Solo travel · Bruges · Belgium
Solo travel in Bruges
How to enjoy Bruges at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Wolfgang Staudt [1], CC BY 2.0
![Wolfgang Staudt [1]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bruges_Market_Square_and_Belfry.jpg){kind=link}
Quick answer
Bruges is a safe, easy and walkable city for solo travellers, though it is quieter than larger cities at night. Beer cafés and walking tours make it simple to meet people, and Ghent is a short train ride away for a livelier evening. Many solo travellers base themselves in Ezelstraat and Sint-Jakobs.
Key facts
- Base
- Ezelstraat and Sint-Jakobs
- Getting around
- Walking
- Emergency number
- 112 (European emergency number)
- Language
- Dutch
Solo travel tips
- Stay overnight rather than day-tripping so you can explore the canals early and late on your own terms.
- Hostels and good-value hotels are found around 't Zand and Sint-Anna.
- Sit at the bar in a beer café; staff and regulars are usually happy to recommend beers.
- Rent a bike for half a day and ride to Damme; the route is flat and well signed.
- Combine Bruges with a night in Ghent for more nightlife.
Where to stay
$$ · Best for quiet stays, budget and solo travellers
Ezelstraat and Sint-Jakobs
Around St James's Church and along Ezelstraat, the old town is residential, with small hotels, guesthouses and neighbourhood restaurants. The street ends at the Ezelpoort, one of Bruges's four surviving medieval city gates, beside the green ring of the ramparts.
- Good
- Quieter than the centre; Reasonable prices; Close to the ramparts for walks and cycling
- Watch out
- Fewer sights in the immediate area; Some streets are on bus routes
- Nearby
- Ezelpoort, St James's Church, Markt
Great on your own
Landmark · Markt and Burg
Markt
Grab a cone of frites from the stalls at the foot of the Belfry and eat it on the statue steps.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- After dark
Viewpoint · Markt and Burg
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.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Active
Museum · Dijver
Groeningemuseum
Spend most of your time in the first rooms with the 15th-century paintings, which are the heart of the collection.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- History
Religious site · Begijnhof and Walplein
Church of Our Lady
The Madonna and Child is in a side chapel in the paid museum section; the nave itself is free to enter.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Architecture
- Iconic
Experience · Dijver
Canal boat tour
Sit on the side of the boat facing the walls rather than the middle, and bring a layer; the open boats can be breezy.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Kids
- Couples
- Views
Architecture · Markt and Burg
Burg and City Hall
The ticket for the Gothic Hall also covers the Renaissance Hall of the Liberty of Bruges next door.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Meeting people
- Beer café tasting — Small beer cafés in the centre stock hundreds of Belgian beers; ask staff to guide you from a light blonde through Trappist ales to a sour Flanders red.
- Brewery tour at De Halve Maan — Climb through the family brewery's historic rooms to its rooftop, then taste Brugse Zot in the courtyard where it is brewed.
- Beer cafés near the Markt — Historic bars such as De Garre, hidden down a narrow alley, and 't Brugs Beertje pour long lists of Belgian beers.
- Eiermarkt — A small square just behind the Markt with bars that stay busy later on weekends.
Sensible precautions
Bruges has low crime, but pickpockets work the crowds on the Markt and in the Christmas market. Watch for cyclists, who move fast and quietly, and take care near canal edges, which are mostly unfenced, and on cobbles that become slippery in the rain.
- Emergency number
- 112 (European emergency number)
- Staying connected
- Free Wi-Fi is common in hotels, cafés and some public squares; EU roaming applies to European SIMs, and eSIMs work well for other visitors.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Bruges good for solo travellers?
Bruges is a safe, easy and walkable city for solo travellers, though it is quieter than larger cities at night. Beer cafés and walking tours make it simple to meet people, and Ghent is a short train ride away for a livelier evening.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Bruges?
Ezelstraat and Sint-Jakobs: Quieter streets north-west of the Markt leading to the medieval Ezelpoort gate.