Brugge Destination Guide

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Shopping
Guide to Shopping in Brugge

People don't come to Bruges for the shopping. Having said that there are plenty of places to pick up tourist nick-nacks and even do some light browsing. Be aware that during Belgian public holidays shops may close.

Where to Shop

Best Areas

Where you shop in Bruges depends very much upon whether you are in the market for souvenirs or the kind of items one might find in any suburban mall. Despite its size, the city is clearly savvy to shop-happy tourists and does offer a relatively wide range of products from clothes to jewellery, though Bruges is never going to rival Brussels or Antwerp for choice.

Steenstraat is the main drag and is home to several upmarket boutiques and larger stores selling clothes and fashionable accessories. Nordzandstraat and Geldmundstraat lead off the north-east corner of the Markt and comprise a reasonable selection of shops - mainly clothing - among the cafés there. Geldmundstraat in particular has some quite trendy clothes shops, though there's not that much sign of people in Bruges actually wearing any of their cutting-edge fashions.

While Belgium is famed for its lace, such shops are not in proliferation in the centre; instead they are mainly found along Mariastraat in the city's southern area, below Simon Stevinplein. Wollestraat offers a good choice of souvenirs, including chocolates and beer.

Markets

While calling it a market may be stretching the term, weekend traders hawk their wares - costume jewellery, books, ornaments and the like - from the cobbled walkway overlooking the canal on Djiver at weekends.

Also at weekends, a larger food market is set up at 't Zand, a little square on the city's east side. Its hours are flexible but the market is generally open from around 07h30-14h00. The aptly named Markt hosts a food market on Wednesdays. A small flower market can be found in the Burg.

What to Buy

Dollies in lace pinafores sitting atop lace-decked tables in shops whose windows are hidden by intricate lace curtains... if it's lace you want, Bruges can certainly oblige. Perhaps just as surprising as the demand for lace is the price that some of it brings. Crafted Belgian articles sit alongside less specialised lace arrangements imported from the Far East. To the untrained eye the difference is only distinguished by the price.

It may not be the world's only Tintin shop, but Steenstraat's homage (Tintin, Steenstraat 3) to the Belgian cartoon star cannot be bettered in range, with everything from comic books to dinner plates and Tintin ties and shirts.

Also a speciality is, of course, chocolate, with confectioner's shops throughout the city - none more notable for their window displays than the tempting shops on Wollestraat. And of course there is beer in plentiful supply. Two neighbouring shops sell a bewildering array - literally hundreds of bottled brews including some interesting variations including various fruit-infused beers. These, again, are on Wollestraat: Woolstreet Co, at number 31 and Bottle Shop, at 13.

Opening Hours

In general, shops open from Mon-Sat 09h00-18h00/19h00. Stores in central urban areas may stay open later, until about 20h00. Note that some shops close for lunch between 12h00-14h00.

Tax Refund

Value Added Tax (TVA and BTW in Belgium) of 21% is added on to the price of all consumer goods and services. When leaving Belgium, tourists from outside the EU can apply for a tax refund on goods bought. In Belgium, the minimum purchase to qualify for a refund is EUR125.01, spent in one store.

To reclaim tax you need to request an itemised invoice, indicating the item, price and amount of tax. On departure from Belgium, take the items and invoice to the customs office to be stamped. Once home, send the stamped invoice to the store where you purchased the items, which will then send the tax refund to you.

Alternatively, you can purchase goods from shops participating in the Europe Tax-free Shopping (look out for the Global Refund logo displayed in the window). Simply show your passport when you make a purchase and you will be given a Global Refund Shopping cheque showing the refund you are owed. As you leave the country, you must get customs officials to stamp your cheques. You can then claim your refund from the Global Refund desk or have it forwarded to you. Note that not all shops participate in the refund scheme, so it is best to ask before you buy.

 

Map of Brugge


 

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