Whether visiting the Belgian city of Bruges via rail, air or cruise, you are in for a treat! This tourist guide to Bruges will help you get the most out of your visit, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of this sweet city!
Visiting by Cruise Ship
If (like us) you are cruising to Zeebrugge, the port will likely be listed as “Zeebrugge (for Bruges)”. This is because the seaside town of Zeebrugge is the closest port to Bruges, however it is still approximately 20km (30 minutes) away. So how do you get there? My advice would be to pre-book the Cruise Express. When planning our trip, we did look at getting a train, taxi, excursion or public bus service, but the most time efficient and cost-effective way was by far the Cruise Express shuttle bus. From the cruise ship gangway, you have to get a free shuttle bus from the ship itself to the cruise terminal building, taking 5-10 minutes depending on waiting & loading time. From the cruise terminal building, you simply cross the road and you will see the Cruise Express flag and a representative will be there to check your ticket and guide you to the next bus – it’s that easy! The journey time to Bruges is approximately 30 minutes and buses run every 30 minutes. At €30 per adult and €5 per child roundtrip, it’s not bad value either. If you wanted to do it independently and take public transport, once getting to the cruise terminal, you would then have to walk or take another form of transport to the train station which is 1.7km away, then wait for the train to Bruges which runs hourly. Yes, it may be cheaper, but it involves a degree of planning and could take much longer, so I would highly recommend the Cruise Express for convenience. The buses were very clean and our drivers were chatty and friendly.
So, what is there to do in Bruges?
A great resource for points of interest, walking maps and practical information is the Visit Bruges website. It is here where I printed a walking map to help up get our bearings and learned about the two unique tour offerings that Bruges is famous for: horse & carriage rides and canal boat tours!
Horse & Carriage Rides
A must do for families, this novel mode of transport gives you a real taste of what the city would have been like years ago when Bruges was a bustling trading port. A private tour (for up to 5 people) is €70 per carriage for a 30 minute ride, and all tours depart and return to Market Square (except for Wednesdays when it is Burg Square). There is no way to book in advance, just walk on up to the next available carriage. At busy times, you may have to wait as there are only 13 carriages in operation. Hold on to your seat – it’s a bumpy ride!
Canal Boat Tours
Offered from various points along the canal, the iconic boat tours offer a unique perspective of the sites, weaving through the tranquil canals and under some very quaint little bridges. One of the best things about Bruges is that, in order to protect tourists from being ripped-off, the city sets the tour prices, so all providers have to charge the same price. This makes it so much easier and safer for us foreign visitors as it means we can just buy a ticket when we stumble across a vendor and jump on board – no planning required! The tours are often given in multiple languages at a the same time (we had English, French and Dutch on ours), all narrated in real time by our witty and wonderful captain. Just be sure to check that your language is available when booking to avoid disappointment – they can’t all be this multi-lingual, can they?!
Chocolatiers
The sheer number of chocolate shops in Bruges is quite overwhelming – with more than 60 to choose from, you simply can’t visit them all in a day – so I suggest you don’t even try to! Instead, follow your heart (or your nose) and pop in the ones that take your fancy. Many of them are very expensive, some are artisanal, some are more commercial, but all of them sell the most delicious chocolate! Popular chocolate treats that make great souvenirs include truffles and praline sea shells.
Classic Belgian Waffles
Much like the chocolate shops, Bruges is brimming with Belgian waffle shops. We had no clue where to start, so we asked our horse & carriage driver for her personal favourites. She seemed thrilled that we had asked her and wrote down a few of her favourites on a piece of paper for us. We opted for the one with the cosiest indoor seating area as there was a hint of snow in the air, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! The Old Chocolate House is famous for its smooth & creamy hot chocolate and traditional Belgian waffles. Freshly made to order with from-scratch batter, we knew whatever toppings we chose, these were going to be magnificent! The kitchen was small so the waffles were made and brought to the table individually, as they were ready. Hot, soft and doughy in the middle, crisp and brown on the outside, these waffles were utter perfection! Filling and reasonably priced for their size and surroundings, this truly was a lunch to remember!
Belgian Beer & Breweries
There are many cafes and bars around the city, each serving a host of regional beers, but as we’re not big drinkers, we were relying on word-of-mouth to steer us in the right direction. As seen on our canal tour, Brewery De Halve Maan (The Half Moon Brewery) is one of Bruges most iconic beer hotspots, with notable architectural significance and a well preserved history dating back to 1856. The aroma of the malty hops fill the air as you walk along the street towards this well-documented watering hole. The curious entrance and fascinating exposed pipework draw you in to the open courtyard serving their best beers on tap. Though the courtyard, gift shop entrance and the toilets are free, for an additional fee, you can visit the museum or take a brewery tour. We only popped in so that Joe could sample a glass of ‘Brugse Zot Blond’ before walking back to the bus, and he said (as a non-beer drinker) it was ‘refreshing and easy to drink’. Of course our son opted for an equally refreshing apple juice, and we all delighted in using the free bathroom facilities which are seemingly scarce in this city!
Christmas Shops
Like something from a Dickens novel, the classic and charming Christmas shops dotted around the city really are a sight to behold. Filled with handcrafted decorations, cuckoo clocks and baubles, these treasure-troves can make you feel like it’s Christmas in July. The smells, the sounds… it really is magical, but keep an eye on your little ones – everything in here is fragile and nothing is cheap! We went in a few of these shops and they have almost identical products in each one, so find a quieter shop (like the one opposite the Half Moon Brewery) and you will be able to browse a little easier.
Bruges Lace
Scattered around the city, you will also notice a number of shops selling various forms of lace. Historically significant, though less popular in the present day, since the 16th century, Bruges has been famed for its beautifully crafted hand-woven lace. Intricate patterns are woven to create works of art, and many shops still produce their own hand-woven work today.
How much did we spend?
€65 Cruise Express Shuttle (2 adults, 1 child)
€70 Horse & Carriage Ride (up to 4 people)
€39 Canal Boat Tour (2 adults, 1 child)
€45 The Old Chocolate House Tearoom (waffles with toppings & soft drinks x3)
€7.40 Half Moon Brewery (beer & apple juice)
€20 Various chocolate & sweet souvenirs
€246.40 Total spend (around €82 per person)
Was our day in Bruges great value?
When you consider that most cruise lines are charging £60+ per person just for the return coach transportation in to the city, I think we achieved a lot with our money. We feel like we saw everything we could have wanted and more, got a delicious taste of the city, enjoyed a few unique experiences and brought home some sweet souvenirs too!
In Summary
When we booked our short ‘France & Belgium’ cruise on P&O Arvia, we expected the highlight of the itinerary to be visiting Mont St. Michel in France (stay tuned for that post coming soon), however we were pleasantly surprised to discover that Bruges was our favourite and most memorable day as a family this trip. Our son, Teddy (aged 5), actually said on the bus back to the cruise port “I want to live here one day”! I did remind him that people that live in Bruges don’t eat sweets, chocolate and waffles every day, but he still said he wanted to stay! On face value it would seem like a historical city with not much to do for families, but I can now say with certainty that it is perfect for adults and children alike, so long as you are willing to explore this charming place together.
Gallery
Useful Links
Cruise Express: cruise-express.be/en
Half Moon Brewery: halvemaan.be/en
The Old Chocolate House: oldchocolatehouse.be
Visit Bruges: visitbruges.be/en
If you found this article useful, check out our other European ‘Tourist Guides’ here!
Have you been to Bruges? What was your waffle topping of choice? Let us know in the comments – we love to hear from you!
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Our Whimsical World 
I have heard a lot of great things about Bruges. Looks really nice from your photos.
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It really is! We weren’t expecting much, but it was gorgeous! Our son loved it as much as us, and we never even visited a play area!
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