Things to do · Bruges · Belgium
19 best things to do in Bruges
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Adiel lo, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Bruges are Markt, Belfry of Bruges and Groeningemuseum. Of the 19 picks below, 8 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 3 suit children. Allow about 2 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Markt
- Free sights
- 8
- Good on a rainy day
- Burg and City Hall
- Time to see the highlights
- 2 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Markt | Markt and Burg | 30 minutes | Free |
| Belfry of Bruges | Markt and Burg | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Groeningemuseum | Dijver | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Church of Our Lady | Begijnhof and Walplein | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Canal boat tour | Dijver | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Burg and City Hall | Markt and Burg | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Basilica of the Holy Blood | Markt and Burg | 30 minutes | Free |
| Old St. John's Hospital | Begijnhof and Walplein | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Begijnhof and Minnewater | Begijnhof and Walplein | 45 minutes | Free |
| Rozenhoedkaai | Markt and Burg | 15 minutes | Free |
| Bonifacius Bridge and Arentshof | Dijver | 15 minutes | Free |
| De Halve Maan Brewery | Begijnhof and Walplein | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Choco-Story | Markt and Burg | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Frietmuseum | Markt and Burg | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Gruuthusemuseum | Dijver | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| St. Salvator's Cathedral | 't Zand | 30 minutes | Free |
| Kruisvest windmills | Sint-Anna | 1 hour | Free |
| Jerusalem Chapel and Lace Centre | Sint-Anna | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Langerei and Spiegelrei canal walk | Sint-Gillis and Langerei | 1 hour | Free |
The 19 best things to do
![Wolfgang Staudt [1]](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bruges_Market_Square_and_Belfry.jpg){kind=link}
Landmark · Markt and Burg
1.Markt
The main square is framed by colourful step-gabled guild houses, the neo-Gothic Provincial Court and the Belfry, with a statue of the medieval rebel leaders Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck in the middle. A weekly market fills it on Wednesday mornings, and the Christmas market and ice rink take over in winter.
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
2.Belfry of Bruges
The 83-metre medieval bell tower leans slightly and is climbed by a narrow spiral staircase of 366 steps, passing the old treasury and the carillon of 47 bells. At the top, the view stretches over the red roofs and canals to the coast on clear days. It is part of the UNESCO-listed belfries of Belgium and France.
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
- Book ahead
- Only a limited number of people are allowed in the tower at once; book a time slot online to avoid a long wait.
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Active
Museum · Dijver
3.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. Later rooms continue to Belgian expressionism and surrealism.
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
4.Church of Our Lady
The church's brick tower, about 115 metres tall, dominates the skyline. Inside is Michelangelo's marble Madonna and Child, the only one of his sculptures to leave Italy in his lifetime, along with the gilded tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary of Burgundy.
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
5.Canal boat tour
Open boats leave from jetties near the Rozenhoedkaai and the Dijver for a roughly 30-minute loop through the canals, passing under low bridges and beside the backs of medieval houses that you cannot see from the street. Boats run mainly from spring to autumn, with reduced service in winter.
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
6.Burg and City Hall
The Burg square holds Bruges's Gothic City Hall, built from 1376 and one of the oldest in the Low Countries. Its Gothic Hall has a carved wooden vaulted ceiling and wall paintings of the city's history. Next door, the Liberty of Bruges building has a huge Renaissance chimneypiece carved in oak and marble.
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
Religious site · Markt and Burg
7.Basilica of the Holy Blood
On the corner of the Burg, a dim 12th-century Romanesque chapel lies beneath an ornate Gothic upper chapel that houses a relic believed to contain a cloth with the blood of Christ. The relic is venerated daily and carried through the city in the Procession of the Holy Blood on Ascension Day.
Visit the lower Romanesque chapel too; it is one of the oldest interiors in the city and often overlooked.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Begijnhof and Walplein
8.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.
Look closely at the St Ursula Shrine; its tiny painted panels tell the saint's journey to Rome and Cologne.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · Begijnhof and Walplein
1.Begijnhof and Minnewater
The Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde, founded in the 13th century for religious laywomen, is a walled garden of whitewashed houses around tall trees, now home to Benedictine nuns and part of the UNESCO-listed Flemish Béguinages. Daffodils carpet the lawn in spring. Just south, the Minnewater lake, nicknamed the Lake of Love, is home to swans.
Visit early in the morning, before tour groups arrive, and keep voices low; it is still a place of quiet residence.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Couples
- Photo spot
- History
- Outdoors
Viewpoint · Markt and Burg
2.Rozenhoedkaai
The Quay of the Rosary is the classic Bruges view: a bend in the canal with old houses on the water and the Belfry rising behind. It is a two-minute walk from the Burg and the start point for several canal boat companies.
Come at dusk, when the lamps come on and the Belfry is floodlit.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Views
- After dark
Garden · Dijver
3.Bonifacius Bridge and Arentshof
A small stone footbridge over a narrow canal behind the Church of Our Lady and the Gruuthusemuseum, reached through the Arentshof garden with its sculptures. Despite its medieval look, the bridge dates from the early 20th century, and it is one of the most photographed corners of the city.
Combine it with the Groeningemuseum, a minute's walk away, and visit early before the crowds.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
Experience · Begijnhof and Walplein
4.De Halve Maan Brewery
The last working family brewery in the city centre has brewed on the Walplein since 1856 and makes Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik. Guided tours climb through the old brewhouse to a rooftop with views over Bruges and end with a beer. It also built a 3-kilometre underground pipeline carrying beer to its bottling plant outside the centre.
Book a tour in advance in summer, and finish with lunch in the brewery's courtyard.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Food
- Views
- History
Museum · Markt and Burg
5.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. It is aimed at families and works well on a rainy afternoon.
Time your visit around the chocolate-making demonstration, which runs several times a day.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Food
- Rainy day
Museum · Markt and Burg
6.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.
Visit just before lunch and eat the frites in the vaulted cellar afterwards.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Food
- Rainy day
Museum · Dijver
7.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. A private oratory looks directly into the choir of the Church of Our Lady next door.
Don't miss the oratory window into the Church of Our Lady; it shows how the lords attended Mass privately.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
_(4).jpg){kind=link}
Religious site · 't Zand
8.St. Salvator's Cathedral
Bruges's oldest parish church became its cathedral in the 19th century. The brick interior holds Flemish tapestries, carved choir stalls with the coats of arms of the Order of the Golden Fleece and a treasury of religious art.
It lies on the walk between 't Zand and the Markt, so drop in as you pass.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Historic site · Sint-Anna
9.Kruisvest windmills
Four windmills stand on the grassy ramparts along the Kruisvest on the eastern edge of the old town. Sint-Janshuismolen still grinds flour and is open to visitors in the warmer months. The rampart path is a pleasant walk or ride with views over the canal ring.
Walk or cycle the ramparts from the Kruispoort gate north to the windmills in the late afternoon light.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
- Active
Religious site · Sint-Anna
10.Jerusalem Chapel and Lace Centre
The Adornes family built this unusual 15th-century private chapel, modelled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, with a replica of Christ's tomb in the crypt. Next door, the Lace Centre explains the history of Bruges bobbin lace, and lacemakers often demonstrate the craft.
Check when lace demonstrations are held and plan your visit around them.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Off the beaten path
- History
- Art
Waterfront · Sint-Gillis and Langerei
11.Langerei and Spiegelrei canal walk
From the Jan van Eyckplein, with its statue of the painter and the old customs house, the Spiegelrei and Langerei canals lead north through quiet streets of merchant houses and bridges. It is the best walk to see Bruges without the crowds.
Walk it early in the morning, when the water is still and reflections are at their best.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Groeningemuseum, Church of Our Lady, Old St. John's Hospital and Choco-Story |
| History | Belfry of Bruges, Burg and City Hall, Basilica of the Holy Blood and Groeningemuseum |
| Views | Belfry of Bruges, Canal boat tour, Rozenhoedkaai and De Halve Maan Brewery |
| Outdoors and nature | Begijnhof and Minnewater, Kruisvest windmills and Langerei and Spiegelrei canal walk |
| Food and markets | De Halve Maan Brewery, Choco-Story and Frietmuseum |
| After dark | Markt and Rozenhoedkaai |
| With children | Canal boat tour, Choco-Story and Frietmuseum |
| On a rainy day | Burg and City Hall, Basilica of the Holy Blood, Groeningemuseum and Old St. John's Hospital |
What to book ahead
- 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.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Bruges?
Markt. The main square is framed by colourful step-gabled guild houses, the neo-Gothic Provincial Court and the Belfry, with a statue of the medieval rebel leaders Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck in the middle.
+What can you do for free in Bruges?
Markt, Basilica of the Holy Blood, Begijnhof and Minnewater, Rozenhoedkaai and Bonifacius Bridge and Arentshof. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Bruges when it rains?
Head indoors to Burg and City Hall, Basilica of the Holy Blood, Groeningemuseum and Old St. John's Hospital.
+What is there to do in Bruges at night?
Markt and Rozenhoedkaai are best after dark.