A weekend break in Bruges, Belgium

We spent last weekend in the beautiful fairytale Belgian city of Bruges. I say fairytale because wandering around Bruges especially at night makes you feel like you are in the middle of a film set. Our home for two nights was the Flanders Hotel on Langestraat, the hotel is easy to find, has its own parking, nice rooms, good breakfast, a nice bar and for Bruges which is quite expensive offers good value for money. To top all of that, it is only a short walk to all of the main attractions in Bruges.

Flanders Hotel

The starting point for most people's visit to Bruges is the city's main square, the Markt, an impressive open space lined with 17th century houses and overlooked by the Belfort on one side. In the eastern side of the square you'll find the Neo-Gothic Provincial Hof which denotes Bruges's status as the capital of the Province of West Vlaanderen.

The Belfort

The Belfort is an octagonal bell tower that rises to a height of 83m, it dominates the Markt and is a major tourist attraction. If you fancy climbing the tower try and get there when it opens at 9.30am as there tends to be queues throughout the day. Inside 366 steps take you to the roof and some great views over the city. If you've seen the movie "In Bruges" with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson you'll remember the role that the Belfort plays, if not its worth watching the film, as you'll see some great footage of the city.

The Markt

The wonderful thing about Bruges is that so long as you have a city map in your hand, it is really hard to get lost. As impressive as the Markt is, take the time to wander beyond this central square to explore more of the city and escape the expensive restaurants that line the permiter of the square.

St-Salvatorkathedraal

Onthaalkerk Onze-Lieve-Vrouw

The city's skyline is littered with the towers of many churches, perhaps the most impressive is the Onthaalkerk Onze-Lieve-Vrow. The area around this impressive edifice is gorgeous as you'll see in the photo below. One of the church's artistic highlights is Michaelangelo's 1505 sculpture, Madonna and Child, located at the end of the southern aisle. Imported by a flemish merchant, this was the only one of the artist's works to leave Italy during his lifetime.

The canals of Bruges play an important role in city life and are a popular way to see the city, however like when visiting the Belfort be ready to queue if its a busy day during high season.

One area definitely worth visiting is the Bruges Begijnhof, entered via an 18the century gatehouse at the end of a bridge which runs over the canal, this is an area of quiet tree-lined paths faced by white, gables houses. The nuns who live in these houses are Benedictine sisters who moved here originally in the 1830s.

Entrance to the Begijnhof

Inside the Begijnhof

Just south of the Begijnhof, you'll find the Minnewater, a lovely park with a lake. Apparently Minnewater is often referred to as the Lake of Love, so if you are looking for a romantic spot, look no further !

Minnewater

Between us we took over 200 photos in just two days and as I'm typing this blogpost, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to choose which ones to use and where to stop. Hopefully by now if you've taken the time to read our post on Bruges you'll have seen what a wonderful place to visit this city is. Time for some more photos...

Burg

Vismarkt - Fish market

So by now you've seen some of the beautiful attractions of Bruges, what about places to eat an drink. We were recommended by friends who own The Townhouse B&B in Bruges, Bistro Christophe on Garenmarkt. We had a lovely meal and in turn would recommend it too with an additional recommendation to book a table, especially on Saturday night. On our second evening in Bruges we came across by chance a restaurant called Maria van Bourgondië, it offers a more traditional style of cooking that Bistro Christophe, great food and very good service. You'll find it on Guido Gezelleplein.

Walplein

Punta Est

Three final tips for places to eat and drink; Walplein, if you are looking for somewhere to have lunch on a nice sunny day, this is the spot, it is very close to Begijnhof. A great place to relax your feet after a day walking round Bruges is Punta Est on Predikherenre and finally if you like a nice glass of wine, check out Wijnbar Est on Braambergstraat.

I hope you'll have got a sense of what a fabulous destination Bruges is for a short break. With the cities of Ghent,  Antwerp and Brussels close by you could even use the city as a base to visit more of this part of Belgium. If I had to pick out some negatives, be warned it can be expensive, we paid €18 for a coffee, a tea and a slice of apple pie on a tearoom/restaurant on the Burg. In some restaurants the service can be below average, if you come across a waiter called Frederic in Mozarthuys on Huidenvettersplein don't expect to get a smile from him. All that aside, we had a fantastic time in Bruges, a very special city, one not to miss.

Antwerp the capital of Flanders, Belgium

Antwerp is renowned as being the diamond capital of the world. It is the second largest city and municipality in Belgium as well as the capital of Flanders. This cosmopolitan, down to earth city is full of fascinating architecture and historical institutions. 

The city has always held an important place in the Benelux economic union. It is located on the banks of the river Scheldt and is borderd by the countries of the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. Next to being the second largest city, it is also the second largest port in Europe, behind Rotterdam and is one  of the 10 largest ports in the world.

Entering the beautiful Grote Markt

The trademark cobbled streets of the historic centre, excellant bars and restaurants and great shops mean that there is pleanty to do and see in Antwerp. Whether you simply want to enjoy wandering around the beautiful old centre, shop to you drop or taste the many flavours of Belgian beers, Antwerp is well worth a visit. Be warned, if you choose the beer option, some brews are very strong, so watch out!

In front of the City Hall

The only downside about Antwerp is the traffic, during peak times midweek you can literally sit for hours and even on a busy Saturday, getting out of the city can be a pain in the neck. If you are visiting the city there is a carpark on Oude Vaartplats 2, 2000, Antwerpen which is close to the main shopping area and a few minutes walk from the historic centre. During the week, try and avoid peak times and at the weekend, try and arrive early morning if you want to get a parking space.

Het Steen (The Stone)

If someone asked me how long would I suggest staying in Anwerp, I'd suggest that you can get a good feeling for the city in a day with an overnight break. Ghent, Bruges and Brussels are all relatively close so there is plenty more to see without having to travel too far.

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal

Eco-friendly city tour

Enjoy the Belgian capital of Brussels

We visited Brussels in May 2010 for a short overnight break and stayed at the glamorous art deco Hotel Metropole which is only a 10 minute walk from Grand Place. The hotel itself is spectacular, the lift is a bit rickety and not for the faint hearted.

Inside the Hotel Metropole

As we were again lucky with the weather we spent our time outside rather than visit any of the many museums and galleries that Brussels has to offer. Without doubt my favourite place in Brussels is Grand Place especially on a beautiful sunny day. Grand Place is the city's central square surrounded by Guildhalls, the City Hall and the Bread House. For tourists this is the place that they flock to in their thousands for one simple reason, the buildings by day or by night are beautiful.

Entering Grand Place by Le Roy D'Espagne

There are plenty of places to eat and drink around Grand Place however for to try one of Belgium's many beers check out the Le Roy D'Espagne, built in 1697, was originally the House of the Baker’s guild. The name is due to the bust of Charles II which decorates the façade on the second floor. In 1697 Charles II was the King of Spain and the sovereign of the Southern Netherlands, which included the present day Belgium. On the ground floor, above the entrance, watches Saint-Aubertus, the Patron Saint of the bakers. The house, which suffered much damage during the French Revolution, was renovated to its original state in 1902 under the direction of the Mayor of Brussels, Charles Buls. After having been a café and a hardware store of which the first balcony remains, the house regained its vocation as a café in 1952.

Inside Le Roy D'Espagne

Perhaps the second or some might say the most famous landmark in Brussels is the Manneken Pis. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. He has his own wardrobe of clothing and depending on the event in question the City of Brussels clothes him accordingly. The famous statue is located at the junction of Rue de l'Étuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chêne/Eikstraat. To find it, take the left lane next to the Brussels Townhall from the famous Grand Place and walk a few hundred metres to arrive at the spot. The statue will be on the left corner. The figure has been repeatedly stolen; the current statue is a copy from 1965. The original is kept at the Maison du Roi/Broodhuis on the Grand Place.

Galerie de la Reina

Manneken Pis

That's about it from Brussels, next stop Ireland....

Ghent, capital city of East Flanders, Belgium

There's only one word to describe Ghent and that is gorgeous. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it. Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe. Today it is a busy city with a port and a university. 

Graslei and Korenlei

As a tourist destination, the city of Ghent has long been overshadowed by its neighbour, Bruges. In our opinion Ghent is just attractive to visit if not more. In fact, the best option is to visit both and decide for yourself. This can easily be done over a long weekend as neither city is too big to enjoy in a relatively short period of time. The main sites in Ghent include; the Design Museum, Graslei and St-Baafskathedraal.

St-Baafskathedraal

The Design Museum is housed in an 18th century mansion and covers art and design from the 1600s through to the present. Graslei is one of Ghent's most beautiful streets, overlooking the River Leie on the site of the city's medieval harbour. It is lined with perfectly preserved guildhouses, some of which date back as far as the 12th century. This is a wonderful spot to enjoy a drink on a sunny day. St-Baafskathedraal dates from the 12th century. Built in several phases, it represents every phase of Gothic style. The main attraction here is van Eyck's polyptych Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, which you'll find in a side chapel.

Het Gravensteen

Once the seat of the counts of Flanders, Het Gravensteen or the Castle of the Counts, recalls the violent context of Ghent's medieval past. Until the 14th century the castle was Ghent's main military stronghold. These days it hosts an exhibition of medieval torture instruments. 

Visi to Ghent with Susy's Mum, April 2011

Ghent is a wonderful destination for a short relaxed break, plenty to do and see, you can wander round the city without needing to use public transport. If luck is with you and the sun shines, be sure and hop on one of the canal trips, its a great way to see the city. The guides normally speak at least four languages of which one is obviously English. The photos below should give you an idea of what lies ahead.

Our top tip if you plan to visit Ghent is the Marriott hotel, Korenlai 10, 9000 Ghent. Why? Two reasons, it has it's own underground carpark and when you walk out the back entrance you are right in the middle of the old town.  The view that greets you is beautiful, it doesn't get much better than this. If you enjoyed seeing some of Ghent, take a look at Bruges by clicking the following link: visit Bruges