Here is a mini trip report from our trip to Bruges. I probably am leaving some things out but wanted to at least share a bit about our trip for those thinking about visiting Bruges.
First of all I%26#39;ve seen Bruges spelled so many different ways. I%26#39;m not actually sure which is the correct spelling but I%26#39;m assuming Bruges as that is how it%26#39;s listed on the TA forum.
My wife and 1 year old baby are on a 1.5 month trip throughout Europe. We planned this almost a year ago and so far everything has been great. We were previously in London for 8 nights/9 days then Amsterdam before for 4 nights and then we took the train to Bruges.
We bought train tickets from the Central Station in Amsterdam just a few days before our trip. It was €89 each person. I forgot to ask for first class tickets so we went 2nd class there. Keep in mind at the Amsterdam Central station they didn%26#39;t take credit cards at the window. Only cash. I%26#39;m not sure if it was just the window we went to but something you should keep in mind if you are one of those travelers that doesn%26#39;t travel with much cash.
There is a train to Bruges leaving every hour from Amsterdam Central station leaving every: 54 of the hour. We left at 10:54 AM. All the trains go via Antwerp so keep in mind there are no direct trains. You get off at Antwerp and change trains.
At Antwerp keep in mind that I think all the trains head to some other final destination as I didn%26#39;t see any signs for Bruges so I had to look a bit on the train schedules to see which train went to Bruges. It wasn%26#39;t that difficult to figure out but if you don%26#39;t travel much you should note this as I didn%26#39;t see any help desks as I got off the train. You have to go upstairs to another track as the trains that go to Bruges leave upstairs.
The 2nd class was totally booked with not much room. The first class was fairly empty. We didn%26#39;t bother changing once we were already on the train as the ticket inspection came through ASAP once we got on. We did however pay to upgrade on our trip back to Amsterdam which I%26#39;ll go into later.
We arrived at the Bruges train station and it was very easy to get a taxi into town. They were mostly Mercedes Benz and mini-vans. It was €12 to our hotel (but on the way back from our hotel to the train station it was only €8 so not sure if the route was longer as there are a lot of 1 ways in town). Regardless it was quick and easy.
Many months ago we booked our hotel at the Hotel Heritage as it got such wonderful reviews and I also noticed the location which seemed ideal. DEFINITELY I made the right decision. We stayed 2 nights there and it was such a great experience. The owners do a wonderful job and our suite we booked was incredible and very comfortable. (see my review on the Hotel in the Hotel review section......I also posted some photos of our room). I can%26#39;t say enough good things about the Hotel Heritage and I would highly recommend it if you are going to Bruges.
Our room was ready and we just dropped off our bags off in our room and started walking around the city. It%26#39;s not a big city so it%26#39;s very easy to get around and the hotel provided an excellent map so it was impossible to get lost. The city is incredible! I%26#39;ve been to a lot of places around the world. Almost 500 cities around the world and counting.... but this city was very special. Being in Bruges is like transporting yourself into a fairytale. The architecture is amazing!
We had a nice lunch near Market Square. I really loved the area around Market Square and it was so convenient as our hotel was literally 1 block from Market Square. We walked around and went into some churches, hit some museums and were in awe how beautiful the city is. Every picture we took is %26quot;post card%26quot; perfect. We had an ice cream at the Haagan Daz store in front of Market Square. And had a beautiful horse drawn carriage ride. The rides are €30 and last a bit over 30 minutes. You will see them all over Market Square.
There are tons of families with small children and lots of strollers around. We were one of the many families with a stroller and besides the cobblestone streets that made it a bit wobbly it was easy to get around as there isn%26#39;t much traffic in the heart of the city.
We went back to the hotel to rest a bit and change and then went back out a bit later. Keep in mind that most restaurants aren%26#39;t open too late here. Many had their kitchens closed by 9 PM. We tried several off on the side streets and a few highly rated ones and they were closed already or there were people sitting finishing up dinner but their kitchens were closed already so if you go out keep in mind there aren%26#39;t many places open too late.
We ended up eating at La Belle Vue which was the restaurant directly on the right as you are facing the entrance of the Bell Tower. We went there because it was one of the restaurants open at the time which was a bit late. Many of these restaurants around Market Square are really expensive and the food is a bit mediocre so best to avoid for dining but a must for having a drink or eating Belgian Waffles which we did the next day. We had a Caprese salad which was ok but strange as it already had some mayonnaise dressing with it. I%26#39;ve never seen this salad prepared this way and the restaurant didn%26#39;t have Balsamic Vinegar which was also a first in my many travels around the world.
After dinner we strolled around a bit more. We really loved Market Square as it was beautiful both day and night. Again, being in the city was like a fairy tale.
The next day we woke up early and went to the markets in Market Square. They only have these there on Wednesday. I made it a special point of including a Wednesday in our stay and really I%26#39;m glad I did. If you can select your dates make sure you can be there Wednesday morning so you can see the markets at Market Square on Wednesday morning (by 1:30 PM they all clear out). It%26#39;s really great as they had stands selling fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and fish, flowers, cooked foods and other items. Definitely it was interesting seeing the contrast to when the market is there and when it%26#39;s empty.
We went on a self guided walking tour. We had a few guidebooks which were excellent. Our hotel included a walking tour with a guide but we didn%26#39;t need it as we just did it ourselves and it was easy and we had books that explained the historic significance of each building.
Then we went on a Canal cruise which was splendid. There seem to be several different companies but they all do the same route. It%26#39;s a bargain at €6.50 per person. They last about 30 minutes. We walked around to each Square and each was different in its own way. None of them compared to Market Square.
After the cruise we had lunch. We tried going to several restaurants recommended in our guidebook but several were closed on Wednesdays. Not a problem. The food looked so yummy in the Market Square with some of these vendors that we had a yummy meal there. We went to this place that sold roasted chicken/turkey/pork. It was heated already and also they had roasted potatoes/mushrooms and other vegetables.
We had chicken and the roasted potatoes and mushrooms which were all incredible delicious and really affordable as well and very fresh. I%26#39;d highly recommend it! Keep in mind there aren%26#39;t many benches and we didn%26#39;t want to bring this food to one of the cafes to sit and eat as I thought that would be rude so we waited for a bench in Market Square and ate on the bench. Also, if you do eat there keep in mind not many places have too many napkins they want to give you so you might want to have some in a bag. We had plenty as we have our baby and always carry them around. This was probably one of our best meals in Bruges so I highly recommend being there on Wednesday and hitting one of these places in Market Square.
The only thing I found a bit a bit strange in Bruges and also Amsterdam is that my wife is almost 6 months pregnant and definitely showing and not once did anyone offer to let her sit in any benches or even on the many buses we took while in Amsterdam. Even younger people that obviously could stand never offered to give up their seat in the bus or the times we were in Market Square. We wife made that comment several times. In London it was quite a contrast as just about every single time we were on the Metro or bus people offered their seat to her. Many times she didn%26#39;t accept as we were just hopping off at a station close by but not once in Amsterdam or Bruges did anyone offer this. In London, even while in the park, in Trafalgar or Leicester Square or one of the many other squares people offered to give up their seats. Just thought I%26#39;d mention that.
Later that same day I was still a bit hungry so I had a hot dog and french fries at the stand right below the Bell Tower. There was a long line so I figured they must be good. They were! I had a hot dog and french fries and they were great.
We walked around more and then we had Belgian Waffles at Grand Cafe Belfort which is in Market Square directly facing the Bell Tower. It was GREAT! We had Waffles with whipped cream and fresh strawberries and it was really great and the scenery is great. Something interesting is that none of the restaurants in Bruges allow you to order tap water. We don%26#39;t drink tap water anyway but I thought this was interesting as I heard the waiter say several times in several restaurants people had to pay for it. And one of the restaurants we were at the people next to us had brought bottled water and the waiter told them they couldn%26#39;t drink it and had to order one there. Thought this was strange but I guess such is life in a town that survives only off of tourism.
After our Belgian waffles we decided to climb the Bell Tower (Belfort). The Tower is beautiful and dates back to 1300. There are 366 steps up and keep in mind the spiral staircase is really really narrow. I heard several older tourists complaining at the bottom saying it was really tough. We had our 1 year old baby with us and my wife is 6 months pregnant. I asked her if she wanted to wait with the baby below while I went up and she said no way. She was going up! She is in great shape as she goes to the gym every morning. I carried our 1 year old with me all the way up. I had her in a Baby Bjorn carrier for safety. It wasn%26#39;t too difficult for me but almost everyone was amazed coming up and down and commented to me I was strong to do that.
The entrance is €8 for adults over 25. For people 25 and younger it%26#39;s only €4. Funny there is a sign that says you have to have ID to prove you are under 25 years old. My wife is 25 but didn%26#39;t have an ID with her but the nice lady at the entrance only charged her €4. Definitely it%26#39;s worth a climb up. Some of the passages up are narrower and you have to wait a bit to allow people to pass but if I can do it carrying a 1 year old then you can do it. The view is incredible but keep in mind that you can%26#39;t really see Market Square from the very top. There is a window part of the way up and if you want to snap a photo of Market Square it%26#39;s best to do it from there instead of the top.
We walked around some more. Lit a few candles in the Church of Our Lady and then went shopping for some chocolate at the various stores. Same yourself the time and go DIRECTLY to Dumon which is located near Market Square. The address is Eiermarkt 6. It%26#39;s just a tiny little shop but they make the chocolates fresh daily and the employees there are so very friendly. I can%26#39;t say the same about the other chocolate stores. Most of them stay very crowded and some of the employees seem a bit burned out or jaded from the tourism. Seemed strange to me as it%26#39;s the life blood of a town like this. We went to a store called %26quot;The Chocolate Line%26quot; at Simon Stevinplein 19 and my advice would be to avoid it based on my experience.
These chocolate stores don%26#39;t have the descriptions of the chocolates in English so you have to ask what kind of chocolate it is. At the Chocolate Line we asked the lady serving us what kind some were as they had some funky flavors like spicy chili/wine vinegar, etc. and we weren%26#39;t into any of those. When we asked the lady was very rude. Maybe she was just having a bad day but you can NOT act like that when you are dealing with tourists. It was so bad we just turned around and left as we didn%26#39;t want to spend money in a place that treated customers like this.
Contrasting that experience we had an excellent experience at Dumon, where the lady helping us was so very friendly. She took the time to explain the types of chocolates and also asked us what type we liked and then suggested a few varieties. She also asked where we were from and also mentioned they were listed in Rick Steve%26#39;s Bruges book and seemed to be really proud of that fact. I didn%26#39;t tell her that I had a Rick Steve%26#39;s book and that%26#39;s how I found her. The chocolates we bought there were so delicious and I%26#39;d highly recommend a visit to this chocolate shop.
We went back to our hotel as it started raining. We%26#39;ve been so lucky so far with weather and only had 2 days of rain in London and the rest was great weather. But even raining Bruges was beautiful. We went back to the hotel to get 2 large umbrellas which they provided and headed back out. We didn%26#39;t want to miss anything. We walked around so much. Bruges is such a great walking city. We spent hours and hours and hours walking around. On reflection we would probably have preferred staying 1 extra night but 2 nights/3 days should be plenty of time to see the city.
I don%26#39;t usually like to stay too much time in really small cities but by the end of our short trip I was checking out prices on apartments to buy here as my wife said she would LOVE to retire here some day. Real estate is VERY pricey here but it%26#39;s a special town. I walked by some windows to look at prices. Fairly expensive. Maybe in the future but we already own several properties around the world and not in any hurry to own more at this point. Maybe best to just visit here and the hotel we stayed at was perfect!
My wife had the munchies and believe it or not we stopped to have more Belgian waffles. This time at a place called Laurenzino which is located at Noordzandstraat 1. It%26#39;s open fairly late so if you get the munchies definitely visit it. My wife said her waffle was better than the first place we visited. I had a milkshake here and it was really good. There is no seating here. It%26#39;s one of those buy and take away type places but it was always full every time we walked by.
We went back to the hotel to change and then went out to dinner for our last meal. We had a great dinner. We headed back to the hotel and then checked out and the hotel called a taxi for us. They arrived on time at 10:30 AM and we headed to the train station. They had hourly trips back to Amsterdam. They left at :20 on the hour. This time I upgraded the tickets we already bought to first class. We paid at the window and they gave us new tickets. It was only €24 more per person to upgrade to first class. It was great as almost no one was in first class.
The ticket checkers chased several people that were in first class and didn%26#39;t have a ticket. Several tourists also didn%26#39;t know they were in 1st class. It was funny as one American with his daughter was there very comfy and then the ticket man came through and told the man he needed to go back to 2nd class. The man asked how much it would be to upgrade and it was €40 per person (or at least that is what he told the man). I can%26#39;t believe it would be almost double to buy it on the train vs. getting it at the window but that is what he told him. The man seemed upset and asked him what the difference was.
Another ticket checker pointed to 2nd class and said, 1st class is more money and look back at 2nd class. It was totally full. In fact, there were several people standing up in the passage way between trains it was so full. It was a great investment as there was almost no one in 1st class the entire way to Amsterdam and plenty of room as we had our baby.
We arrived in Amsterdam and already missing Bruges. It was a great trip and I%26#39;d highly recommend it for anyone in Amsterdam wanting to take a side trip.
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