The word ‘Belgium’ is inextricably linked with ‘bureaucrat’ and the association doesn’t really do the country any favours. It conjures up images of dull grey skies, dull grey suits, interminable meetings and functional European buildings. Luckily for Belgium, it’s also got Bruges. Bruges reminds you that Belgium has a heart and soul beyond the machinations of the European Union. The medieval streets charm you into ever narrower alleys, beautifully restored timber and brick buildings cascade flowers from window boxes, and 100km of canals collude to entice you onto a cruise past secret gardens, gabled houses and under beautiful cobblestone bridges.
It’s one of those cities you can easily visit in a day, so whether you’re in Belgium for work or pleasure, make a detour to get here. These are the highlights you can’t miss:
Lay your hands on the blood of Christ
The Basilica of the Holy Blood is a gorgeous vision of stained glass and gilt, complete with a spectacular pulpit shaped like a celestial orb. Its trump card is that the chapel here also houses a phial reputedly containing the blood of Christ which was brought back during the crusades. It’s exhibited regularly throughout the day and believers can lay their hands on the casket containing the phial to pray.
Drink up
Some tourists in Bruges are here on a different pilgrimage altogether – a beer tour. Still, the monks who brew some of the beer would approve and Belgium is justly famous for the beverage. Visit the Halve Maan Brewery to get a glass of Zot (‘the fool’) beer on the house although be aware that this may inevitably lead to the sampling of several others in the bar, so the tour is perhaps best left until later in the day.
Should you wish to carry on after that, the t’Brugs Beertje bar has more than 300 Belgian varieties to sample (Kemelstraat 5) and even non-beer drinkers are bound to find a tipple to their taste. Beware; some of the brews are as strong as a wine.
Chocolate heaven
It may be as clichéd as clogs in Amsterdam, but Belgian chocolate is too good to miss. There are over 40 chocolate shops in the city, many with free samples or chocolate sculptures (some shop owners will virtually abduct you off the street to taste their produce).
Try a combination of a Belgian waffle with Belgian chocolate and kill two tourist ‘must-do’s’ with one stone at Laurenzino (Noordzandstraat 1) or go for obscure flavours such as garlic and olive oil or guacamole chocolate at The Chocolate Line; bizarrely, you can also purchase a chocolate lipstick or a device which fires chocolate up your nose like snuff here (www.thechocolateline.be).
Get on your bike
Bruges is not only flat, it also has some great canal-side bike trails. Bikes are easy to hire (some hotels and hostels have them) and at the Popelier Bike Shop (www.fietsenpopelier.be), they’ll even give you advice on where to go.
For extra romance (or a quick route to an argument about steering and pedalling), try a tandem. If you are in doubt about your navigational skills, take a guided tour with tour company Quasimundo past the best of Bruges’ windmills, fortifications, canals and backstreets. It beats relying on a disintegrating tourist map for directions (www.quasimundo.com).
Climb the belfry
Hit the Belfort belfry tower first to get your bearings in the city. It has dominated the market square in Bruges since 1482 at 83 metres high, with a step for every day of the year. Naturally, the view from the top is a stunner – and you’ll need the motivation of a fabulous vista as you near the top and the stairs narrow scarily.
Buy a Bruges City Card
If you plan to visit most of the major tourist sites, it is worth buying a city card for 48 or 72 hours (€34/€39). For the initial outlay, you get free access to 22 museums and attractions, including the belfry, art museums and the world’s largest chocolate museum, Choco-Story.
There’s also a free guide book, a free cruise on the canal and big discounts on other named attractions and museum shops (www.bruggecitycard.be). It’ll also encourage you not to get marooned in the bar sampling the beers, as you’ll want to get your money’s worth.
Wander the medieval centre
Bruges has been most carefully preserved through a combination of historical accident and modern design. There are no billboards and no tower blocks. Even the traffic is mostly kept out of the centre, with horse-drawn carriages making more noise than cars.
The duo of the Markt Square or the Burg Square are a good place to start from for fully gabled medieval photo opportunities; from here, just get lost in a maze of streets. Take a picnic and find a shady tree near a canal to watch everyone from nuns to yuppies go by.
Visit Damme
After all the chocolate, a six-kilometre stroll along the Damsevaart canal will be just the ticket to bring you to the 11th century village of Damme, which used to be Bruges’ harbour. The harbour silted up, which pulled the rug out from under the village economy, but left it beautifully preserved to enjoy now.