http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20877
The city streets are beautifully decked out with twinkling lights and window displays and the main and smaller squares like Market Square and Simon Stevinplein have their stalls selling all kinds of gift, food and drink specialties. It’s a picture book / chocolate box place that you may wander and wonder around in the warmth of their hospitality and friendliness - and in safety.

My ideal 24 hours? I set off on a Friday afternoon straight down the M20 from London and directly into the Eurotunnel terminal from the motorway. Go to the toilet, buy a drink, drive onto the train – 25 minutes of rest – drive off the train, to the end of the tunnel road, turn right and just keep on straight for 55 minutes and there is the Bruges turn-off – 10 minutes later I am parked in the centre. Nothing could be easier and hardly needs a map or GPS!

If I just kept walking around the main central triangle of the city it would only take me some 15 minutes to do so – but there is so much to see that is worthwhile. Ice Skating in Markt, climb the Belfry, eat Flemish beer stew and photograph the canals and picturesque buildings as the sun sets and the sky glows. You are never far away from where your hotel is and it is so easy to take a small break to recuperate and re-energise!

Saturday is market day at Tzand (square next to bus station) – buy wonderful cheeses to take home; visit The Church of our Lady to see the Michelangelo Madonna with Child statue and take a canal boat trip, a museum visit or a romantic Horse and Carriage ride around the cobbled streets. Too much to do – so little time!

Now don’t forget those chocolates, those fresh cream pralines. Much much cheaper than the UK and guaranteed to produce sounds of delight (and quiet munching noises). I also buy ginger bread, chocolate figures and honey waffle biscuits.

Driving home; quickly visit a supermarket in Belgium for very good beer at low prices. Try a jar of Advocaat as this goes great on ice cream or Christmas pudding! Wine is also reasonable in price here.

… and it’s back to Coquilles to catch the train back home. Mission accomplished… Tired and very Happy!
Here’s a link to learn more oldchocolatehouse.com/links.html]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20877 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19780 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19780 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19278
A very small shop but apparently is world famous amongst chocolatiers. Well worth a visit. Black and white pictures of previous generations line the walls.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19278 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18910 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18910 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18713 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18713 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18578 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18578 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18376
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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18376 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18298
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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18298 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18179
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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18179 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18177
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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18177 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18176
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.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18176 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17894
I enjoy my visits here as they always help in choosing just the right selection for my daughter Joanna.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17894 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17423 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17423 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17362 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17362 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16491
A truly original and stylish gift to take back for the descerning chocolate-lover (actually, I can take or leave chocolate, but these are special).

The ladies behind the counter even gift-wrap their cheapest bars of chocolate for you without the sort of attitude one might expaect from such an institution. Shopping the old-fashioned way. Not cheap, but what do you expect?]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16491 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16420
The famous haunt of Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir has stunning internal décor and takes you back to another era. The food is delicious and if you are seeking the true Parisian experience then there is nowhere better to dine.

And, even if you end up alone there on Valentine's Day, indulging in their silky hot chocolate, at least the waiters know the way to a girl’s heart. Dessert on the house!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16420 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16262
It's a traditional teahouse - with fin-de-siecle decor and mouth-watering cakes on display cabinets by the entrance that will have even the most die-hard savoury fans entranced. It's on Rue de Rivoli, opposite Tuileries, so you can have a wander round the gardens and over to the river when you've had your fill.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16262 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16037
It tells the history of chocolate and has hourly demonstrations of chocolate-making plus, of course, the chance to sample!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16037 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16035 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16035 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16030 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16030