Museums · Bruges · Belgium
5 best museums in Bruges
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Wolfgang Staudt, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
Start with Groeningemuseum, Old St. John's Hospital and Choco-Story. Together the 5 picks below take roughly 5–7 hours across 3 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 5
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 5–7 hours
- Areas
- Dijver, Begijnhof and Walplein and Markt and Burg
Museums in Bruges
Museum · Dijver
1.Groeningemuseum
The city's fine-art museum is best known for its Flemish Primitives: Jan van Eyck's Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele and his portrait of his wife Margaret, works by Hans Memling and Gerard David, and Hieronymus Bosch's Last Judgement triptych.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Begijnhof and Walplein
2.Old St. John's Hospital
One of Europe's oldest surviving hospital buildings, with medieval wards, a 17th-century pharmacy and a chapel holding six masterpieces by Hans Memling, including the St John Altarpiece and the gilded St Ursula Shrine with its miniature paintings.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Markt and Burg
3.Choco-Story
A chocolate museum in a historic house near the Markt traces cocoa from the Maya and Aztecs to Belgian pralines, with a chocolatier demonstration and tasting at the end.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Food
- Rainy day
Museum · Markt and Burg
4.Frietmuseum
In one of the city's oldest buildings, the Saaihalle, this museum tells the story of the potato and Belgian frites, with old fryers and posters, and a cellar where you can buy frites at the end.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Food
- Rainy day
Museum · Dijver
5.Gruuthusemuseum
The lavish 15th-century town palace of the lords of Gruuthuse, who held the right to tax gruit used in brewing, displays tapestries, lace, silverware and furniture that bring the city's golden age to life.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Dijver | Groeningemuseum and Gruuthusemuseum | 1.5–2 hours + 1–1.5 hours |
| Begijnhof and Walplein | Old St. John's Hospital | 1–1.5 hours |
| Markt and Burg | Choco-Story and Frietmuseum | 1 hour + 45 minutes |
Booking and timing
Of these 5, 1 low cost, 4 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Groeningemuseum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 2 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Dijver and Begijnhof and Walplein): Groeningemuseum → Gruuthusemuseum → Old St. John's Hospital, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Markt and Burg): Choco-Story → Frietmuseum, at least 2 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 7°C (45°F), about 10 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Still cold and often grey, but the city is at its quietest; ideal for museums and beer cafés.
- January: highs of 6°C (43°F), about 12 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Cold, damp and quiet after the Christmas market ends; low hotel rates and empty streets.
- March: highs of 10°C (50°F), about 11 rainy days, quiet crowds. Changeable weather with early spring sunshine; daffodils appear in the Begijnhof towards the end of the month.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Markt and Burg — The two central squares, the Belfry and the Gothic City Hall
- Begijnhof and Walplein — The Beguinage, Minnewater swans and the De Halve Maan brewery near the station
More of Bruges
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Bruges?
Groeningemuseum. The city's fine-art museum is best known for its Flemish Primitives: Jan van Eyck's Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele and his portrait of his wife Margaret, works by Hans Memling and Gerard David, and Hieronymus Bosch's Last Judgement triptych.