Beautiful Bruges -Going It Alone

If you’ve ever been on a mini cruise from the UK with any of the cruise lines there’s a very high chance that Bruges would be one of your ports of call. With it’s geographical proximity to the UK it appears on most itineraries that are less than a week.

Personally I have visited Bruges several times just for the day and I absolutely love the place. That could well be something to do with all the chocolate shops and cherry beer! But there is more to the city than just confectionary & booze.

Of course you can book a guided excursion before you go, which is a good way for a whistle stop tour of the city, however sometimes there are things on these structured tours that may not be of interest to you, so what do you do when you are going it alone? Firstly, you have to get to Bruges. The nearest town to where the ships dock is Blankenberge, which is a great bustling little place in itself with some amazing patisseries and great shops. You could easily plonk yourself down for a coffee, cake & a spot of people watching. But the train station is right in the middle of town and it takes about 15 minutes to get in to Bruges, costing only a few Euro’s.

Once you arrive at Bruges railway station simply follow the crowd for the 10-15 minute walk in to the centre. The walk goes through beautiful little cobbled streets, passing churches & quaint little terraced houses. So once you arrive what is there to do if you’re going it alone? Here are some ideas:

*Walking tour of the city – and best of all it’s free! It happens every Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday from the Lybeer Hostel.

*Hire a bike & get out in to the more rural areas of the city. There are several places right in the heart of the city where you can do this.

*The Xmas Markets will be in full swing very soon, once again in the heart of the city from the last week in November until the 1st of January.

*Minnewater Lake, or The Lake of Love as it is also known is a in a tranquil area in Minnewater Park which is between the train station & the historical centre. A great place to chill out & watch the ducks & swans splash around. You can even take a horse & carriage ride that takes in this pretty park.

*If you’re in to Neo-Gothic architecture, then the Basilica of the Holy Blood is worth a visit. For just 4 Euros entrance fee you also get to see to the small museum. If you are religious you can also join Mass at 11 am.

*Of course we can’t ignore the fact that beer is something Bruges is really famous for. Head to the Café’t Burgs Beertje where you can sample over 300 brands of beer. All in the pursuit of education, obviously!

*Finally. who doesn’t love chocolate? You will be falling over the delicious chocolate shops. There’s one on every street corner plus several in between. Why not head over to the Choco-Story museum to see the history of chocolate making in the City as well as getting some free samples?

So if you’re going to be visiting Bruges I hope this has given you some good ideas of what to do. Get some more ideas for other cities by clicking here.

Enjoy your travels!