Grumps

Bruges

Published July 1, 2023
Updated July 1, 2023
4 mins read

No visit to Belgium would be complete without a visit to the beautiful medieval city of Bruges. With its canals and waterways, Flemish architecture, and cobbled streets it truly is a delightful city.

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To quote Wikipedia,

Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country. It is the sixth most populous city in the country.

Access and Parking

Its’ relatively small size makes it easy to explore Bruges on foot. Indeed the narrow streets would make it difficult to drive around in a car, let alone a motorhome.

Fortunately, there is plenty of parking on the outskirts. The parking closer to the city tends to be paid for and can be a touch expensive at 14 euros for 4 hours.

A little further out you can find free parking. We stopped at Waggelwater which was about a 25-minute walk from the old town.

Adjacent to the parking is a rather lovely small lake, perfect for a morning stroll, or in our case to walk the dog.

Canals

Bruges has so many canals that it is sometimes known as the Venice of the north. And with canals come bridges, over 80 of them.

Strolling along the canals past secret gardens, medieval buildings, majestic swans, and romantic bridges it is very easy to fall in love with the city.

A Medieval Town

The old medieval town, roughly oval in shape and surrounded by stone walls is the most beautiful part of the city. At its heart is the Market Square, which is the home to a number of Bruges’ historical structures, such as the Belfry of Bruges and the Provincial Court. Horse-drawn carriages stand ready to take you on a tour of the old town.

Nearby Burg Square is home to the magnificent City Hall and the impressive Basilica of the Holy Blood.

Chocolate

Belgian chocolate is famous the world over for its exceptional quality. And Bruges in particular is renowned for the quality of the chocolate, even by Belgian standards. There are many shops around the Old Town offering a little bit of chocolate heaven.

Just a word of caution, however. Make sure the chocolate is made in Bruges and not brought in from elsewhere. There should be a little sign in the window indicating that the chocolates are homemade on the premises.

Beer

Aside from chocolate, Belgium is also known for its beers. And Bruges is a fabulous place to sample a few of them, with many bars and cafes all around the city.

Brugse Zot is a beer brewed specifically for Bruges. Its name derives from the late Middle Ages, when the Emperor Maximilian of Austria visited Bruges.

While there he watched a parade of fools (called ‘zotten’). Afterward, the citizens of Bruges asked the Emperor for a ‘zothuis’ (or madhouse). Whereupon he responded: “A madhouse is all I have seen today.”

Belgium Fries

While they may be known across the world as ‘French fries’, there’s nothing French about them, or so the Belgians claim. The name ‘friet’ comes from patates frites, Belgian-French for ‘fried potatoes’.

One possible explanation for the association could have been formed in the First World War, when American soldiers were introduced to ‘fried potatoes’ in Belgium, but thought they were in France because that was the language spoken in that region.