Microwave

The Mrs and I are planning a weekend trip to Bruges in June, and will be arriving either Thursday evening or Friday evening, leaving Sunday evening. We were wondering what people's thoughts are on whether Bruges is doable in 2 days or whether it requires 3. For comparison, we did Nürnberg in 2 days and thought it was a good amount of time, Brussels and The Hague in 3 days which felt right, but 3 days in Amsterdam didn't feel sufficient for us. We don't feel the need to see everything, but like to get a feel for the city and see a couple of the most important sights. Any thoughts on trip length?

Also, we would appreciate any thoughts on sights that really are must-see, and anything that would be solidly int he other column as well. Thank you in advance!

bamboola

Bruges is definitely doable in two full days. Highlights include:

1. The Bell Tower (featured in the movie In Bruges). The 366 steps are not difficult to climb and I generally suffer from vertigo.

2. The Begijnhof. Arrive just before noon so that you can attend the service where the nuns chant acapella.

3. De Halve Maan Brewery Tour. Again steps on the tour. Or you can just sit and have a beer.

4. Chocolates, chocolates, and more chocolates!

Bruges is a very compact walkable city. We had dinner twice at the Gran Kaffee de Passage - some of the best lamb chops and ribs that I've tasted.

Enjoy!

:D!

24 full hours was enough for me. A friend booked 3 nights and was bored out of her mind by the end of day 2...

Djlawman

We did 2 1/2 days in Bruges and really enjoyed it. Stayed at Hotel Navarra, which we really enjoyed. Sites -- Market is great. Get a beer, bacon salad and some mussels, and frites and sit in the market square for a great lunch. Belltower is a great view over to the coast. In no particular order, we visited Stadhuis (City Hall) - well worth a visit. Took canal tour by boat, again well worth it. Groeninge Museum is very good. As is the Memling museum in the old hospital. The churches are worth visiting, if you like cathedrals. Basilica of the Holy Blood is interesting. Folklore museum was an interesting visit, but not worth more than about an hour.

Finally a visit to Bruges is not complete without some chocolate. For us, that means Dumon chocolatier. Fantastic chocolates. Only wish I had brought home twice as much.

Enjoy your visit.

milepig

I'm in the minority, but 10 minutes was 5 too many. Twee beyond belief. And, the churches are filthy.

stut

I rather enjoyed it for a weekend trip, and I'd add the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk to the list.

It's also a good base for exploring other bits of Flanders, with good, fast train connections to Ghent (often overlooked), Antwerp and Ostend.

LAX2Anywhere

Mrs. Anywhere and I spent about 4 days there about 10 years ago, after spending 10 days in Paris and the south of France. We really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere of Brugge. In fact we extended our stay by a day rather than going to Brussels a day early for the flight home.

In addition to the main tourist attractions mentioned by bamboola and Djlawman above (although we toured a different brewery), we also rented bikes for 2 half days - rode along a canal to the Northest to a small town for lunch (don't remember exactly where) one day, and through the countryside to the Southwest another day.

If you happen to be there on Market Day - Wednesday or Saturday - that's worth checking out too.

tgv2

1-2 days to see the city is enough.

SanDiego1K

Count me among those who really like Brugge. Two days is a good amount of time. Here is an article that talks about how to spend 48 hours. And here is an article on using 36 hours there. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza, a perfectly fine place to stay from where we were able to walk to all the sights.

dimramon

Bruges is my home town.

The only hotels in town I have experience with are the Orangerie, de Tuilerieen, Flanders Hotel. There's a variety of other hotels available so if you have questions, let me know.

Food-wise, a lot of places want reservations. You may walk into a place and see empty tables but they may refuse service if you don't have a table reserved.

My favorite place in town grills their food and is off the beaten path. It is called Bistro De Schaar. The food is fresh and absolutely delicious. http://www.bistrodeschaar.be/de-schaar/home.html. If you want a place that's open late, try http://www.christophe-brugge.be

You should try the fries while you are there, but I do not recommend the places by the Belfry - simply not good and expensive. For fries, I'd go to Chez Vincent - by the St-Salvator Church. Pickels in de St-Jacobsstraat - close to the market square has been around for a long time too.

If you want to have a beer, 't Klein Venetie bij de Rozenhoedkaai may not have the largest selection, but it's right in front of the most photographed spot in town.
If you want a good glass of wine, and some high quality cheeses or charcuterie to munch on, go to the Cuvee. It's a 4 minute walk from the market square: http://www.cuvee.be
If you want a place that has a nice selection of beers, of which some are really rare, I suggest Rose Red (has a hotel attached to it):http://www.cordoeanier.be/en/rosered.php

Let me know if you have specific questions or interests and I will do my best to help you.

MSPeconomist

I've done it as a long day trip but I wouldn't suggest that. There's a self-guided walking tour that visits all of the major sites, IIRC about a dozen and a half of them. I remember mostly churches and historic buildings with small museums.

IMO you definitely want to have an evening or two there to see the place at dusk and then at night with the lights. You also want some relaxing time to wander through neighborhoods away from the tourists, to sit it cafes, have a nice dinner, etc.

JDiver

Brugge (I'll use the Vlaams " BROO-huh" since it is after all in Flanders) is nice and some time in the surrounding countryside is a bonus. I'll second SanDiego1K and stuts, and thank dimramon for the advice. It can get very crowded weekends and holidays, so fair warning.

trustno1

Spent a weekend there and had a wonderful time. Stayed at the Hotel Navarra which was very nice. Took a canal tour but the best part was some wonderful meals washed down with some fab Belgian beers.

thevoos

If you're interested in beer, another great stop in Bruges is the De Struise beer store. It's located on one of the Burg town squares (with the Basilica and Stadhuis/Townhall). They make some of the most inventive, and excellent, beers in Belgium.

tcollins33

I did a day trip to Brugge from Brussels back in March. The train was easy (about an hour or so if I remember correctly) and inexpensive. The walk to the town from the train station takes a while, but isn't too bad. The town itself is very fun to walk around - lots to see.

If you are the type that like to explore things more in-depth, I would recommend spending two days there.

As always, be alert and attentive on the train platforms and in touristy areas. Pickpocketing is common. I had my work cell phone taken by two guys working as a team on the subway. I let my guard down for about a minute and they were that fast.