48 Hours in Brugge, Belgium
My best tips to explore this chocolate box town.
Last
August, my boyfriend and I took a little trip to Brugge. This
adorable town is located on the Dutch part of Belgium, and I had seen
many a beautiful photo of the place. I had also read Gabrielle's
praise on her blog (A Glass of Ice) of how Brugge was a lovely city for a European
break. And I can now say, after spending two lovely days there, that
it is definitely a gorgeous place to see.
Without
further ado, here are my top tips to spend 48 hours in Brugge:
TRY SOME OF THE BEST FOOD (RESTAURANT TIPS BELOW!)
The
holy trinity of food in Brugge is as follows: French fries, waffles,
chocolate. So of course, my boyfriend and I tried all three of them.
Eating in Brugge is a tad expensive - in general, I think that Brugge
is not really a budget-friendly town, but you do get what you pay
for. The place I loved the most, and where we went on our first
afternoon there, is the Old Chocolate House. It is a chocolate shop
downstairs, and you have to go upstairs to the tea room to have the
most wonderful choice of hot chocolate I have ever seen. I picked the
Ecuador chocolate, '70.4% cocoa with fruity accents, hints of coffee and rum'. Heaven in a bowl! You are given a
little tray with a chocolate basket made of chocolate and full of
chocolate buttons. You have to pour the chocolate baskets into a bowl
of hot milk and stir it until the chocolate dissolves. The whole
experience is really fun, and the menu is quite extensive, from darks
to milk and white chocolate. You even have fruity ones!
The Old Chocolate House
Mariastraat 1a, 8000 Brugge
French
fries (let's forget about the controversial name here...) can be found
everywhere in Brugge, from sit-down restaurants to little takeaway
places where you can get them as a snack. We personally decided to
pay a visit to the Potato Bar, a hip place where, you guessed it, the
specialty is potatoes. You can choose between three portion sizes,
but the best things is the toppings. They make a real change from
your plain ketchup and mayonnaise dips! I picked the truffle
mayonnaise (a generous serving of creamy mayonnaise, with truffles
and beetroot) while my boyfriend got a beef stew topping. Pick the
smaller size serving, it is more than enough for one meal - unless
you are really hungry.
Sint-Amandsstraat 31, 8000 Brugge
I
won't go into too much detail about waffles - you can find them
pretty much everywhere, they are all super yummy and they will be
your afternoon sweet snack of choice if you visit Brugge - trust me!
The
last place I wanted to mention is Salade Folle (which means Crazy
Salad in French): a lovely, healthy food restaurant with serious
Instagram vibes. I mean, my salad looked like a work of art. It is not the cheapest place to go, however you do get excellent food for
the price you pay.
Salade Folle
Walplein 13, 8000 Brugge
On
a side-note, if you like toast - and like taking pictures of cute
cafés even more than you like toast - head to That's Toast to try out one of their
compositions. It's all toast, and it's yummy. Be there early though
as it gets crowded very quickly and you may have to queue to be
seated after 10 am.
Another
thing to know is that restaurants in Brugge (I can't talk for the
rest of Belgium though) don't have tap water. They will give you a
glass bottle if you ask for water. One thing I've noticed, is that
all restaurants generally have one beer on the menu that's cheaper
than water... Just sayin'.
TAKE A BREWERY TOUR
If
you have as little as 48 hours in a new place, I would recommend
doing one thing that you wouldn't do anywhere else. For us, it was a
brewery tour! De
Halve Maan (The
Half Moon) is an old brewery and pub that everybody knows in Brugge.
They have been brewing their own beers for centuries, and you can
learn all about the process during a brewery tour.
For
10€ per person, you get a guided tour as well as a coupon for
one of their ales, the Brugse Zot, to try any time you wish after the
tour is completed. No matter whether you are a beer geek or not, I
would highly recommend this tour. Even my boyfriend, who does not
drink, loved it. Great value for money, and it makes a change from
your usual museum!
Bonus
point: during the tour you get to climb to the roofs of the brewery,
and get a beautiful panoramic view of Brugge.
WALK AROUND THE FAIRYTALE STREETS
My
favourite thing in Brugge was to explore. It's a small town, so you
can do everything by foot - or in a carriage drawn by horses if
you're feeling fancy. My boyfriend and I had the best time walking
around and just taking in the view. The place we liked most was the
little quarter tucked away behind the Brugge Cathedral - just meander
around the streets, and on a Friday afternoon, everything was so
quiet that we could hear a pin drop...
Some
of the landmarks you don't want to miss are the Markt, Brugge's
market place, where you can see the Belfort. The bell rings every day
and plays a long tune, which at first feels special, and after a
while gets slightly annoying as it tingles in your ears. Trust me,
that bell never stops.
There
are plenty of restaurants all around the market place, which we did
not try, but I drooled more than once over the beauty of the
buildings themselves. I mean...
Generally
speaking, once you get outside of the main streets (where all the
shops and restaurants are) you will find that Brugge is very quiet
and relaxing. Go for a walk along the canal, find the prettiest
houses on the outskirts, and don't stick with the town centre only -
getting away from the crowds always feel like you're discovering the
town as it really is.
There
are other beautiful spots in Brugge that I will share in other posts,
so keep your eyes peeled for that!
THE DO'S AND DON'TS
There
are a few other things visitors to Brugge should know. The first one
is a practical tip for you to survive: be careful with cars and
bikes. I am under the impression that drivers on any type of vehicles
in Brugge don't really care about pedestrians. There isn't a lot of
cars driving around so you may well end up walking on the road or on
the pavement regardless, but make sure you always check around you -
most especially for bikes. People love bikes there. Dutch influence I
assume!
Last
but not least, I had to make a note on the churches in Brugge. I
adore visiting churches. Whenever I go somewhere new in Europe, I
look for the churches because they are often a museum in themselves.
My boyfriend and I visited three religious landmarks in Brugge, and I
have to say, I was far from impressed. The Basilica of the Holy Blood
claims to possess a relic of the Blood of Christ. I was expecting a
lot from the architecture and art inside the churches but each time I
was disappointed. I would say none of them are a must to visit -
however, you will see that the outside structures of all the churches
are stunning. The bell towers are so high in the sky, and the doors
and facades are beautiful and intricate, but that is where it stops.
I am finishing on a little downer, I know, but I had to share my
thoughts on that side too. But I may be a little picky - I do like my
dramatic, baroque Italian churches thus I am a little biased...
Have you been to Brugge? What is the cutest town you've ever visited?
Lots of love,
Julia x
Lots of love,
Julia x
22 commentaires
Amazing photos, the buildings are stunning!
ReplyDeleteAnika | anikamay.co.uk
They really are! xx
DeleteIt's just so postcard pretty! I definitely need to go :)
ReplyDeleteJasmine xx
Jasmine Talks Beauty
Exactly, Brugge is a postcard-perfect town! xx
DeleteWow, seeing this travel refreshes my mind from all the worries I've been up to in school. I can't wait for my trip on the holidays! I love these pictures <3
ReplyDeletexoxo,
SHAIRA
www.missdream-girl.blogspot.com
I'm glad this helped Shaira! Hope you have lots of fun on your holiday :) xx
DeleteI have never been to Brugges yet, but I made a note to skip the churches and head straight for the food the day that changes.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Linda, Libra, Loca
You took out the best from this post Anne! xx
DeleteI shouldn't have read that post before having my dinner... I could hear my tummy grumbling! I haven't been to Brugge yet, however, it is one of the places I'd so like to visit. Your photos are beautiful... I just need to convince my hubby(he has been there before and doesn't want to go again), all the food options and the beers might help me to convince him :) Also, you look so pretty x
ReplyDeleteEla BellaWorld
Haha I'm sorry Ela! But the food in Brugge is just so good... I am sure your husband will want to go again if you treat him to all the good food! xx
DeleteStunning pictures. I would love to visit Brugge. I also agree with you about churches, they are like museums indeed.
ReplyDeleteYou should go one day Anca! xx
DeleteOh, babe! You know how much I completely adore Brugge and so this travel diary was a total treat to read through :) So pleased to know you always enjoyed your time there Julia!!
ReplyDeleteaglassofice.com x
I seriously think Brugge should pay you for advertising their town haha, you do it so well! xx
DeleteAw this place looks so darling, such beautiful buildings :D I love your floral dress and the food looks amazing too! I could sit and read your photo diaries all day and dream of far off places, there are so many places on my wishlist now, I want to go everywhere!! xx
ReplyDeleteelizabeth ♡ ”Ice Cream” whispers Clara
(I just wondered if you might be interested in my giveaway! It’s for the Norvina palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills - just thought I’d ask haha :D xx)
Yes, the buildings are stunning. I'm so glad you enjoy these posts Elizabeth, I hope I always make you travel a little with me! xx
Deletepreciosas fotos y precioso post !!
ReplyDeletehttp://juliaspeaksbeauty.blogspot.com/2018/09/travel-how-to-spend-48h-in-brugge.html
Gracias Alicia! xx
DeleteI've never been to Brugge, but I've always wanted to visit as it looks like such a lovely city xx
ReplyDeleteGemma Etc. ❤️
brugge is on my travel list since forever! I remember Gabrielle's post and now yours! i am craving to visit the city so much!! from italy it's just a bit complicated to get there - I need to do a few more research !
ReplyDeletexx from italy
Cate ღ 35mm in Style
Brugge is such a lovely and cute city. I really like architecture and I want try that hot chocolate. Thank you for this useful city guide.
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Wow the travel looks loads of fun!
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