Over the Christmas period, Hunk and I decided to take a road trip from Amsterdam to Bruges for 2 days. It’s roughly a 2.5-3 hour drive south, past Antwerp and then you’ll know you have arrived when you see the windmills that seem to surround Bruges ‘gate’!
Where we stayed
As we were trying to spend as little money as possible, we chose to stay at a hostel our friends recommended in Bruges, the Bauhaus Hostel (which is a St Christopher’s Inn hostel) and it was a fine place to stay, although we had requested a double bed (which they said they had!!) and we got 2 singles! Fail.
*Tip: If you are a couple and want a double bed but get 2 single beds in a hostel… push the beds together and stick an extra blanket down any gaps – worked for us!
Bruges To Do
As there was a Christmas market in the center square of Bruges, naturally we ate from a stall, and drank gluhwein whilst admiring the gorgeous architecture.
We then followed that with a Belgian meal of some kind of stew in a restaurant too nice for ourselves, (but heck, it was date night!) followed by fries later that night after many Belgian beers. Basically, food is great in Belgium and any trip should revolve around consuming lots of their local goodies!
Bell Tower
A highlight of Bruges for me was the Belfry. It’s the tallest building in town, which isn’t THAT tall, but it’s the tallest they’ve got and it’s great to go to the top and check out the amazing views on the medieval and fairytale-like city of Bruges.
Be prepared to wait in a hefty line, as they only allow 70-ish people up in the tower at any given time.
As it’s quite the climb to the top, there is luckily many levels that you can stop at to catch your breath learn about the Belfry’s history, what it stands for and exactly how the bell works. At the very top, you can watch the bell ring! It is amazing the intricate mechanics which were built so long ago, in 1240! I won’t go into it, so you’ll just have to go and catch a glimpse of the bells and mechanics for yourself!
I found that Bruges was an extremely walk-able city and the whole place was a ‘sight’. We didn’t do an museums or other touristy destinations besides the Belfry because we just enjoyed being there! The architecture sure does make you feel like you’ve been strolling around in a fairytale land. Check out how cute it is!
Beer
Okay, now this is important. If you enjoy a beer, then Belgium is a country after your heart!
There was so much beer to choose from everywhere we went it became a game of ‘choose me something new and you had better pick well!’.. and every time – it was delicious!
My favourite watering hole we found in Bruges was somewhere that we stumbled upon called: @ The Pub. It was tucked away from the street in an alley, near the Belfry & Square, and was a pub where you could sit and chat, the music was not too loud.
The variety of beer there was incredible – hundreds! You could spend hours and hours perusing the menu to try a different beer each time. I think we had 3 beers here and I enjoyed every one of them. The staff were great and were able to tell me, if I liked Beer A, then I’d like any of these beers X Y Z.
Go grab some beer and delicious Belgian food asap!!
Australian expat, married to a Dutch guy, living in Amsterdam. Previously lived in London for 3 years, too! Lover of travel, coffee, brunch, beaches, fresh flowers, and family. Now a new mum, navigating life with a baby!
0 thoughts on “In Bruges”
This town really looks adorable! Added to bucket list…
It absolutely is!! I would also recommend Salzburg if you haven’t been there!
This town really looks adorable! Added to bucket list…
It absolutely is!! I would also recommend Salzburg if you haven’t been there!