- Bruges
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Belgium
Discover an oasis of calm. Go to the Beguinage, a beautiful small green and shaded space flanked by distinctive white buildings and crossed with paths. Sisters of the religious St. Benedict order have taken the place of the former beguines of the former cloistered community. Its atmosphere is wonderfully serene.
The Begijnhof is just off Wijngaardplein and has a shop, church and small museum. There are signs asking people to be silent (though not always obeyed).
Restaurant In den Wittenkop run by a truly enthusiastic couple. Not an encyclopaedic range of beers but great advice and what they do have is worth trying.
Work up through the Rocheforts over some great food. Talk whisky after dinner and weave a merry way home. For chocs go to Pralinette, you can watch them being made in the back of the shop. Get the orange peel in chocolate!
Lovely big rooms in Hotel De Tuilereën, super spa facilities and winner of best breakfast in Benelux! Nice people, nice place. Oh, it’s got canals and museums as well.
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.
If you are on a low budget then you want somewhere cheap and clean to stay that is in the centre of things.
Look no further than the International Youth Hotel (not Hostel) in Langer Straat. You've got all the familiarity of being close by the city centre and a room-style reminiscent of the French motorway hotels like Formule 1 and Campanile.
It has shared ownership with the next-door dormitory-based Youth Hostel, so do not book the wrong one. Two years ago, the cost per head for a group of 20 of us was £12 per night, including meagre and just adequate breakfast, but no more than two rolls each please. Nice to find a place where average age was less than 30.
The railway station in Bruges is 2km from the city centre. If your bags are heavy or walking is a problem, save money on taxi fares by taking any bus from outside the station with the heading 'Centrum'.
The fare is 1.5 Euros and the driver will almost certainly speak English so ask to be alerted to get off at the ‘Markt’. You will alight at the most beautiful square in the city and hotels, bars and restaurants are plentiful. Most usefully you will be only a few yards from the Tourist Information Bureau.
If you want to impress without breaking the bank I recommend the Jan Brito Hotel. It’s a stylish 16th century building round the corner from the Berg Square, romantic canals and museums.
The Baroness de Giey package was great fun and value – three nights' bed and breakfast, transfers, boat trip and two very good dinners at a local restaurant – we were stuffed with lots of rich Belgian specialties including garlic snails. A snip at 275 euros per person at weekends.
We had a lovely evening recently in restaurant-brasserie Vivaldi in Wijngaardstraat 24 in Bruges.
It was a warm evening so we sat outside watching the horse-drawn carriages coming past. We had the local specialities, my wife had a pan full of mussels and I had Bruges filet steak. We also had the local brewed beer.
The quality of the food was very good and the price was reasonable - three-course dinner, drinks and coffee just under 70 euros for two people.
I think the best way to see the historical city of Bruges is on an open-top canal boat. Daily between March and mid November 10am to 6pm. Take a jumper or jacket as it can get chilly even on a sunny day!
Visit the Curiosa restaurant just off the market sqaure in Bruges - the traditional Flemish stew is amazing! If you are after something sweet, try the tea room a couple of doors away for the most beautiful, but reasonably priced, cream cakes to enjoy with a coffee.
Research the strengths of trappist beers before you imbibe!
My family lived in Bruges for a couple of years and my top tip there would have to be the Spinola restaurant on Spinola 1. It is cosy, friendly and great value for money.
Above all, the food is delicious and the best example of real Belgium food I experienced anywhere in Bruges. The restaurant is probably best visited in winter when its roaring fire and candle-lit tables offer consolation from the cold.
My advice would be to book for December and then follow your meal with a brief walk to the Markt where you can enjoy a skate on the temporary ice-rink and a comforting mug of warm wine.
Bruges is stunningly beautiful but to truly appreciate it, you need a hotel that is central but away from the main tourist area, with rooms at canalside level, by a picturesque old bridge, with a view of a chocolate shop and with a courtyard that is open air and allows you to feel that you're in a country palace.
The Hotel Ter Reien on Langestraat offers all of this, together with reasonable prices, friendly staff and a fantastic breakfast.
In a city famed for beer, you'll not find a friendlier bar than 't Brugs Beertje on Kemelstraat 5. Especially if you order a 'Kwak' and ask about its distinctive glass.
Watch out for mosquitoes! We enjoyed a great weekend in Bruges only marred by being eaten alive in our hotel room - you've been warned!
The concert hall in Bruges is a beautiful, contemporary venue with an impressive seasonal calendar of events. The performance I attended was a highlight of my trip. There are a range of tiny restaurants opposite the entrance where you can enjoy a pre-theatre meal - accompanied by a beer of course!
Try to see the Tapis de Fleurs in the Grande Place - and go up to the balcony on the Hotel de Ville to get a spectacular view of it - it's only there for a long weekend in August every other year, so blink and you'll miss it.
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.
2BE Beer Shop, Wollestraat. Classy bottled beer shop. Massive selection of beers, glasses etc. You can even buy a chocolate version of chips and mayo!
A city with canals and cathedrals. Walking should be fine to look around the city, or for those who are a little more active, there are many rent-a-cycle shops around.
Visit this charming canal city shortly before Christmas. The Christmas market is a joy, and your holiday shopping will be done before you know it.
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