Things to do in Bruges

In this post I have collected some of my favourite places in Bruges for shopping, eating out or just visiting. Of course the canal sides and the architecture have to be the main attractions of this town. However, as I already posted some of such pictures in my first Bruges post, here are just random places that left me with a good feeling and I would be more than happy to return.

Olivier's Chocolate Shop & Bar, Sint-Amandsstraat 14 – It was quite difficult to decide where to get chocolates, as they are offered absolutely everywhere, but I wanted to get something special. Therefore I'm really happy that I stumbled upon this little shop close to the Markt, which only opened on Valentine's Day this year, but is already buzzing. The guy who was serving us, was really proud of the shop and said that his dad makes the chocolates and that they have been ever so busy since the opening. I hope that this shop becomes a real success story, as they make truly exquisite chocolates.

 

Ellis Gourmet Burger, Simon Stevinplein 14 – I seemed to be very unlucky with the veggie restaurants I had been planning to go to in beforehand. Unfortunately, they were closed when I could have gone there, but I didn't need to stay hungry in this place, as frietjes and kaaskroketten were good fillers at anytime. But then I also found the Ellis Gourmet Burger. Well, of course they also serve meat burgers, but they had quite a good veggie burger selection too. There was a portobello and goat's cheese burger and a soy classic burger on the regular menu. I went for the monthly special, the nutty red veggie, which is a savoury bell pepper, soy and pecan nut burger served with spinach, rocket, red onions, a lovely bun and lemon mayo. It was quite possibly the best veggie burger I've ever had! The place is quite busy, but it's worth the wait, if there is no table available straight away. 

 

Wednesday food market, Markt – I was happy enough to catch a day when the food market was on the Markt. You know how much I enjoy strolling through food markets, and this one was no exception. There were local cheeses, vegetables, bread and much more for sale, and I could have bought loads. Unfortunately my suitcase was filling fast, so I had to leave the veggies there.

Groeningemuseum, Dijver 12 – No matter where I go, I always have to visit a local art museum (and their shop!). The Groeningemuseum happens to be a lovely art museum with a good collection of Flemish art and well worth a visit. There I got to see yet another Magritte. In the shop I bought many art postcards and a hedgehog brooch, and learned that hedgehog is egel in Flemish.

 

Friet Museum, Vlamingstraat 33 – If you want to know everything about the history of the humble spud and its way into deep fried frietjes, this is the place to go. If you have children, this is a good place to visit, as they can get all hands on with the items there. 

Dille & Kamille, Simon Stevinplein 17-18 – Located pretty much next to Ellis Gourmet Burger is a kitchen and household shop Dille & Kamille. They have such beautiful household items for sale. I stayed strong however and only purchased a few quirky hedgehog pencils and stuff.  

 

Bottle shops – I'm not mentioning a particular bottle shop here, as there are many good options for buying beer in Bruges. We carried a few bottles back with us, and can now enjoy them at home. I couldn't resist the wooden Gouden Carolus box, which contained two large beer bottles and two glasses. The medieval imagery did it for me once again.

Getting there - I also wanted to add a section for getting to Bruges, as I find that the Eurostar offers such a wonderful service that no other travel options should be considered, at least when coming from England. The journey from St. Pancras station to Brussels is almost too quick to enjoy all the views and the scurrying through the tunnel. There is an excellent board restaurant, where you can have a warm mushroom risotto or a pizza margherita and drink wine. I do enjoy this form of transport a lot, and I'm already planning to book it again. The ticket contains a further travel to any station in Belgium, and the journey from Brussels Zuid to Bruges takes about one hour.

Have you been to Bruges or would you like to go? What are your favourite places?

My favourite bars in Bruges

Here is a listing of the wonderful drinking holes I went to in Bruges. All of these bars have bags of character and a relaxed atmosphere. The selection of beers is just overwhelming and it's all such great quality. Well, I'll have to admit that I didn't have any of the cherry or strawberry beers, just good honest local beers. These bars are great places to hang out and most of them also offer vegetarian snacks. If nothing else, then local cheese cubes, which are just delightful to be enjoyed with beer.

My favourite beers that I had during this trip included Brugse Zot, Carolus Winter, Steen Brugge, Arabier and Special Brew brewed by De Dolle Brouwers for ’t Brugs Beertje. I might review some of these at a later stage.

’t Brugs Beertje, Kemelstraat 5 – This is a bar with real atmosphere and special beers, a must-visit for every beer lover. De Dolle Brouwers have brewed a special brew exclusively for this bar, which is already reason enough to visit. Here good chats can be had with the staff and locals. I was disappointed to find the bar closed when I returned the next day. It's good to have a good look at the opening times, as at least off season the bars can be closed on several days.

Comptoir des Arts, Vlamingstraat 53 – This bar is also a music and performance cellar. We saw a great open mic night for blues bands there and the standard of the performances was outstanding. What could be better than listening to local talents while drinking tasty beer! We also went on a quieter night without a live act and it was also very nice.

Brouwerij De Halve Maan, Walplein 26 – De Halve Maan is a brewery pub with modern interior and the brewing tanks on the show. We didn't go for a brewery tour this time, but it would've been very interesting. This is a good place for some daytime beer drinking and they seemed to have some vegetarian food options as well.

Le Trappiste, Kuipersstraat 33 – The interior of this bar is a cosy medieval vault and in my mind it's one of the best bar locations of all time. Maybe just the decoration could be more subtle, as there are many beer signs hanging here and there. They have a good selection of beers, some of which are international.

2 be, Wollestraat 53 – 2 be is quite a touristy place given its beer wall and shop at a prime location. However there is a nice canal view from the terrace while drinking outdoors, and it wasn't too cold to sit there even in February.

Beautiful Brugge

I have been quiet here for a few days, because I went on holiday to Bruges in Belgium. I thought that I would already post something from there, but I was having such a good and relaxing time that I couldn't be asked. However now I'm back home and without a doubt will bore you with all sorts of Bruges features (well, let's hope that you enjoy reading them!).

Bruges or Brugge is indeed a fairytale town. The medieval architecture is astonishingly well preserved, and as a medieval times enthusiast that's just perfect for me. I spent most of the time strolling on the streets along the picturesque canals admiring the views. The weather happened to be quite good as well, sunny on most days yet with chilly biting wind at times. That was great for February I found. I also visited some of the several museums in town and did some mandatory holiday shopping. The locals were incredibly friendly and it was a pure joy visiting this place off the main tourist seasons.

Then, let's not forget the beer, chocolate and cheese, but especially the beer! I am going to write a purely Belgian beer post as well, but can already mention here that I sampled quite many local beers and really enjoyed their diversity. There were some seriously good pubs out there.

So here are some photos I took on my holiday.