One day in Bruges

Day by day

1. Day 1: Markt and Belfry of Bruges

   Markt, Belfry of Bruges, Burg and City Hall and Basilica of the Holy Blood, then Rozenhoedkaai in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Markt

      Grab a cone of frites from the stalls at the foot of the Belfry and eat it on the statue steps. Allow 30 minutes.

   2. Late morning

      Belfry of Bruges

      Go at the very start or end of the day; on the way up, time your stop by the bells for when the carillon plays. Allow 1 hour.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Moules-frites

      Brasseries around the Markt and the Burg; restaurants a street or two away usually offer better value.

   4. Afternoon

      Burg and City Hall

      The ticket for the Gothic Hall also covers the Renaissance Hall of the Liberty of Bruges next door. Allow 45 minutes.

   5. Late afternoon

      Basilica of the Holy Blood

      Visit the lower Romanesque chapel too; it is one of the oldest interiors in the city and often overlooked. Allow 30 minutes.

   6. Evening

      Rozenhoedkaai

      Come at dusk, when the lamps come on and the Belfry is floodlit.

Before you go

• Belfry of Bruges: Only a limited number of people are allowed in the tower at once; book a time slot online to avoid a long wait.

If it rains

• Swap in Groeningemuseum (Dijver): Spend most of your time in the first rooms with the 15th-century paintings, which are the heart of the collection.
• Swap in Old St. John's Hospital (Begijnhof and Walplein): Look closely at the St Ursula Shrine; its tiny painted panels tell the saint's journey to Rome and Cologne.
• Swap in Choco-Story (Markt and Burg): Time your visit around the chocolate-making demonstration, which runs several times a day.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 3–3 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 7.9 hours in December to 16.6 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. The Markt to the Begijnhof is about 10 minutes on foot, and you can cross the whole old town in about 20–25 minutes.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Bruges
• 3 days in Bruges

Questions travellers ask