Just spent a lovely weekend in Bruges, you just must take make the canal boat trip. All the restuarants we ate in were great but I would especially recommend the Maximillian which faces towards the Lake of Love.

The horse drawn carriage ride sounds a bit tacky but its great fun, about €35 for a 30-minute ride, the Bruges people are very forward about asking for tips! Look for special offers in the museums.

We stayed at the Boat hotel de Barge, great quirky place, the bedrooms were surprisingly spacious, and very clean and airy with views over the canal. Bird watchers delight, with Barnacle Geese tapping on the windows as you breakfast, from the canal they can see what you are eating! Great fun and good value all round.

I was most impressed by the hotel booking information provided by the online booking agent and easy navigation of the whole site. We booked with Just one hotel who have a website dedicated to Bruges.

www.brugeshotels.co.uk
0141 270 2170
Google map: tinyurl.com/2utqxj8

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Hire a bike from Bruges station for the day (you'll need a passport as ID) and head for the village of Damme.

Cycle along quiet tree-lined canals and stop in Damme for a coffee or lunch. Then continue along more traffic-free tree-lined canals, popping into the odd village along the way.

Bike hire is very reasonable at about 15 euros for the day.

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Make the effort to take a local bus (every half hour) from the bus station, to the small Dutch town of Sluis - only just over the border. Well worth the visit, lots of bargains and don't forget the Windmill restaurant.

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Be there on a Wednesday - it is the open market day for a veritable smorgasbord experience.

Take a trip on the canals and a horse & carriage ride. Visit the lace making shops to witness the results of a near-miraculous craft.

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At 3 o'clock in the Burg Square you are suddenly enveloped in a cloud of teenage cyclists tilting over the cobbles, through the opposite arch and away.

School's out and existential crisis for the RAC - the irrelevant car.

Stately matrons trundle through the market, bells ring furiously at chocolate-hunting pedestrians on the Wollenstraat bridge. Time to worship in the temple of homemade rolls and cakes, Het Dagelijks Brood [The Daily Bread].

Lose the calories first? Just follow the Sluis Canal to the open sea at Zeebrugge on your hired bike. Did I mention the train?

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Don't stay in Bruges the whole weekend - Ghent has just as many fun things to do, beautiful things to see, a superb modern art museum and a pub with a Barbie doll chandelier. Much more fun!

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Take a bike trip for the day around Bruges and the countryside. Its a great way to get around and stopping off for a waffle is a great way to recharge the batteries

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Try and spend a Friday in Bruges near the city hall in the Grand Place.

All residents of Bruges must be married in a civil ceremony conducted in the city hall in the Grand Place. There may be a religious blessing after.

Find a bench or low wall and watch the wedding parties arriving at the city hall by horse drawn vehicles, cars, buses or, accompanied by the rustle of fine wedding ensembles, on foot.

Check on the list of wedding times posted on a wall under the archway of the city hall in case you should hit a slack time.

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Head to the market square where you'll find beautiful mouth watering chocolate shops, delicate Belgian lace shops and the best chips and mayo in Belgium.

Just don't go during school Battlefield trip season - else the chocs and chips will all have disappeared.

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When arriving at Bruges station it is only a short walk through the city to the canals, so rather than take a taxi, pick up a map from the tourist information centre at the station and take a stroll through Bruges towards the main square.

Enjoy an one and a half hour canal trip for approximately 5 Euros, and see the sights of Bruges from the water.

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A caleche is a great way to see the sites of Bruges when you’re limited for time.

The guides seem really informed and friendly. The best time to go is late afternoon when the crowds have dispersed. And don’t worry about the welfare of the horses either, they only work one or two days a week and are well looked after in the meantime.

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You must visit Burg Square in Bruges and taste Peter's Frits' - they are unique and delicious!

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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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