January 16, 2022

Bruges Travel Guide: Exploring Medieval Charms

If you are planning a trip to Bruges, Belgium, enjoying the amazing beers produced in the region may be on the top of your list – it certainly was for us! After spending several day in the city, though, we found that Bruges offers so much for visitors even if beer isn’t your thing!

COVID-19 Note: We visited Bruges during the pandemic which impacted out trip planning. At this time negative tests were still required to return to the US so we took many precautions. We tried to do the majority of our eating and drinking in open air/outdoor settings and mask wearing was common.

History Everywhere

Walking the streets and squares of Bruges, you are surrounded with history everywhere. With buildings dating back to the 12th century and a medieval city center that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you are transported back in time as you explore. Bruges is very walkable and you can easily explore all the main sites on foot. We opted to start our time in the city with a small group guided walking tour. This is something we always love doing to get a taste of the city from a local and we’d recommend fitting one in to your Bruges trip planning! We did this tour through Airbnb (there were many options available) and ours included stops to sample waffles, chocolates, and beer!

There are so many sites to see – these were some of our favorite:

Basilica Of The Holy Blood – This minor Roman Catholic basilica was built during the 12th century with that piece of the chapel still remaining. One of the main draws of visitors to the basilica is the unique Holy Blood relic which is a a piece of cloth that presumably contains the blood of Jesus Christ. This is only on display during certain periods of time, but the basilica is open for visitors more regularly (more information can be found on their website here). Given that this is a basilica, please keep in mind to dress respectfully while visiting.
Grand Palace Market Square – Surrounded by historic gothic buildings and lined with bars and restaurants, the Grand Palace market square is a great place to explore and grab a bite to eat. Given the central location, this tends to be a meeting spot for tours and a nice reference to where you are while wandering the city. We visited during December and there was a small Christmas market setup which we enjoyed going through.
Belfry of Bruges – Built in the 15th century, this medieval bell tower is the highlight of the Grand Palace market square. You can hear its bells from around the city and you can even climb the tower.
Church of our Lady – The tallest structure in the city including the third tallest brickwork tower in the world, this church was built throughout the 13th-15th centuries and is an amazing Gothic style structure.
Canals & Bridges – With picturesque canals and bridges winding through the city, Bruges is known as the Venice of the North. Many of the city’s pubs and restaurants are situated along the canals for great views. There are also boat tours available to further explore the canals. While exploring the city, make sure to checkout the medieval city gates to the city including Kruispoort which is the most reserved one – complete with a drawbridge over the water!

Enough History, Let’s Get To The Beer!

We are beer geeks and especially love Belgian beer, so much of our trip planning for Bruges was around exploring the local beer culture. There are endless options throughout the city that offer impressively long bottle and draft lists – you really can’t go wrong wherever you stop!

Fun Fact: Each brand of Belgian beer has a specialized glass that goes with it. Most bars carry all the glasses for the beers that they serve and they will even let you know if they don’t have the right glass available. It certainly adds to the overall experience and it’s fun to try a wide variety of glasses!

Here are some highlights that we’d recommend checking out:

De Garre – A stop here for their famous Tripel (I consider it the best one in the world) was at the top of our list. Along with this Tripel the pub offers a unique variety of beers and also serves up local cheese with each beer order. The trick is actually finding your way there as it’s rather hidden – we used the directions and photos from here and it still took us a few tries to get there!
De Halve Maan – This is Bruges’ main brewery which offers tours and a large taproom as well as food. We really enjoyed the tour through the historic facility including views of the entire city from their rooftop. You can learn more about visiting the brewery and booking a tour here.
2be Beer Wall – If you’re looking for Instagram worthy shots and beers next to the canal, this is the spot to be! The beer wall itself offers an impressive display of thousands of Belgian beer bottles and glasses all integrated into the walls of the pub. After picking up your beer at the bar, you can enjoy views of boats passing by in the canal that lines the attached patio.
Duvelorium Grand Beer Café – This beer café is themed around the iconic Duvel brand and offers a variety of specialty Duvel variations along with other related offerings. Best of all it has a balcony patio with amazing views overlooking the Grand Palace market square! The location is integrated in with the Historium museum but you don’t need to pay admission to go to the café.
Bruges Beer Experience – This is another location that offers an interactive and experience and museum, but we choose to just visit the bar location. We planned for this to just be a quick stop, but really enjoyed our experience there. What made it unique is that you could choose to purchase a certain number of samples at a reasonable price and then explore different options in sample sizes vs full pours. This was one of the few locations we found that did this type of serving.
Bourgogne des Flandres – Offering a historic brewery feel with some modern twists, this small brewery is situated right on a canal and gives you great views while enjoying their offerings.