Hand-made Belgian chocolates are very different from the ones we buy in the shops in the UK. Fresh ones contain no preservatives and use 100% cocoa butter and fresh cream. They are light and delicate and have a shelf life of about six weeks.

On the other hand factory-made Belgian chocolates will not be as subtle in their flavours nor as delicious.

The master chocolatier that created these fresh ones will have used all his skill to ensure the chocolate coating is as thin as possible so that the filling becomes the hero!

Having said that, you should not be afraid to order hand-made chocolates through mail order delivery. They travel well (except to hot climates) and will not last long enough to be kept in storage when you receive them!

Two shops in particular come to mind in offering a mail order delivery. Dumon - through his web site contact Chocobong - and The Old Chocolate House where you will deal directly with the owner Francoise.

The large new shop for Dumon is on Simon Stevinplein and this is just round the corner from The Old Chocolate House on Mariastraat
www.oldchocolatehouse.com/Assortment.html

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Okay - so I am addicted to Bruges and its' chocolates! I was back there again this last weekend and my wife travelled to Amsterdam with her friends and then stopped in Bruges on the way back.

So many people from the UK are going there to buy their chocolates and see the sights and it definitely is not too late to plan a trip. If I set off from London in my car I am in Bruges in less than four hours.

My wife and friends went to Simon Stevinplein as that is where the best selections of handmade pralines and figures are to be found.

www.oldchocolatehouse.com/NewItems.html

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I was here, yet again, last week to stock up on Belgian chocolates and figures for my children and to visit the Wednesday market in the main square and the Saturday market near the bus station.

Bruges is great at any time of the year but Easter is one of the best for the window displays and unusual, for us in the UK, chocolate gifts.

The nearby Simon Stevinplein and Mariastraat have the best chocolate shops in town.

Mariastraat #1 - just next to Simon Stevinplein
www.oldchocolatehouse.com/Map.html

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Simon Stevinpolein is fast becoming the place to go in Bruges to get the widest and best choice of fresh made Belgian chocolates at fair prices.

With the opening of the Dumon shop at the corner of Mariastraat (20 metres from The Old Chocolate House and across the square from The Chocolate Line), visitors to Bruges need look no further than this central area to find something excellent to take home with them for Easter.

Simon Stevinplein is in the heart of Bruges next to Mariastraat
www.oldchocolatehouse.com/Map.html

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The Chocolate Line shop in this square in the heart of Bruges is a store owned by its renowned chocolatier Dominique Persoone.

They have a fab Easter display at the moment full of hippy CND campervans and chocolate figures. Buy a unique piece of chocolate art here as a surprise gift.

Simon Stevinplein leads into Mariastraat and is just to the side of Sint Salvatore Cathedral.
This map will show you where
www.oldchocolatehouse.com/Map.html

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Just went over to Bruges and visited this great chocolate shop. It was a chilly morning and Francoise (Fa) Thomaes and Barbe Van Den Haute were serving fantastic hot chocolate in their first floor tea-room. A great big cup of Belgian chocolate hot milk in a floating island of chocolate filled with fresh cream!! On the side - fresh Belgian pralines from their chocolatier. Decadent and delicious!

I enjoy my visits here as they always help in choosing just the right selection for my daughter Joanna.

www.oldchocolatehouse.com/
+32 50 340 102
#1, Mariastraat - next to Simon Stevinple
Check out the map of the city to see how close everything is to the centre www.oldchocolatehouse.com/Map.html

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A family run chocolate shop in the centre of town selling fresh hand-made belgian pralines and many gift items. Run by Francoise and her daughter Barbe who are always kind and smiling. Will ship mail order to UK as well as other countries.

1. Mariastraat - next to Simon Stevinplein and 1 minute walk from Church of our Lady
www.oldchocolatehouse.com/Introduction.html

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If you love chocolate (and who visiting Belgium does not?), be sure to visit the Choco Story in the heart of Bruges.

It tells the history of chocolate and has hourly demonstrations of chocolate-making plus, of course, the chance to sample!

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Why not visit De Proeverie in Katelijnestraat. It is a delightful coffee shop. Their speciality is hot chocolate served the Belgian way with frothy milk and melted chocolate and whipped cream which you add yourself. It is out of this world. If that wasn't enough, it comes with a few chocolates from the chocalatier in the street opposite.

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If you wish to buy the best chocolate at reasonable prices, then the only place to go is The Chocolate Factory shop. You can taste before you buy and also watch the products being hand made.

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Visit De Proeverie Tea-Room, Katelijnestraat 6, for the best hot chocolate you will ever taste!

It is a fabulous little tea room with delicious cakes and chocolate taster plates from Sukerbuyc Chocolatiere, and you can buy more chocolates to take away at the Sukerbuyc Chocolatiere shop opposite when you've finished.

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When you visit the chocolate shops, buy the blocks of chocolate rather than the fancy boxes - it's much cheaper, tastes great and is particularly good for cooking!

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