Bruges holidays

Canal tour

A brilliant way to start your holiday and introduce yourself to all that Bruges has to offer is with a boat tour along the town’s historic canals. The boats have their own multilingual guides who’ll be able to give you an excellent overview of the town’s history. Gliding through the town by boat is a completely different from experiencing it on foot. Travelling on the canals also means you’ll be able to see some places which would otherwise be unreachable.

Shopping

The cornerstone of Bruges as a town is its historic marketplace called Grote Markt. The market square is surrounded by medieval-style buildings and is a very charming place to shop. There are a great selection of chocolate shops dotted around the square, as well as special boutique beer shops that sell Belgian Beer in gift packs for you to take home. If you want to buy some local arts and crafts, there are also a brilliant selection of shops which sell work produced by local artists.

Art gallery

If you’re an art lover then a brilliant place to visit is the Groeningemuseum which is Bruges’ top art gallery. The gallery has 11 rooms packed with a fantastic collection of Flemish and Renaissance works. The gallery’s collection spans six centuries and includes paintings by Jan van Eyck and Marcel Broodthaers. As well as the gallery’s permanent collection, it holds regular temporary exhibitions of highly regarded art.

Classical music

Bruges is home to the world-class concert hall, the Concertgebouw Brugge, which plays host to the Brussels Philharmonic and some world-renowned musicians like Steven Isserlis. The hall also holds regular contemporary dance shows. If you want to combine your concert with a meal, the hall offers the chance to have food specially prepared at a local restaurant.

Bruges ballooning

If you’re travelling with your partner, a romantic way to see the city is on one of the daily hot-air balloon flights. The flights offer stunning views of the historic city from hundreds of metres up in the air.