Bruges is a city that smells like chocolate waffles and tastes like locally-brewed beer. It’s your quintessential fairytale town with gothic architecture and cobbled streets that are frequented by horse-drawn carriages. The local tipple is a sip of bourgeois for breakfast and steins of beer thereafter, so you can expect a warm, friendly welcome for the most part.
Hotel Die Swaene
Bruges was the first-stop on my four-day getaway to Belgium, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I caught the train from BRU airport to Bruges Train Station and, from there, I walked for 24 minutes to get to Hotel Die Swaene in Centrum – the heart of Bruges – where I based myself for the next two nights.
Hotel Die Swaene is deceiving; the modest entrance sits along the canal edge masking the regal elegance of its restored interior. It has the features of a stately home, but remains intimate in its size and its helpful approach to guests. One of the biggest draws is its location; I was able to wander through the city and stop-off in my room at various points of the day, but I can see how others would be more drawn to the hidden indoor pool – just right of the main staircase.
Bruges by day
Bruges is all about getting wanderfully lost but never having to worry about where you’ll end up. Although it’s technically a city, Bruges has more of a small-town feel; it’s mostly pedestrianised, very compact and a safe city to walk around for solo travellers. I spent the majority of the two days walking the cobbled streets and canal pathways to discover some of the best things to do in Bruges.
Bruges by night
Bruges oozes romance and charm. At night, the streets around Market Square still emanate a lively buzz of activity but for the most part, the city sleeps relatively early. I’m a night owl, so I roamed central Bruges so see what was going on around the city towards midnight, and I stumbled upon ‘t Klein Venetie Cafe – just as it closed. This cosy hangout (it looked cosy – didn’t get the chance to experience it) has the most incredible view of the city lit up at night, so I was fortunate enough to capture the cityscape and its reflection in the canal before wandering back to the hotel via a few photography stop-offs.
Waffling on about Bruges
I would never label myself a foodie; after all, my go-to food is a Tayto sandwich. However, Bruges could, quite possibly, be my favourite city to eat – in the world.
I can categorically say that if you visit The House of Waffles in Bruges and you don’t discover the tastiest waffle you have ever eaten in your life then there is something wrong with you. This place is worth talking about all day, err’day. Other places that I would highly recommend to friends would be:
- Gingerbread Café for a European brunch; this was breakfast upon my arrival in Bruges.
- A delicious dip-and-go waffle stick from a place called Go-Fre; this was my reward to myself for climbing the stairs of Belfort.
- Cambrinus for the drool-worthy Hot Dog Cambrinus and frites inside a 17th-century brasserie.
- Blackbird for a breakfast brunch inside, what feels like, a giant bird cage.
Breweries in Bruges
I was never much of a beer connoisseur before my self-guided beer tour through three Belgian cities. Once again, Bruges changed me. You could quite easily spend days sipping your way around the city, but – purely for the sake of time – head straight to Brouwrij De Halve Maan brewery to sample beers (I liked the Straffe Hendrik Tripel) in the last family-run brew house in Bruges, which first opened its doors in 1856. After that, take a walk to Bourgongne des Flanders, a canal-side brewery house and order their own brew.
Bars in Bruges
T’ Brugs Beertje is, without any hesitation, one of the best bars you’ll stumble across in Bruges. It’s the type of old-school public house where you sit on a wooden stool at the bar and get chatting to an eccentric local Belgian with a grey-haired ponytail called ‘Black Beastie’, who jest-fully abuses the barmen and collects notes from people from inside his stein that hangs over the bar. I sat there for hours, talking to ‘Black Beastie’ and sipping my way through a handful of beers that were recommend by the bar man (from a selection of hundreds) while the rain hammered down outside. Two of my other favourite pubs in Bruges were:
- Cambrinus (which I mentioned previously for food); it’s hard to get a seat in this popular hangout, but they managed to squeeze my solo-self onto a high-top table that looked out at the street – great for people watching.
- De Windmolen – this is a leafy, green corner-street pub in the St. Anna area of Bruges. I stopped off here after checking out Bruges’ windmills.
Climbing the Belfort
My first attempt at climbing Belfort was a total fail; I arrived just as it closed, which was a shame because the weather was much better. When I did get around to climbing the 366 steps to the top of the 83-metre high bell tower, I had to pay 12 euro and queue for 15 minutes for the privilege. In fairness, the steep, narrow stairs are an effective workout and you get that view from atop the city, but if you’re into photography, it’s good to be aware that you’ll have to snap your shots between the chicken wire, unlike the bell tower in Ghent.
Canal Cruising
While wandering though Bruges, it quickly becomes apparent that canal cruises are just something that you should tick off your list. I was going to skip it because (1) I was on my own and the idea of heading off on a canal cruise with myself just felt a bit awkward and (2) the idea of squeezing onto a small boat with about 15 others was just not appealing to me… until my best friend pinged me a WhatsApp saying it was totally worth it. So, I went ahead and did it; it was the last thing I did before rushing back to Hotel Die Swaene to collect my backppack and head for the train station. I somehow managed to be the first in the queue for this particular canal cruise, so I bagged myself a seat next to the driver, which made the journey enjoyable because I had front-seat views and plenty of personal space – unlike those who were sandwiched in a vertical row of seats that ran through the middle of the boat. You really do get to see the city from a different perspective and the captains have plenty of interesting facts to share along the way.
After my two nights in Bruges, I took a train to Ghent for a night; you can check out this guide to Ghent if you want to explore it for yourself.
Leave a Reply