Bruges, also called Brugge, is the mini Venice of Belgium with cobbled streets, narrow lanes, medieval architectures, museums, 700+ year history, million dollar houses and canals that run through the streets making it a town that could be ventured through a boat. Being a canal town, the Bruges is illuminated at night with yellow lightings on Cathedrals, canals and all major streets.
It is a small, pristine and serene town that connects Western Belgium to the English Channel through canals that runs for approximately 20kms from Bruges before it touches the channel. This is a popular tourist place that attracts people across seasons.
How to reach Bruges
Bruges can be easily reached by train from Brussels, Antwerp and other major cities. The nearest city to Bruges is Ghent, which is an industrial area cum educational institutions. From Bruges, it takes around 90 minutes to reach Antwerp and approximately similar time to reach the capital city of Brussels. If one is in Antwerpen or Brussels, it takes around 16 – 20 Euros by train to come to Bruges. It is strange that the pricing varies depending on so many factors such as weekdays, weekends, seasonal holidays and more.
Alternately, if one is coming from a neighboring country such as Netherlands, France, Luxemborough, Germany or England, or basically from outside of Belgium, then one may choose either the air route or the train route. Europe houses some of the cheapest airlines that one can not imagine. Yes. Depending on how early one books the tickets, one may as well buy the tickets for as low as Euro 15 to Euro 20 to travel from one country to another within Europe. Weird, but true.
If one chooses train, there are inter-country trains that travel across Europe, however, it will be more time-consuming than air travel. If you take this inter-country train, one will have to get down at either Antwerp or Brussels and switch to a local train in order to reach Bruges.
Pro-tip: Note that these inter-country trains in Europe have different route and operated by a different company altogether. The tickets you buy for inter-country travel will not be accepted by local trains within a specific country. Every country in Europe has its own local rail network that takes you from one city to the other within the country. You need to buy separate tickets for intra-country travel.
Things to see and explore in a day in Bruges
The Cathedral
Yes. Europe is full of Castles and Cathedrals. Bruges too has a medieval period cathedral called St. Salvator’s Cathedral, or Sint-Salvatorskathedraal which is well-maintained and open for public from morning until evening.
This cathedral is the main cathedral in Bruges, located in the heart of the town. Originally a 12th-century parish church, it was elevated to cathedral status in the 19th century. The cathedral showcases a blend of Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles, with a striking 99-meter-high west tower designed by Robert Chantrell. Inside, visitors can see medieval tombs, Brussels tapestries, and a collection of Flemish paintings.
Similar to how the South Indian temples are surrounding by four car streets or Maada Veedhi located covering the four directions outside the main walls of the temple, that is visited by the deity’s Urchavamoorthy during festival days in chariot, one could draw parallel to this Cathedral where the four sides of this Cathedral, which essentially forms the streets and town of Bruges, are named as Quarters. However, it is not the Cathedral alone that attracts everyone. In fact, one may find it interesting to see the narrow lanes, the bustling town formed surrounding the Cathedral with shops, museums and eateries make it lively. The cobbled streets and the horse rides across the town makes it even more realistic that it takes us to the medieval period.
The Torture Museum
One of the down town attractions that one wouldn’t find easily is the Torture Museum, Oude Steen. This is because its facade is deceptively narrow and attached to other buildings on either side that one would easily overlook this spot. As the name suggests, this place is not a visual treat for the tourists. It reflects one of the dark ages of humanity highlighting the several methods that had been incorporated by these localites to punish prisoners. This old cellar is originally a medieval prison which was later converted into to a Museum with real-life wax statues of men and instruments depicting the extent of horror these people were able to unleash on fellow humans. That’s exactly what this museum is about. The Torture Museum Oude Steen is in the historic center of Bruges and was once the city’s oldest prison during the early Middle Ages.
Additionally, being a Cellar, it is located in a basement setup with narrow footsteps taking us to the cellar. It costs 8 to 10 Euro to explore this Museum. The ticket pricing varies for kids, students, adults and for family. The Museum is open from 10 AM to 6 PM daily. For more information and online booking you can visit their official website.
Do not miss the famous Boat Ride
Bruges is a small and beautiful town that carries canals running across its length and breadth. These canals cover all major destinations of the town including the Cathedral, certain museums, residences, parks and more. Bruges offers guided boat rides across the canala that literall gives you an opportunity to know more about the medieval architecture, the kinds of people who lived there, the weird taxes that were levied earlier and more history about various buildings
Do not miss this.
Take a stroll through the cobbled streets
View points from within the town
The gardens and charming houses of The Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde
This is a place located in the southeastern part of the town. This was founded in 13th century originally for women who were not officially nuns but wanted to live a celebate life. These women did not take any religious vows as in the case of nuns. This particular community of women were called the community of Beguinage. The Beguinage is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and features charming white houses surrounding a tranquil courtyard garden.
Even today, it is inhabited by nuns from the Order of Saint Benedict and single women seeking a peaceful lifestyle. The site includes a Gothic beguinage church and a museum showcasing 17th- and 18th-century furniture and lacework. It’s a beautiful place to visit and offers a glimpse into the history and culture of Bruges. While there is history, there isn’t much to see or explore in this place. It is this nun community that still lives in this place which is well-maintained. The site also carries a 18th century museum showcasing furniture and laceworks.
Additional information for budget travelers
It did not seem as a must visit place for a tourist looking for covering Bruges in budget, eyeing on only the most sought after, popular and not so popular destinations that would create memories and would be worth every penny. By the way, there are several other places like this throughout Bruges that would give an immersive experience of its medieval history. Also, there are special music shows by artists such as Harp. In my opinion, Bruges cathedral pretty well covers the medieval architecture and all that one would want to experience in terms of knowing the place and . If one is interested in medieval architecture, its history and story behind the structures, then, Yes, Bruges can be seen differently in their eyes. However, as a budget traveler who doesn’t want to spend more than 80 Euros to cover this pristine place,
Pro-tips and useful information for travelers
Do not stay; make it a day in Bruges
If you are on a budget travel say within Euro 80 to 100, then, do not worry about stays; a day is absolutely sufficient to cover Bruges. By not staying, you easily save Euro 150 to 300 that would have otherwise be gone for a single night stay.
Remember. Bruges shuts down by 7 PM.
This means that all the glittering shops gets closed, the streets turn empty and even finding a vehicle in these cobbled streets would become a rare sight as it gets dark at Bruges. One would only find certain restaurants and pubs open post 7 PM.
For strict vegetarians on a budget travel
By strict vegetarians, I mean those who would not eat in multi-cuisine environments. i.e. one wouldn’t eat in a restaurant that serves both vegetarian and meat dishes. Apparently, I could find only one Punjabi restaurant that offers pure vegetarian dishes. It costed Euro 50 for a Roti curry. So, you may want to decide whether to spend 50 Euros on a maida bread or use it to explore Bruges more efficiently to cover the boat ride, visit to torture museum and your entire to and fro train travel from Antwerpen to Bruges in the same amount. The decision is based on how much we want to spend. Better to carry some take-aways before you come to Bruges if you are a strict vegetarian. For others, you have so many options in various budgets.
In conclusion, Bruges can be covered in less than Euro 75 if one smartly packs one’s own food and makes it a day trip instead of opting for stay.