Historic places in Bruges

Historic places in Bruges

1. Do

   Ambassadors Tours Bruges

   Passionate local storytellers offer tours in the medieval city center. No old-fashioned tour focussing solely on historical details, but engaging stories to bring the history to life. Reservations advised. Tell Me Stories About Bruges, daily at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 & 17:00, operated in English. Bruges at Night: Murder, Mystery & Dark Stories, selected days at 18:00 or 20:00.

   Daily 10:00 - 22:00·Daytime: pay-what-you-want; night €31

2. See

   Brewery De Halve Maan

   This brewery is the only remaining that's still brewing beer inside the city walls. It's also a beer museum and offers a tour of the beer making process. A history of the brewery is provided, as well as an overview of the city from its tower. The tour lasts for 45 min and is a good way to get a feel for Belgian beer making. The tours start at the exact turn of the hour, be at least 15 minutes early as there is a maximum number of people that can join. The entrance price includes one drink of Brugse Zot or Straffe Hendrik and is served after the tour at the outside terrace or indoor bar. There is a longer version of the tour available at weekends.

   Apr-Oct: Mon-Sat 11:00-16:00, Sun 11:00-17:00·EUR 16 including 1 beer booked on-line

3. Do

   Bruges Ballooning

   Daily hot air balloon flights over the historic centre and its surroundings. The best way to enjoy the romance of Bruges, and its stunning views, from a few hundred metres up in a balloon basket.

   Morning and afternoon·EUR 170

4. See

   Diamond Museum

   Diamantmuseum

   Diamond museum has a large range of exhibits ranging from mining all the way to polishing and all the history in between. Everyday at 12:15 there is a live polishing demonstration.

   Closed · opens 10:30 am tomorrow·Adult EUR 12, student EUR 10.50

5. See

   The Beguinage (Begijnhof)

   In the history, many women couldn't find a man, as men were more likely to die in accidents or in a war. Those women could "marry God" and become a beguine. The beguinage, also known as the convent, offered protection for those single ladies. It lies between the centre of the city and the station, with white painted small houses and fine plane trees, is a quiet place to walk; groups are discouraged.

6. See

   The Hospital of St John

   Sint-Janshospitaal contains a museum of six paintings by Hans Memling, within the early medieval hospital buildings.

   Tue-Sun 09:30-17:00·EUR 15

7. Eat

   The Olive Street Food

   An authentic Greek takeaway place just a minute of walking away from the Belfry/Grote Markt. They offer food that is not only well-seasoned and extraordinarily savoury, but also very affordable, especially compared to other places to eat at in the Bruges' historical centre.

   Wed-Mon 12:00-20:30·€8.9 for a medium-sized wrap, €14.9 for a larger box of food (May 2025)

8. Do Not mapped

   Canal Tour

   To see Bruges from another perspective, take a ride on one of the tour boats around the canals — the multilingual guides provide a potted history of the city in just a few minutes — at only a few euros, it's the best introduction to Bruges. A boat tour will show you places which are otherwise unreachable, as not every canal runs next to a street. Advisable to get there at opening time to avoid the crowds. Cannot be reserved online and all boat tours cost the same.

   EUR 15 plus almost obligatory tip to the driver/guide

9. Do Not mapped

   Running

   If you are a runner, try running the 7-km circle around the old centre. Walk along the canal and see all of the medieval gates that used to control the traffic in and out of Bruges. Simply stunning!

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Bruges (CC BY-SA 4.0).