historical details, but engaging stories to bring the history to life. Reservations advised. Tell Me Stories About Bruges, daily at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 & 17:00, operated in English. Bruges at Night: Murder, Mystery & Dark Stories, selected days at 18:00 or 20:00. Daytime: pay-what-you-want; night €31. (updated Nov 2025)

2 Bruges Ballooning, Markt, ☏ +32 47 597 2887. Morning and afternoon. Daily hot air balloon flights over the historic centre and its surroundings. The best way to enjoy the romance of Bruges, and its stunning views, from a few hundred metres up in a balloon basket. €170.

HelicopterFlight: Morning and afternoon. Helicopter flights over Bruges and its surrendings.

If you are looking for a great place to eat in Bruges, avoid all of the restaurants in the central market square ("Grote Markt"). No matter how pleasant the view from there may look, they will offer you low-quality, overpriced food, served to you by waiters who are as rude and as slow as they are underpaid. One tactic used by such tourist trap restaurants at the central market is to present items (e.g. bread) as if they were free with your meal, then charge you for them. Even water may be charged at an exorbitant €6 or more for a small bottle. Another scheme to bilk the traveller is to quote absurdly-high prices (such as €7 for a single serving of fries), then claim to be offering "a 10% discount for locals".

You will, however, find great food if you wander off the beaten track. The historical centre of Bruges does have many pleasant and cozy restaurants with affordable and high-quality food to offer if you know the right addresses! Find a street with more locals than tourists and ask somebody about a good place to eat at. The locals will be glad to help (English proficiency in Dutch-speaking Belgium is generally quite good).

Budget

1 Books & Brunch, Garenmarkt 30, ☏ +32 50 70 90 79. Tue-Fri 08:30-18:00, Sat 09:00-18:00. An ideal combo of second hand book store and a brunch/dessert-eatery (but you can just have a cup of coffee or a tea too). (updated Aug 2022)

2 The Olive Street Food, Wollestraat 12, ☏ +32 50 41 50 96. Wed-Mon 12:00-20:30. An authentic Greek takeaway place just a minute of walking away from the Belfry/Grote Markt. They offer food that is not only well-seasoned and extraordinarily savoury, but also very affordable, especially compared to other places to eat at in the Bruges' historical centre. €8.9 for a medium-sized wrap, €14.9 for a larger box of food (May 2025). (updated May 2025)

1 De Garre, 1, De Garre (When walking from De Markt to De Burg via the Breydelstraat, find a small door between two shops on your right side to enter De Garre street. The pub itself is the only door inside that street.), ☏ +32 50 34 10 29. Hidden in a backyard, this pub offers a nice atmosphere and about 100 kinds of beer, including localy-brewed ones. The house beer is called 'Triple de Garre' and is 11% strong, a good way to start the night. The pub is very often full, but there's a limit of two drinks per person, which means that new places become available pretty quickly.

2 't Brugs Beertje, Kemelstraat, ☏ +32 50 33 96 16. This excellent pub (recommended in the CAMRA guide to the Benelux region) has hundreds of different beers and an authentic beer-cafe atmosphere. Clientele is majority tourists. The front bar is crowded; what looks like the door through to the restrooms opens on another bar area. In 2005 it was closed for most of July - this might be an annual occurrence.

3 Café Vlissinghe, Blekersstraat 2 (on the way to the Jerusalem church), ☏ +32 50 34 37 37. closed Mondays and Tuesdays. One of the less touristy bars, with a nice selection of draught and bottled beers. It's probably the oldest pub in Bruges dating from 1515.

The area just north of the performing arts centre has various cafes, most with sufficient beer selections, such as Café Leffe.

Bruges Beer Festival (Brugs BierFestival), Sint-Maartensbilk 1 (15 minute walk from main Railway staion.). Annual beer festival held over two days in the Bruges Meeting & Convention Centre. Over 50 breweries represented. Unlike many other beer festivals, this one is not at a fixed time during the year. (see website) from €14.50 for basic package.. (updated Sep 2026)

The historical centre is not so big and thus quite walkable (be sure to wear comfortable shoes). The only mode of public transport inside the city is bus. They are operated by the Flemish public transport company De Lijn. They frequent nearly all major points of interest plus the train station. Taxis on the market place and station cost about €10. Bicycles are easy to rent and make getting around the city very speedy, although the cobblestoned paths can make rides a little bumpy and uncomfortable.

There exists a cheap shuttle bus from railway station to the city center called Centrumshuttlebus for 3€ per trip (free for residents and some groups).