Yesterday, I went to Bruges in Belgium after the lockdown for almost 3,5 months. From Brussels to Bruges, by train, the trip is relatively not too long, just 53 minutes. This is probably my favorite city in Belgium, I already visited it many times and I am now able to guide tourist or friends. I received a lot of friends from Indonesia that want to visit Belgium and specially Bruges.
Just a short info about the spelling: in French, you need to write “Bruges” while in Dutch this “Brugge”, important to know if you want to find information about this nice city. I want to highlight this short description made 100 years ago in the “Guide to Belgium and the Western Front” by Muirhead, and I think it’s still valid today:
“The beauty of its buildings gives Bruges a high place among those European towns that have preserved their medieval aspect, and it is renowned for the wealth of its art treasures, which include several masterpieces of Flemish painting. More than fifty bridges (from which the name of the town is derived) span the various canals; and rows of gabled houses, mirrored in calm water, afford many charming perspectives. Some of the picturesque buildings prove, on closer approach, to be modern antiques in a style of somewhat facile quaintness; but enough of the older mansions remain to carry the traveler back in imagination to the age of the Counts of Flanders and the Burgundian dukes.“
Bruges or Brugge is also known as the “Little Venice”. The historic city center is a prominent “World Heritage Site of UNESCO”. With beautiful buildings and Flemish houses along the canal, more than two million tourist visit Bruges every year.
You can find a lot of tourist attractions in this city, and you can discover its beauty by boat and Horse Drawn Carriage Tours. This is the right place to drink Belgian beers and to eat mussels and Belgian fries.
Unfortunately, during my visit some shops, restaurants and boat tours were still closed. Museums and tourist attractions we already opened and a lot of visitors enjoyed the summer in this amazing city. Wearing a mask is mandatory when you travel with public transport and in the boat or horse-drawn carriage tours. I want to share with you some of the pictures I took.
Lake of Love (Minnewater)
Begijnhof (Béguinage)
Outside view of Sint-Janshospitaal (Museum)
Church of Our Lady
Gruuthusemuseum Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk
Rozenhoedkaai. Mask mandatory!
Basilica of the “Holy Blood”
“Grote Markt” or just “Markt”
Belfry of Bruges – (Belfort van Brugge or Halletoren)
Sint-Janshuismolen
