Looking for the best places to visit in Bruges? I’ve been there, walked the cobbled streets, eaten the waffles, climbed the towers (well, tried), and squeezed in as much as humanly possible—so you don’t have to. My guide includes only the best spots and no tourist traps (well, maybe one or two, but at least I’ll warn you and explain why I mention them).
Bruges—aka Brugge if you're feeling Flemish—is tiny, flat, and ridiculously scenic. And super crowded with tourists. The entire historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and everything you’ll want to see is packed into a walkable 3x2 km loop.
That means you can visit the Bruges Belfry, sip beer at De Halve Maan, float past medieval buildings on a Brugescanal tour, and even catch a glimpse of Michelangelo’s work in the Church of Our Lady—all in one day, if you plan it right.
This article covers the top Bruges attractions, fun things to do, and hidden gems, based on real experience.
Start with the quick list below or keep scrolling to dive into what to visit in Bruges—and what you can skip.
Read more from my Belgium travel blog.
So, what are the top things to do in Bruges, based on my own experience? (Take a look at my 1-day Bruges itinerary if you’re looking for a step-by-step plan)
Left: Smell some hops and become a beer expert! Right: Taste some beer and become a beer expert! @ Bruges Beer Experience
I love beer, but I promise I’m being objective when I put two beer tours as my top two things to do in Bruges. They really are that great!
The Bruges Beer Experience is self-guided, fabulously interactive, and fun. We got a tablet and headphones and took 3 hours to walk through—and never once was I bored It does an excellent job telling you the story of beer, its history, production, and how it was perceived in different countries. There is even a kid’s version available.
We learned about the incredible number of beer types, leading to an entirely different beer culture in Belgium. The beer in Belgium is what wine is in other countries—a high-end beverage that gets paired with chocolates, cheeses and Michelin restaurant dishes! Now that’s my type of dining!
At the end of the tour, we did a tasting of 3 (strong!) beers.
My idea of interior decorating
The unfiltered Brugse Zot, the beer pipe and part of the brewery tour
De Halve Mann (“The Half Moon”) is the only brewery that has managed to stay in central Bruges—everyone else moved their production of town. As such, it is in a historical building with historical building smells, narrow winding staircases, and old production secrets waiting to be told.
We took a 45-minute tour through the brewery to learn some of them. Interestingly, the Halve Maan brewery built a separate bottling plant 3 km away—and so they had to get creative. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Our guide was entertaining and informative at the same time. The tour ends on the brewery roof where you get not only a free beer, but a fantastic view of Bruges, and—you guessed it (if you read the previous item on the list)—the Belfry.
The unfiltered Brugse Zot can only be bought at De Halve Maan brewery. It was fab.
There’s a gift shop and restaurant on site as well.
Book in advance. There are 4 English language tours per day.
In 2016, thanks to crowdsourcing, a one-of-a-kind, 3.2 km (2 miles) beer pipeline connecting the brewery and the bottling plant was built. You can see the pipeline at the entrance to the brewery.
The views from the brewery rooftop
Buy your tickets to the Belfry in advance! They were sold out when we visited and we didn't get to go up.
When you visit the Belfry in Bruges, you’ll need to walk up 366 stairs, but you’ll be rewarded with views of Bruges and beyond. I can imagine it’s stunning… You don’t want to miss this highlight of Bruges… but I did! It's one of the most iconic answers to the question, 'Bruges: what to visit first?'
Tickets sell out fast, so make sure to buy them in advance and then be there for your time slot! I, unfortunately, wasn’t so lucky and had to just stare at it from Grote Markt.
You can break up your trek up the tower in the treasury and then the carillon, which has a total of 47 bells.
Make sure you hear the bells play on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11 am–12 pm. And in the summer (June to September), they have an extra evening show on Mondays and Wednesdays around 8–9 pm.
The outside of the basilica is more interesting than the inside. I’m not even going to mention the stained cloth that is supposedly holy.
I found the Basilica of the Holy Blood interesting mainly because it’s unlike any other church I’ve ever visited—it’s not free-standing. It’s unique because it’s built into the corner of the Burg Square, attached to what used to be the old residence of the Count of Flanders.
It’s small, but it has a big claim to fame—it holds a relic (a piece of cloth) that has Jesus’ blood smeared on it. Or so they say.
The basilica itself has two stories, but to be honest, it’s actually more beautiful from the outside.
You can come see the holy blood cloth that is housed in an ornate glass vial for free dailyfrom 2 pm to 4 pm. Additionally, on Fridays (and the first Sunday of the month), there's an extra morning session from 10:15 am to 11:00 am.
Fun fact: The blood used liquefy every Friday (or so they believe)...until it stopped and now it’s just a speck in a vial.
I’m not lying when I say that the tower is high @ Church of Our Lady Bruges
There are many churches in Bruges, but to me, they all start looking the same after the third one. Here are the ones that stood out to me when I visited Bruges:
The Church of Our Lady Bruges has an incredibly high tower—you can’t miss it. Inside, you get medieval vibes, the only original Michelangelo statue outside of Italy, and various art pieces that also have English signage. There are also tombs you can visit.
Just your typical carousel @ Sint-Walburgakerk. No living creatures allowed.
There’s the Sint-Salvatorskathedraal, which is nice, very large, and honestly feels a bit empty inside. I can imagine it’s impressive if you catch an organ concert.
The Heilige Magdalenakerk is nice, tucked in a quiet park near the canals—more peaceful than impressive.
The Sint-Walburgakerk is nice in that brooding, baroque kind of way, and bonus: it has a bizarre skull-covered white carousel thing outside.
Grote Markt delightfulness
Some of the must-do places to visit in Bruges are the city’s squares and colorful buildings. Get transported back in time and admire the fairytale architecture in Bruges, sometimes dating back to the 13th century.
The Grote Markt, or Market Square, is the one you’ll spend the most time on… as does every other tourist in Bruges. It gets crowded. The very obvious stand-out on Grote Markt is the Belfry—a medieval bell tower. You can’t miss it, unless you don’t look up (I’ve already described it in detail above).
Get yours @ Otto Waffle Atelier and be ready to smile!
Watch out for tourist trap restaurants on Grote Markt. One place you shouldn’t miss is my favorite waffle place in Bruges, Otto Waffle Atelier.
Burg Square is just a few steps away from Grote Markt.
Lined with more fantastic buildings and home to the Basilica of the Holy Blood and the Bruges City Hall.
Can’t you just feel the powerful energy of the Gothic Hall?
The Bruges City Hall is one of the oldest in the Benelux countries. You can admire its gothic-ness inside and out—there is a museum in the City Hall with original artifacts and paintings depicting the history of Bruges. There are life-size portraits of important people–even Napoleon, and the Gothic Hall on the first floor is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Right on the Grote Markt is a unique place to visit in Bruges—the Historium. This VR tour throws you into medieval Bruges, which was one of the most prosperous European cities at that time. It’s immersive, that’s for sure, sometimes even too much if you don’t like heights!
After some 8 minutes of VR, you continue with just video and audio with a creative story told by fictional characters. It’s fun, it’s high-tech. A great thing to do in Bruges if it’s raining (like lots of days in the summer)!
You need 45 minutes total in the Historium, so the price is a little steep for what you get.
You finish at the Duvelorium Grand Beer Café and there’s a balcony that overlooks the square which is nice, too.
If you have a bigger budget for Bruges, the Historium building also has a tower that you can climb for just EUR 10 more. The stair climb and the platform on top are very narrow (you can try fitting through the mock-up of the doorway in the entrance hall), but you get a 360° view from the top.
This isn’t just chocolate… it’s a lifestyle @ chocolate museum in Bruges
The chocolate museum in Bruges is still shiny and new, with many a display showing the history and production of chocolate around the world. You learn a ton and taste chocolate… what’s not to love?
There’s the option to buy your ticket beforehand, but beware it is not a fast pass and you still stand in line with the ticket-less folks since you all need an audio guide anyway. I noticed that this made a few people a little frustrated, especially since the lines do tend to get long, especially over the weekends.
If you’re shortlisting what to visit in Bruges and chocolate is your weakness, this place makes the cut. The audio guide lets you participate in several games in Choco Story, and there is a demonstration room at the very end where you can taste unlimited chocolate.
There’s a one-way trail through the museum that’ll take you about 1.5 hours to complete.
Pro tip: The Bruges chocolate museum isn’t as hands-on as the one in Brussels, so if you’re only planning on seeing one, choose the one on my Brussels itinerary.
And here on the left, the cholera door
We didn’t like the Bruges boat tour as much as the one in Ghent, but it’s still a really nice way to spend 30 minutes.
A little boat takes you through the canals of Bruges and the entertaining, multi-language guide tells you all about the history and stories of Bruges. It’s a staple canal tour and definitely belongs on any list of fun things to do in Bruges.
When you pass by the back of St. John’s Hospital (now an art gallery), you’ll notice a red back door. Then you’ll notice that the back door leads directly out into the water of the canal. And your guide will proceed to tell you that that door was used to throw out dead bodies from the hospital.
It was an ingenious way that they dealt with those dead bodies that were piling up after dying from things like cholera. You know, the bacterial disease spread through contaminated water. Facepalm.
Throwing bodies of the cholera-induced dead into the city canals… I just can’t.
This is one of those classic Bruges attractions that you might roll your eyes at—until you're floating on a canal tour past centuries-old buildings thinking, 'okay fine, this is great.' It takes about 35 minutes.
Not extremely romantic, but at least it isn’t full of those stupid padlocks that other “love bridges” of the world have fallen victim to @ Lovers’ Bridge aka Minnewaterbrug
Minnewaterbrug—or Lovers' Bridge (the first one)—located in Minnewaterpark—is supposed to guarantee eternal love with whomever you cross the bridge with. I’ll let you know if it’s a myth in infinity years.
Now this is the romance level I think of when I hear “Lovers’ Bridge” @ Bonifacius Bridge
But what if you don’t have anyone to cross the bridge of eternal love with? No problem.
The Bonifacius Bridge, aka the Love at First Sight Bridge (but sometimes also known as Lovers’ Bridge), is supposed to have a different love trick up its sleeve. Just cross the bridge on your own, and then keep your eyes peeled, because whomever you lay your eyes on once you reach the other end will end up your lover!
It’s easily one of the most romantic places to visit in Bruges—if not the most photographed.
Fun fact: Even though Bonifacius Bridge is far superior to Lovers’ Bridge in romance level and aesthetic, it’s actually one of Bruges’ youngest bridges. It just looks old and mysterious. But it’s young and mysterious.
Sint-Janshuismill and Nieuwe Papegaai with the little parrot wind pointer guy just barely visible on the top
Thelast 4 (out of 23 original) wooden windmills of Bruges are all located between the Dampoort and the Kruispoort, which is a roughly 1 km (0.6 mile) stretch along the ramparts in the north east “corner” of the Bruges town circle.
Only one of the four windmills is in its original spot—Sint-Janshuismill, and only one is a cute pink color with a parrot on its roof—Nieuwe Papegaai. And only one, again the Sint-Janshuismill is accessible inside as well and serves as a museum. Oh, and one more! Only one of the mills is still used to grind flour. Yep, you guessed it, it’s Sint-Janshuismill.
The windmills are tiny, so if you are up for a little walk in the part, accept them as a welcome anomaly that you don’t see in your everyday life. Nothing more, nothing less.
Left: Gruuthusemuseum exterior (that tall tower is not it, it’s the tower of the Church of Our Lady Bruges). Right: the oak ceiling at Sint-Janshospitaal Museum.
For a small town, Bruges has a surprising number of attractions, including art museums that rank among the most interesting things to do in Bruges.I’ve narrowed it down to these three museums that are basically next to each other where you can see everything from carpets to old doctors’ tools. Yes, they are art museums.
The Groeninge Museum takes you through six centuries of Belgian art. I admired the details on the paintings of Flemish primitives and then enjoyes modern art by René Magritte, Roger Raveel and Raoul De Keyser.
Gruuthuse is the restored palace of the lords of Bruges. The Gruuthusemuseum tells visitors the story of 500 years of the city’s history through objects from tapestries and stained glass windows to lace and porcelain. They must be doing something right, because the Gruuthusemuseum was awarded Europe’s Most Welcoming Museum in 2021.
Sint-Janshospitaal (St. John’s Hospital) is one of the oldest preserved hospitals in Europe, so you can not only admire som old artwork but also see what it was like in a hospital centuries ago. Check out the old hospital wards and look up at the oak ceiling of the Middle Ward.
If you're trying to decide what to visit in Bruges and love quirky history or Flemish art, pick one of these and go all in.
Very close to these museums is an outdoor statue installation called The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by artist Rik Poot. They are to represent Revolution, War, Hunger and Death, and well, it’s not exactly adorable. That Hunger guy could really use a hamburger.
Ezelpoort means Donkey Gate
Four city gates in Bruges have been preserved: Gentpoort, Kruispoort, Ezelpoort and Smedenpoort. The last two are water gates, meaning they sit directly on a bridge over the river—very photogenic, very Bruges. Worth seeing one or two of them, no need to chase them all down.
A fun fact about Bruges: the city center itself is 1 meter below river level. So yeah, those cute little lockhouses you’ll see were essential to keeping Bruges from turning into a soggy mess.
One of the nicest examples is the Sashuis, a brick structure you’ll notice in the south of town, near Minnewasserpark’s Lovers’ Bridge. Once an actual water control station, now just quietly standing around looking great in photos.
There are numerous bridges in Bruges that connect the maze of canals—some modern, some old, and honestly, all pretty nice. You’ll see plenty of them during your day in Bruges without even trying.
There are walkways, stone bridges, and a mix of drawbridges scattered around the city. I don’t know why, but canals and bridges always make a place feel nice. A must-do in Bruges, but requires zero effort.
Some are modern, some are old, and all are nice
Yes, you want to go to Bruges
Yes, even if you’ll complain about the crowds. They’re there for a reason. Bruges is a solidly pleasant place with pretty architecture and many canals that add to the charm. You can see it in a day, but your day will be packed with the best of Bruges.
Buy your tickets to the Belfry in advance and be on time. Otherwise you have almost zero chance of getting in.
Stay overnight if you want to experience the best of Bruges without day trippers. There are A LOT of them. Hotel Dukes' Palace is a 5-star stunner with stained glass windows in the rooms. Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce is right on the canal.
The train from Brussels takes only 1 hour. Belgium is one of the rare countries where I don’t recommend renting a car because the trains are more convenient and parking in Bruges is limited and expensive.
Plan ahead so you don’t waste time deciding what to see in Bruges last minute. Your feet (and sanity) will thank you.
There’s no nightlife in Bruges. It’s really first and foremost a popular day trip from Brussels, so after the last tourist buses leave around 6 pm, Bruges suddenly gets very quiet.
A man pronouncing “Brugge” in Flemish
Let’s get one thing straight. How do you pronounce Bruges? In English, you say [broozh]. The ‘s’ at the end is silent. In Flemish, the name of the city is Brugge and sounds like someone clearing their throat.
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Hi, I’m Jan. I travel fast and intensely, whether I’m exploring the buzz of Tokyo in 3 days or road-tripping through mountains and beaches on a 3-week Thailand adventure. And no matter where I am, you’ll always find me in a comfortable hotel at night and eating the best food.
If that sounds like your kind of journey, hop on board, and let’s explore the world together!
I started this blog after realizing how tough it can be to find reliable, authentic travel info. You wouldn’t believe how many “travel bloggers” never even visit the places they write about! On Next Level of Travel, you can count on my full honesty and insights drawn from my firsthand experiences.
Here’s the deal: not every destination is all superlatives and unicorns. I’ll let you know if a tourist attraction isn’t worth your time, like skipping overrated stops in my 2-week Spain itinerary. And when I find something truly special—like the perfect mix of culture and nature in Cape Town—you can trust that it’s worth adding to your itinerary.
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