Bruges is a small canal town in western Belgium. Our journey over to Bruges from Prague is a story in itself. We ended up taking an overnight train to Frankfurt and accidentally booked sit up chairs instead of sleepers. Whoops! We finally arrived in Frankfurt at 4 in the morning and had to wait in the dark train station until our next train left at 6:30AM. A few more train changes and we finally arrived in Bruges at around 11:30AM. Making it a grand total of 17 hours of travel time. Things like this happen but hey we made it!
After walking through the narrow cobblestone streets of Bruges for two minutes our droopy sleepy eyes widened. We both were stunned at how gorgeous this place was! All of that traveling was definitely worth it.
Tip: Take the Bruges Free Walking Tour.
We love to go on free walking tours in Europe. The tour guides are always super enthusiastic and are paid only by the tips they receive at the end. Our tour guide told us about the 5 best things in Brugges and we tried our best to experience them all!
1. Beer - The beer in Belgium is flavorful and strong, each beer has its own unique glass specifically to be used when drinking that beer. Belgians take their beer very seriously and we like that.
Tip: Go on a tour of the De Halve Maan Brewery.
We loved this brewery tour. This place has a lot of history and it was interesting to hear about it. The tour takes you up onto the rooftop which has amazing views of the walled city below.
After the tour we were hungry so we grabbed a few beers and snacks in the beer garden.
2. Lace - We didn’t buy any lace but Ang was wearing a lacy dress during our tour, does that count?
3. Waffles - We’ve all heard of Belgian waffles but these waffles were every bit as good as we had hoped for. You can add anything you wanted to your waffle, ice cream, chocolate, etc.
4. Frites or fries - According the the Belgians the French did not create fries; Belgians did. You will receive a nasty look if you order French fries in Belgium. Frites are normally served with mayo or any other sauce on top. Garlic sauce is #1.
5. Chocolate - Belgian chocolate is delicious. Enough said.
We met some really awesome travelers during our stay in Bruges. Melanie from Canada and Brandon from Napa. Our group of four really hit it off and we spent two wonderful days exploring Bruges together.
Tip: Rent bikes and ride to the small village of Damme.
Make sure to check out the iconic windmills along the way.
We were lucky enough to be in Bruges during a summer concert in the square. The square was packed with people sipping on Belgian beers and listening to the live music. The stage was perfectly situated in front of the cathedral and it was definitely a night we won't soon forget.
Bruges is now one of our favorite places in Europe. Nothing is better than meeting new friends in a beautiful small town, and exploring together.
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