So, it turns out that 24hours is a bit short to see the beauties of Bruges.
The capital and largest city of the Flemish region of Belgium, it’s set in the northwest and often dubbed ‘The Venice of the North’.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city’s old heart is a charming fairy-tale like city dating back to 1128. With a chequered history, it went from being strategic crossroads to home of the court in the 15th century and cultural hub to being almost abandoned, and finally born-again as the European Capital of Culture in 2002.
There’s no doubt the city has real authentic charm. Its medieval architecture, almost untouched, or rather brilliantly renovated, means a wander in Bruges is like taking a stroll back in time, with extra romance supplied thanks to the pretty canals.
Arriving late on a Thursday evening, it seemed the lights were out and there was no one home – all over town. Despite the dark, it was quite fairy-tale like, and we were instantly smitten with the romance of its bridges, waterways and multitude of twinkling fairy lights.
Arriving at our hotel, Die Swaene, after some confusion about where to park and enter the building, the gentleman on reception gave us the lowdown on the building, including a quick peek at the sumptuous salons where a couple of Russian tourists were cosily ensconced by the fireplace. He had another surprise up his sleeve: a pool area, complete with bamboo wall and sauna! After an extensive brief about the city’s attractions, we enquired as to where to find a nightcap, whence he chuckled saying ‘I think everyone has gone to bed. It’s only 9 but feels like 11.’ Bruges is not quite rock’n’roll!
Undaunted we set out to find a little nightlife. We walked the empty cobbled streets, quite taken with the city’s beauty, until we found Hof van Rembrant on Eiermarkt, off near the main ‘Grote markt’ market square, to sip a pint of Jupiler by the fireplace. Surrounded by English, Dutch and French, the crowd is definitely cosmopolitan and the cosy décor gives the entire place a warm, welcoming vibe.
The next morning, over our croissant and coffee in the hotel’s ‘winter garden’ we debated how best to spend time. There was the small matter of chocolate shops and shopping, but also the long list of attractions the receptionist had given us the night before, from the fish market, to the boat tour, the Groeninge museum where we could catch the very fine collection of medieval and early modern art, including the world-famous Flemish primitives collection, the Dali expo, the Arents House Brangyn collection and there was also something about a brewery visit, where one could sample the local beers! It would be rude not to try the Brugse Zot and Brugse Straffe Hendrik where are still brewed in the city at the Halve Maan Brewery…
What to do?
Clearly 24hours was not going to be enough, especially as we’d already ‘wasted’ 10 of those asleep. Though, with a toddler at home, any time banked asleep was a bonus.
We grappled with the idea of visiting the Choco-Museum and decided to sample the city’s famous chocolate offering by popping into every other chocolate shop we came across. That took quite some time, but worth every minute. Chocolate fiends will love the fact that Bruge’s streets are lined with chocolate boutiques all flaunting everything from handmade fancy pieces to animal shapes and ordinary or exotic slabs of the good stuff.
No need to visit the Frietmuseum all about the famous Belgian fries, after all, lunch could take care of that….
The best thing to do with our precious time was wander the streets and soak up the unique atmosphere. The buildings are all bewitching, from Our Lady’s tall church spires to the 13th century Belfry with its 48 bell carillon which chimes daintily, to the impressive, colossal castle like City Hall on Burg square. Every which way you turn there is something to catch they eye and seduce you, from the red rooftops to waterways and the Beguinage convent.
With a firm plan to not have a plan– a rare treat these days, we amble, getting in the cobbled streets, following our instincts, peering into the many intricate lace boutiques and eventually stopping a the cosy lunch by the fire Dell’Arte (which did contain fries of course) on Vlamingstraat.
Luckily for us, although it was fresh, the sun was out bathing the fortified town in glorious light. It’s easy to see why all those painters set up home here. Next time, we promise to go and see their work. Perhaps we’ll even stay a bit longer and sample the home-made beer too?
Where to Stay
Small Luxury Hotels of the World offers rooms at Die Swaene from £170 B&B based on two people sharing www.slh.com
Eurostar offers return fares to Bruges from just £79 with their Any Belgian station ticket. Eurostar also offers connecting fares from more than 200 stations in the UK. For more information or to book, visit eurostar.com or call 03432 186 186. With one easy connection, passengers will reach Bruges in under three and a half hours from London St Pancras International.