Bruges is a truly European town – a mix of beautiful churches, parks, horse-drawn carriages and people from all over meet in Bruges. If you are around France and Benelux, then do not skip visiting Bruges!

Getting to Bruges:

I first came to Bruges from Lille on a Flixbus for £5 in July 2024. Despite both Lille and Bruges not being the easiest places to navigate for finding a bus stop, this was a very relaxing start to my trip and it was quick enough to go to Lille and back in one day.

Alternatively, it is very easy to reach Bruges from Brussels by bus or train or from Amsterdam on the bus. This makes Bruges a very well-connected town for tourists.

Of course, Lille, Brussels and Amsterdam are all on the Eurostar if you are coming from London!

Around Bruges:

Once you arrive in Bruges, you can either walk into the city centre or hop on a local bus outside the train station to take you to the Cathedral. The Cathedral should be your first stop, as with any good European City, it is a building rich in history, with a spire visible across the whole city. You can enter for free during opening times. Make sure to walk around the back to see the phoenix (major Happy Potter energy).

Then, walk along Katelijnestraat to find some of the best and worst chocolatiers. To figure out where to get the best chocolate, look out for the Guild Sign in shop windows – a yellow oval with a red band. This sign shows that the chocolate has been proven to be true Belgian Chocolate and is a good way to guarantee high-quality chocolate. You will often find lots of horse drawn carriages coming down Katelijnestraat, and locals rushing quickly to escape all the mesmerised tourists!

We then went and had an amazing Belgian Waffle (it is a requirement for any trip to Belgium) before walking along the Bakkersei towards the Sashuis (Lock House). This was such a beautiful area that led to a gorgeous park in the centre of town, with boats full of flowers resting on the water.