City Break: 24 Hours in Bruges

Bruges is touted as one of the most beautiful cities in Belgium, even referred to as the ‘Venice of the North.’ On my way to Amsterdam for work, I spent a day in Bruges. While it was a short visit, Bruges was top on list of places to visit in Belgium and so I was excited to take advantage of this 24-hour opportunity. If you’re short on time, here’s how to spend 24 hours in Bruges.

How To Get To Bruges

We flew into Brussels and hopped on a train to Bruges. From the airport, catch a train to Brussels Centraal. It’s just over an hour from Brussels to Bruges. There are trains departing Brussels Centraal train station about every 20 minutes all day (till about midnight). For those that live in (or are traveling from) London, you could easily take the Eurostar to Brussels.  Belgium would make a great stop on any Eurotrip. Train schedules can be found on the Belgian official train website .

Where We Stayed

With only 24 hours in Bruges, staying in the historic city centre is recommended. We stayed at the Novotel Centrum in Bruges (nothing fancy but it was adequate). However, I shared this on Instagram a while back that I mistakenly booked the hotel in Lille, France. We only found out about the mistake upon arrival at the Brussels airport. This happens! I booked our hotel on my phone at the airport, thank God we got a spot!

What We Did In 24 Hours in Bruges

The weather was not in the best of moods (read: it was wet) during our 24 hours in Bruges but we made the most of it and had a great time. The best way to explore this city is on foot (and on water but we’ll get to that bit later). We spent a few hours walking through town.

Brewery Visit

Belgian beer is always right up there in the running for best beer. Even if you’re not a beer drink (I’m not), a brewery visit is still a good idea. We were starving on arrival and found a brewery/restaurant (De Halve Maan) within a few minutes. This brewery is the home of the famous Brugge Zot beer. We didn’t do the tour but I gathered it lasts 45 minutes and costs 10 Euros. My friend had a beer and enjoyed it. We had a good lunch, got photobombed and went on our merry way.

Canal Tour

Like Amsterdam, Brugge is known for its canals. As we walked the cobblestone streets on our full stomachs, I spotted a sign for a canal tour and got excited (as I do, in life!). We bought tickets and got in line. Yes, it is touristy, but its a different way to see this picturesque little town and I enjoyed it. It was so relaxing I was tempted to take a little nap but then it started raining and well, that was the end of that! The canal tour cost 8 Euros.

Chasing Windmills

Moving on, I really wanted to see a windmill up-close and I’d read of a few in town. We wandered away from the centre of town on a walk. On our walk, and with every turn, a picture perfect view lay ahead. As some point, we walked through some streets with cute cafes and music booming through, the kind of music to put a pep in your step.  And then we found the windmills!! It was so cool seeing them up close and then of course being photographed mimicking them!

Want to see some windmills up close on your visit?, The windmills of Bruges sit on a pathway around the edge of the old city boundary. Originally 25, only a handful remain today and they’re popular with visitors. It’s a bit of a walk from the city centre to get here, but it really is worth it and you get those steps in! Some of the windmills are open to the public and there is a small museum inside the Sint Janshuismolen mill. You’ll find them on the outskirts of the city along the canal path Kruisvest (between Bapaumestraat and Sasplein).

A Meal at The Pigeon House, 

After all that wandering we needed to rest our feet! We happened upon The Pigeon house for a drink and it turned out to be our favorite experience! The super friendly bartenders sorted us out with drinks. One bartender made a great beer suggestion for the non beer-drinker and I was very happy. We just enjoyed conversation and ordered another round of drinks.

Next thing, a lovely lady offers us appetizers on the house. How can we refuse? So, we stayed! Then we ordered dinner, and stayed some more! Turned out the lady owns the restaurant and we ended up chatting with her for a while. At some point, she took us into the kitchen where food is made from scratch daily! By the end of it all, hugs were being shared :)! She also showed us the main restaurant, which is a converted cellar. All because we stopped by for a drink!

Waffles, and Royal Chocolate

When in Belgium, have a Belgian waffle or two or ten! I won’t judge you! The window displays all over town have the most indulgent waffles to lure you in. It was only fair that I have a Belgian waffle for breakfast before we left town. Oh, and the chocolate!!! There’s chocolate everywhere, so much so there’s even a store that makes chocolate for the royal family. We got some as gifts (nice packaging you know)!

Overall

Bruges is beautiful and it is as picturesque as pictures show. I can only imagine what it’ll look like under a fresh dusting of snow, or on a sunny summer day with blue skies. Our time here was short but it was definitely sweet. If you appreciate simple beautiful towns, then I’d recommend Bruges. If you’re looking for a popping scene, then just and skip this one! Even if you’re short on time, you can do quite a bit in 24 hours in Bruges. If I had more time I’d definitely add Ghent to that itinerary!

For other destinations in Europe, check out my post on Budapest , Portugal , Nice & Monaco , London, or Lucerne, Switzerland here. Have you been to Belgium or is this on your list?

Till next time,

Ms. Heels