BRUGES city guide 2023

Zeebrugge is a gateway port to Bruges, so you have to catch the shuttle bus to Blankenburg and then get the train to Bruges, or you could go on an organised tour. The shuttle bus will bring you into Blankenburg. If you want to go into Bruges, the station is just under the Mercure Hotel, just across the road. So I give you a due ticket, you only pay for one person. Oh. You drive with two. You travel with two and you pay for one. Two for one? Bargain. Thank you. So it's 6.40. Thank you very much. If you want to explore Blankenburg, the road to the beach is straight down that way. And right opposite the station is the tourist office. The train for Bruges leaves once an hour, so you may find you've got 10 or 20 minutes to have a look at Blankenburg before you go. Although there's not much to see in Blankenburg, you will find that the cakes and the pastries are out of this world. The trains leave every hour. The journey to Bruges takes 12 minutes and there's a tourist information office where you can get a map of the city. If you stay on the train for half an hour, you can go to Ghent, and if you stay on for an hour and a half, you can go to Brussels. So we're just going to stroll walking in the same direction. On previous visits to Bruges, we've gone through the park and down the main street, but this way seemed quicker and really charming, and we've come across this amazing statue of Pegasus, Zeus and Prometheus. Boat trips are 12 euros and last 30 minutes. The queues are much longer in the morning. Bruges is well known for its little cobbled streets. It's a very pretty place to visit. We're in the market square, which featured heavily in the film In Bruges, and I'm just sampling the chocolate, which I can tell you is fantastic. The square is surrounded by beautiful buildings, including the gothic town hall. The market square has always been a centre of the town, where people gather for political events, festivals, and every Wednesday there is an outdoor market here. The statue in the centre of the square depicts Jan Brudel and Pieter de Koninck, who led the 1302 successful revolt against the French. The most prominent part of the square is the bell tower. If you have the energy and can walk up the 366 winding steps, you'll have an amazing view of the city. 366 steps to the top of the belfry. Let's see if we can do it. The bells were called carillions and they were noted for their wonderful music that they spread across the city. This one was made by Dummery and was completed in 1748. As it goes round, it plays a tune. This is the largest brass drum in existence. It's a musical instrument and the music is changed every two years. It's a massive tourist attraction of Bruges, going back to the Middle Ages, and upstairs you get three beers for €12. This is the Church of the Spilled Blood and the upper chapel contains a vial which is said to contain some drops of Christ's blood. This is the Basilica of the Holy Blood. This is Jan van Eyck Square and he was a famous painter who lived nearby and this is his statue. Behind me is a customs house and once upon a time this area was connected to the sea and the merchants used to come up here to pay the duty on their goods. Over there is a white machine which is a time scope and if you look in it and turn 360 degrees it takes you back to that time and shows you exactly what it was like back then. Just down from Jan van Eyck Square is the Belgium Chip Museum where they tell you all about Belgium chips. The Bruges Royal Municipal Theatre is over 150 years old and sometimes tours are available. I know Belgium's known for lace and chocolate but look at these incredible handmade shoes with matching belts and they're not a fortune, they're just amazing works of art. Stunning isn't it? Not only are the shoes very artistic, look at the handbags and purses. This is a find, it's St Anna's Church and the statue you can see above me is of St Anna who was grandmother to Jesus, Mary's mother. And another one inside, let's go and look. This is St Anna's Church who was the patroness of the poor people and St Anna was the grandmother of Jesus and this statue is St Anna and Mary and Jesus. And all the paintings here have been given and restored by the rich people in the community for the poor people. It's 104 square metres, it's amazing. The Last Judgement was originally painted in 1683 and was renovated in 2014. Right next to the Church of Our Lady across the bridge over the river are some interesting statues of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Hello. Hello. It doesn't matter which side you sit as you go down and come back. But stay seated because there are some low bridges, some dating back to the 16th century made of stone and they are going nowhere. The canal on the right has connection with Ghent, 30 kilometres. The houses, the yellow houses are gifts from the rich to the poor. This view here. So the statue is the painter Jan van Eyck and the building is the old Burgers Lodge from the 15th century. The houses are built in typical Flemish style with the stepped from under a bridge a new site is revealed. Behind trees, that is the tower of the Church of Our Lady. In front of us is the Church of Our Lady and inside that church is the statue of the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. Bruges is a photographer's dream and everywhere you look is a fantastic photo opportunity. Stunning views. The building was a hospital but now it's a museum for Flemish painters. It currently houses the works of Han Malik. This medieval building was built in 1188. The building on the right is where the Benedictine sisters now live. In front of us is the locks and the lock house and behind the lock house is the Lake of Love. Our weather is not great today but it's still beautiful. Imagine how it looks in sunshine. On the right is a brewery and we knew that because we could smell it and it brews a beer that's about 6% alcohol. So we've just done the boat trip. It takes 30 minutes and it costs €8 and it's well worth it. I think it's almost as pretty as Venice. Guess what? Another chocolate shop and over the road another chocolate shop. Handmade in Bruges. And how much is a slab of this chocolate? It's in weight. Every other shop is a chocolate shop and you can't resist. Chocolate, chocolate everywhere and not a drop to eat. Well, there is also the odd cake, if you have the time. But the real tools are chocolate, spanners, hammers, wrench, nuts, scissors, padlocks, keys, cogs, pliers, houses, bosoms. Does anyone walk through Bruges without buying chocolate? There are chocolate waffles on a stick. Heaven. And where there's chocolate, there's happiness. This was my favourite chocolate shop and where I met Gino, whose family have been in chocolate for years. Craftsman. Not just any ordinary chocolate. This shop says you can't buy happiness but you can buy chocolate and that's kind of the same thing. And in here are chocolate shoes, chocolate animals, chocolate jelly, chocolate everything. This is Gino and he owns the shop. Tell us about your shop, Gino. We have plenty of chocolates. We have raspberry, we have spicy ones, hot chocolate with chilli pepper, we have poppy seeds in the chocolates, lavender, violet flavour, caramels, mint, coffee flavours, some liquors, cognac, champagne. Can I try a chilli one? Sure you can. Mmm, delicious. Mmm, spicy. These are special presents so hopefully you're doing Bruges last on the way home, otherwise you'll be tempted to eat the presents. Chocolates and happiness is just down the road from the Belfry. It's definitely worth a visit. Tell Gino, Doris sent you. So apart from the chocolate and the chips and the beer and the lace and the shoes, there are many other sides to Bruges. You can even go swimming in the river. There are lots of organised trips if you don't feel comfortable risking the train, but really it's very easy and we had a fantastic visit.