In Bruges | Quaint, Charming & Ethereal 😍

Wonderful day trip, but a serious over indulgence of… 🧇🍫🍻

Setting the scene

Another ‘Anywhere trip’ on Skyscanner brought me to Brussels for a few nights, so I decided to take a trip out to Bruges for the day. My perception of Bruges was always that it was a cute place you would visit with your spouse or partner. However, since those are thin on the ground these days, I went solo & loaded up on all of the good stuff, Belgian Beers, Fries, Waffles & Chocolates! Needless to say my Samsung Health Tracker calorie counter was surplus to requirements. I got the steps in though, so surely it all balances out?

About Bruges…

Bruges is the capital of West Flanders in Belgium & is a World heritage site with UNESCO. It’s origins stretch all the way back to a Julius Caesar conquest & was a really important coastal settlement for trade etc!

Between the 12th & 15th centuries Bruges went through a significant period of growth & innovation, attracting all sorts of wealth & traders. Onwards from here Bruges fell behind Antwerp as an economic power (I would love to visit Antwerp, any recommendations welcome 😊).

During both World Wars Bruges was occupied by Germany, although it wasn’t destroyed like a lot of other cities. Today it is an absolutely stunning place, with bendy narrow streets, beautiful canals, historic monuments & awesome architecture. I promised honesty in this blog, so want to call out that the city is very popular & subsequently extremely busy. I went in October, so it may be more quiet if you want to brave the cold in Winter. It was still an incredible experience, however if you aren’t comfortable with really busy crowds etc Bruges may be a little overwhelming.

Story time 🏰

An absolute must visit is the Bruges Beer Experience, there are a lot of rip off places, so I am sharing the link to the actual one here . Usual caveats apply, I am not on commission for this recommendation, but if the boss sees it & wants to send me some free beers, sign me up 😂. They have 16 different beers in the bar & you get 4 for 10 euros, which in Bruges is exceptional value.

They are not full pints, but you get a little paddle of 4 & the % of them is really high. I decided I was going to complete all 16, as they say, when in Bruges! This was not one of my brighter ideas, by the time I stumbled out, I almost missed the tour bus back to Brussels. If you are going to do this, do it at the end of your day so it doesn’t ruin your sightseeing etc.

I could ramble on for pages & pages about the chocolate! As I went to go into a little chocolate shop a friendly local started talking to me & advised that shop had counterfeit chocolate, not to waste my money. “No good, I show you good place”. Now I may look like a dimwit, but I am usually good at spotting scams. To me, chocolate is chocolate, so I went in anyway, turns out the gent was right, it was pretty grim! He explained that there are authentic stores as part of a collection of chocolatiers, that have a little sign outside the window. I will share the sign in the photos. The chocolate in there is next level 😍

Some photos of the trip…

  • Rozenhoedkaai canal panorama view
  • Beer Museum
  • Beer Museum
  • The beginning of the end
  • Street Performer
  • Random canal
  • Random canal
  • Beautiful Holy building
  • Random canal
  • Some famous building according to the tour guide
  • Some famous bridge according to the tour guide
  • Sign of chocolate authenticity (Image from Google)

Where to eat & drink? 🍻🍽️

The food in this place was nothing to write home about, however it’s a set menu, at a decent price, with quick service & the best pint of Leffe I found in Belgium. It was called Brasserie Rozenhoedkaai & It also has the most stunning view of the famous Quai du Rosaire / Rozenhoedkaai upstairs on the first floor. If you don’t fancy the food, just pretend you are going to the loo upstairs to get a photo of the view!

Getting around 🚕

I only stayed in the city centre & everything is within walking distance. They do have horse & carriage, which I wouldn’t take, however I must say the horses seemed a lot better looked after than other places I have been. If you wanted to travel out to the Pier/ waterfront , I would recommend taking an Uber.

What is coming next? 🤔

Next up I will be posting travel guides for some domestic places ahead of Summer! The UK is awesome when the sun comes out, for that whole week once a year. Next weeks post is on Knutsford & Tatton Country Park, which has been my favourite post to write & I will have a very important poll for you, you won’t want to miss it! Then there will be a mini series on spots in the Peak District & more historical places like Chester, Edinburgh & York. I would love to take any recommendations in the comments, if I can get there by bus, train or plane, I will go 🤠

Hit subscribe to get notified when the post goes live, thanks for reading through as always, if you have any questions drop me a comment & I will get back to you as soon as possible ❤️

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Author: Tyler the Tartan Traveller

First time blogger | Aspiring Piano Aficionado | Lover of all things Travel, Food, Music & Sports |

12 thoughts on “In Bruges | Quaint, Charming & Ethereal 😍”

    1. Hey Clazz,

      Thanks for reading my post!

      Yeah Bruges was stunning, definitely recommend making the trip, the place with those Beers also had a museum of beer in it too so a really cool spot & it’s in the middle of the city. Look forward to reading your post if you guys make it 😊

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      Reply

      1. Sadly, the closest I’ve gotten is seeing the Colin Farrell movie.

        But, I do enjoy a good beer!

        I take it Stella Artois and Belgian Fat Tire were not on tap there.

        Hey Tyler the Tartan Traveller, you ever Travel by way of a Spartan Prancer? 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hi Edmond, thanks for taking the time to read my post & hope you are well 😊

        I must admit I have not seen the movie, but recently watched something with them both in it & they have an incredible chemistry, so I must watch this one, especially considering I stole the title!

        Can’t remember if they had Fat Tire in that bar specifically, but I did have a bottle of it somewhere on the trip. Where did you try that beer? Unfortunately I haven’t been in a Prancer, but they are funky motors for sure, maybe one day when I get a license.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Hi Tyler,

    Belgian Fat Tire is sold all over San Diego. Not as popular as Stella though.

    I was just kidding about the Spartan Prancer. It is a made up car from Vacation 2015.

    It was just something about your blog name here that triggered my mind to think of it.

    Quite the hilarious movie if you ever get the chance to see it. The Albanian Spartan Prancer van is practically a character of it’s own right.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. They had a Stella in a lot of bars there that was unfiltered or unpasteurised or something like that, was very nice! It has become popular in the UK now.

      I didn’t realise it was made up, when I google it, looked like a really cool van & definitely big enough to go travelling in, haha you got me there! Well played 😊, I will definitely look out the movie this evening.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment & I will get back to you 🫡