A Day Trip to Bruges, Belgium
On a recent trip to Brussels, I took a day trip to Bruges, which was the most charming town I think I’ve ever seen. When you think fairytale town, this is probably what you see. Although I only had a day, I explored a lot, so I hope you enjoy my itinerary for a day trip to Bruges, Belgium.
Arrival: If you have already read my Amsterdam blog post, you’ll know I love the European train system. And my trip from Brussels to Bruges was even easier. It was a 40ish-minute ride on the Intercity train. I used Omio to book this, and the app was super easy to manage my tickets. The price was $45 round-trip. *Pro Tip: make sure you get the station early to figure out what platform you are on, as I almost missed my train for this reason. I couldn’t figure out the platform, because they show the final destination for the train, which I did not know.
Morning: Breakfast and Grand Place/Market Square
From the train station, it was about a 15-minute walk to the city center, so I made my way through picturesque scenery and side streets to get to my first stop, Otto Waffle Atelier. The gluten-free Belgian waffle and hot chocolate were the perfect start to my solo day trip to Bruges. After this, I met up with another solo traveler whom I met earlier in the week at a chocolate-making class in Brussels.
Bruges City Hall
Price: 8 Euro
Once I met up with my friend, we explored the Market Square and the De Burg, a smaller nearby plaza. We first went into the Bruges City Hall (Stadhuis Brugge) to learn about the city’s history. Bruges used to be a major trading hub, thanks to its thriving waterways, but once they started silting up in the 15th century, things changed.
Belfort
Price: 15 Euros
Next up, we headed to our timed entry for the Belfort. The 800-year-old tower (which is older than the Tower of Pisa, Big Ben, or the Eiffel Tower) has 366 stairs to the top. This was a fun, if very close-quartered, activity. If you are claustrophobic, get dizzy easily, or have mobility issues, you may want to skip this attraction. That being said, everyone was very respectful with navigating the stairs, and there were areas to take breaks. The views at the top were worth the climb, and hearing the bells up close was so cool!
Lunch and Canals
All those steps made me hungry, so we stopped at Vero Caffe for a leisurely outdoor bite. The gluten-free bread was delicious for my toast, and my friend said his (not gf) cake was tasty. As we wandered between stops, the adorable streets and canals everywhere were almost too cute. I was getting cuteness overload, if you can believe it! If you are interested, there are canal boat tours here. I had just done a canal tour in Amsterdam a few days prior, so opted out, but they are very popular here.
Afternoon: Windmills and Michelangelo
After lunch, we walked about 15 minutes to Sint-Janshuismolen, a still-operational windmill from the 1700s. It wasn’t open when we visited, but it was still cool to see and take some photos. There are 3 other windmills nearby and a walking path by the water, if you want to extend your exploration in this area.
Museum of the Church of Our Lady
Price: 8 Euro
The last stop on my day trip to Bruges was to the Museum of the Church of Our Lady (O.L.V.-kerk Museum). The main reason I wanted to visit was to see the Michelangelo sculpture, Madonna and Child. But the church was gorgeous beyond that one piece. If you enjoy visiting grand churches, this should definitely go on your list.
Boniface Bridge
Right behind the museum is an Instagram-worthy setting that I have to mention, the Boniface Bridge (Bonifaciusbrug). If you want some awesome photos, get there early and be patient. If you’re travelling solo, ask someone else who looks solo, and you can help each other out. Sometimes the perfect shot is worth the wait!
One stop that I didn’t get any photos of was the chocolate shops! There are so many, and it’s probably good there isn’t photo evidence of the insane amount of chocolate I bought. While there are other souvenirs to buy here, I only bought chocolates as my gifts to bring back for myself and others. I bought from Dumon Chocolatier and Depla Chocolatier. But I hope my itinerary for my day trip to Bruges inspired you to visit, and if you go, let me know what you do!
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