Bruges
The heart of ancient Bruges, the old market square is lined with pavement cafes beneath step-gabled facades. The buildings aren't always quite as medieval…
Must-see attractions in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges’ most celebrated art gallery boasts an astonishingly rich collection that's strong in superb Flemish Primitive and Renaissance works, depicting the…
Bruges
In the restored chapel of a 12th-century hospital building with superb timber beamwork, this museum shows various torturous-looking medical implements,…
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Bruges
Towering 83m above the square like a gigantic medieval rocket is this fabulous 13th-century belfry. There’s relatively little to see inside, but it’s…
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Bruges
Just east of the Markt, the less theatrical but still enchanting Burg has been Bruges' administrative centre for centuries. It's in this area you'll find…
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Bruges
Around 10km south of Bruges, Kasteel van Loppem is a mid-19th-century brick castle-mansion which had its moment of fame at the end of WWI when it was…
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Bruges
Bruges’ delightful begijnhof dates from the 13th century. Despite the hordes of summer tourists, remains a remarkably tranquil haven. Outside the 1776…
Bruges
The western end of the stadhuis morphs into the Basiliek van het Heilig Bloed. The basilica takes its name from a phial supposedly containing a few drops…
Bruges
The beautiful 1420 stadhuis features a fanciful facade that’s second only to Leuven’s for exquisitely turreted Gothic excess. Inside, an audioguide…
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Bruges
Within the so-caled Adornesdomein estate is one of Bruges’ oddest churches, the 15th-century Jeruzalemkerk, built by the Adornes family. Supposedly based…
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Bruges
Within the stadhuis, this hall's polychromatic ceiling almost drips with medieval carvings. Murals depicting the town's history add to the room's…
Bruges
Eye-catching with its early baroque gables, gilt highlights and golden statuettes, this was once the seat of the ‘Liberty of Bruges’, the large autonomous…
Bruges
Dominating its surrounds, this 13th-century church was reopened in 2015 after extensive renovations. Its enormous 115m spire is unmissable throughout much…
Bruges
Behind the Arentshuis, Hof Arents is a charming little park with a hump-backed pedestrian bridge, St-Bonifaciusbrug, that crosses the canal, offering…
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Bruges
The Historium occupies a neo-Gothic building on the northern side of the Markt. The immersive one-hour audio and video tour aims to take you back to…
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Bruges
Just inside the main entrance of the begijnhof this is a charming 17th-century house now converted into an endearing little four-room museum. In the…
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Bruges
Under ongoing redevelopment since 2015, ’t Zand is Bruges' largest public square and a major transport hub, fringed with shops, hotels and restaurants…
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Bruges
This appealing Museum of Folk Life presents visitors with 18 themed tableaux illustrating Flemish life in times gone by – a 1930s sweets shop, a hatter’s…
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Bruges
Founded in 1856, though there has been a brewery on the site since 1564, this is the last family brouwerij (brewhouse) in central Bruges. Multilingual, 45…
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Bruges
Stacked sub-towers top the massive central tower of 13th-century St Saviour’s Cathedral. In daylight the construction looks somewhat dour, but once…
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Bruges
Admission to this small historical church-hospital complex is free with a St-Janshospitaal museum ticket. Ring the bell to gain entry and you’ll find fine…
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Bruges
In the 13th century, Bruges' great walls were dotted with molens (windmills) where cereals were ground into flour – at one time 25 ringed the city. Today,…
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Bruges
While Antwerp is now the centre of the diamond industry, the idea of polishing the stones with diamond ‘dust’ was originally pioneered in Bruges. This is…
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Bruges
In the 13th century, Bruges' great walls were dotted with molens (windmills) where cereals were ground into flour. Four still stand on the eastern rampart…
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Bruges
The Markt's newest attraction will appeal to the many who love a Belgian beer. Guided by a multilingual iPad app, the museum takes you through the history…
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Bruges
The Kantcentrum displays a collection of lace in a row of interlinked old cottages. In the afternoons (2pm to 5pm) you can watch bobbin lace being made by…
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Bruges
This stately 18th-century patrician house displays the powerful paintings and dark-hued etchings of Frank Brangwyn (1867–1956), a Bruges-born artist of…
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Bruges
The 13th-century former market halls occupy a rectangular building at the base of the Belfort, only 44m across but 84m deep. The halls have been at the…
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Bruges
The enlightening Domestic Lamp Museum has over 6500 artefacts relating to domestic lighting throughout history, making it the largest collection of its…
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Museum-Gallery XPO Salvador Dali
Bruges
Located within the Belfort, this small gallery has one of the largest private collections of work (primarily sketches, painting and sculpture) of the…
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Bruges
Originally built around 1420, St James' Church was significantly expanded into its present structure in 1459, but it wasn't until the late 17th and early…
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Bruges
Stand atop the 20th-century stone Bonifacius bridge, itself amply photogenic, for lovely vistas of the canal and surrounds.
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Bruges
The church of St Anne features a plain Gothic exterior which belies its flamboyant baroque interior.
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Bruges
This 17th-century Roman Catholic church was built by the Jesuits in the baroque style.
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Bruges
This highly absorbing chocolate museum traces the cocoa bean back to its role as an Aztec currency. Learn about choco history, watch a video on cocoa…
Bruges
Known in English as the 'Lake of Love', the Minnewater harks back to Bruges' medieval heyday. This waterway was once a dock; ships from as far afield as…
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Bruges
In the 1990s, when excavating for the foundations of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, workers literally hit a wall. This wall, it turned out, belonged to the 10th…
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Bruges
The museum takes its name from the flower-and-herb mixture (gruut) that used to flavour beer before the cultivation of hops. The romantic heraldic…
