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Things to See & Do
Guide to Sightseeing in Brugge
 The
Markt
In the Markt (Market Square), heraldic banners float from venerable
facades. This square, along with the Burg , is the heart of Bruges
and the focal point of your sightseeing. Most major points of
interest in the city are no more than 5 or 10 minutes' walk away.
The sculpture group in the center of the Markt depicts a pair of
Flemish heroes, butcher Jan Breydel and weaver Pieter de Coninck.
The two led an uprising in 1302 against the wealthy merchants and
nobles who dominated the guilds, then went on to win an
against-all-odds victory over French knights later that same year in
the Battle of the Golden Spurs. The small, castle-like building
called the Craenenburg (it's now a restaurant), on the corner of
Sint Amandstraat at Grote Markt, was used to imprison Crown Prince
Maximilian of Austria in 1482. In exchange for that humiliation,
Maximilian later on exacted a penalty from the citizens of Bruges
that added a note of pure beauty to the city: He obliged them to
keep swans in the canals forever. The large neo-Gothic Provinciaal
Hof (Provincial Palace House) dates from the 1800s and houses the
government of the province of West Flanders.
The Burg
 The
Markt's little brother in many respects, the Burg is Bruges's other
picturesque square and offers a more authentic slice of city life.
Like its larger neighbour the square contains many examples of the
perfectly preserved medieval and Renaissance architecture that makes
Bruges so special.
Formerly the Burg was the site of the St Donatian Cathedral but this
was destroyed in one of the city's uprisings (this one in the 18th
century). Today the square's tall buildings house more mundane
concerns and are home to shops selling gifts and souvenirs to the
tourist crowds that throng around the Stadhuis (town hall) and the
Burg's other architectural attractions. The quaint pavement bars
here are the best place in the city to sit with a beer, soak up the
fragrance of the flowers on sale, and watch Bruges go about its
business.
Church of Our
Lady
The city's most interesting church contains as many significant
works of art as anywhere in the city. The painting of the
crucifixion by Antony Van Dyck is impressive enough but even this
pales against Michelangelo's moving Madonna and Child marble. As the
church literature will tell you, this was the only piece of
Michelangelo's that left Italy in the artist's lifetime and is
arguably still his finest work to be seen outside his home country.
There are also several notable memorials to be seen in and around
the church, with the undoubted centrepiece being the bronze tombs of
Charles the Bold (15th-century Duke of Burgundy) and his daughter
Mary of Burgundy. Excavations have also uncovered some 13th-century
tombs which, unusually, are decorated inside with beautiful
frescoes. The exterior of the church is as impressive as the
interior. Built in the Gothic style its central spire reaches 122m
into the Bruges sky, making it a noticeable landmark wherever you
are in the city.
Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk. Mariastraat.
Open: Tue-Sat 09h30-12h30 & 13h30-17h00 (Sat until 16h00); Sun
13h30-17h00.
Admission to the church: free. Admission to the Altar of Charles the
Bold and painted tombs: EUR2.50 (free with admission to the
Gruuthuse Museum nextdoor).
Basilica of
the Holy Blood
Notable from the outside for its curiously mismatched architectural
style (the higher and lower levels contrast markedly), the basilica
is named for its prize relic - a phial containing a few drops of
Christ's blood which found its way to Belgium almost 1,000 years
ago.
The sacred blood itself is closely guarded. It is housed within a
crystal container that is itself kept within an ornate gold
reliquary - in which it is annually paraded through Bruges's
streets. Most of the time the relic can be viewed in a small
anteroom. The cathedral is well worth a few photos in its own right,
the exterior, complete with gilded statues of angels is one of the
finest preserved Roman-Gothic façades in Europe.
Heilig Bloed Basiliek. Burg 10.
Open: daily 09h30-11h50 & 14h00-17h50 (Apr-Sep); 10h00-11h50 &
14h00-15h50 (Oct-Mar).
Admission: free.
Groeninge
Museum
Bruges's premier art museum, the Groeninge houses a superb
collection of works covering the whole spectrum of art from the
Middle Ages to the present day. Renaissance and baroque
interpretations of Flemish primitive art form the cornerstone of the
collection, but there's a great deal more to see in the many rooms
of what is an ironically unimpressive building.
Although there are works by various notable international artists,
the museum concentrates mainly on Belgian and Dutch art, and follows
the various movements that have influenced local artists throughout
history. Religious iconography is particularly well represented in
the museum, as are the Old Masters, including Jan Van Eyck and
Hiëronymus Bosch. Lovers of Modern Art will not be disappointed,
however, with luminaries of the Symbolist and Expressionist
movements well represented along with contemporary artists in
permanent and temporary exhibitions. Names to look out for include
René Magritte and Rik Wouters.
Dijver 12.
Open: Tue-Sun 09h30-17h00.
Admission: EUR8.
 The
Belfry
Unrivalled views of Bruges and beyond are the reward for climbing
the belfry (Belfort) tower's 366 steps leading up from the Markt. A
winding path of tourists from top to bottom is the norm during
summer months but patience is well rewarded with the classical
picture postcard vista of the city and its main sights laid out
below you.
Constructed in the 13th century and one of the most intricately
designed of Bruges's many detailed buildings, the Belfort is the
former home of the city treasury. Now its most treasured artefact is
the 47-bell carillon, added in the 18th century and still played
daily (on an almost endless basis, it sometimes seems).
Markt.
Open: Tue-Sun 09h30-17h00.
Admission: EUR5.
Choco-Story
Whether or not you have chocoholic tendencies, the chocolate museum
provides a fascinating account of the history of one of the world's
most addictive foodstuffs, taking visitors right back to the
earliest known preparation of chocolate by the ancient Olmecs in
Belize around 600BC. Exhibits follow the story of chocolate, from
its popularity among the Aztecs - who mixed it with blood as an
offering to the Gods and used cocoa beans as currency - through
Cortez's introduction of the recipe for drinking chocolate to Spain
in 1528 and its gradual infiltration into European high society.
Chocolate became a sign of status, epitomised in the exclusive
private English chocolate clubs of the 17th century, where
aristocratic men would meet to discuss politics and the like over a
steaming cup of cocoa. It wasn't until the 19th century that it
became common practice to eat - rather than drink - chocolate, and
Belgium was at the forefront of inventing new ways of eating the
delicacy, the greatest breakthrough coming about in 1912 when Jean
Neuhaus produced the first Belgian pralines.
Once you've toured the museum, there's an opportunity to watch a
demonstration of praline making (held every few minutes) and,
finally, to taste the end product.
Sint-Jansplein.
Open: daily 10h00-17h00.
Admission: EUR5.
The Halve Maan
Brewery
Despite the way it sounds, the name of this historical brewery means
'Half Moon' and is not a reference to pint-sized people or even the
perils of incapacity brought on by too much drink. When founded in
1564 it was actually called "The Moon" but somewhere along the line
the name waned away to the "Half Moon".
There are no half measures about the pedigree of this establishment
however. Its insistence on being at the forefront of innovation saw
the introduction of bottled beer ahead of its time in the first few
years of the 20th century and its beers are among the best in the
country. There is an entertaining exhibition space in the museum
where you can see the gigantic copper pipes and mash tuns that are
used in the beer-making process and learn the techniques that go
into the Belgian mastercraft of brewing. Still very much a working
brewery, daily tours of the facility culminate in a tasting session.
Walplein 26.
Open: Mon-Fri 11h00-16h00, Sat-Sun 11h00-17h00 (Apr-Oct); Mon-Fri
11h00-15h00, Sat-Sun 11h00-16h00 (Nov-Mar).
Cost: EUR4.
The Town Hall
 Situated
on the Burg, Bruges's town hall (Stadhuis) is one of the oldest in
Europe, having been built between 1376 and 1420. Like much of the
city it is a triumph of Gothic architecture with over-elaborate
buttresses adorning its entire front façade. Also, like a lot of the
city's older structures, this venerable municipal building is
another whose history includes vandalism at the hands of the French
army.
Today, the Stadhuis's ornate carvings and superior stonework survive
and are among the city's most memorable sights. A partial rebuilding
of the interior in the late 18th century restored much of its glory,
and the murals that depict the city's history date from around this
period. Look out too for the medieval carved ceiling of the council
chamber.
Burg 12.
Open: Tue-Sun 09h30-17h00.
Admission: EUR2.50.
St
Janshuismolen and the City Walls
 A
pleasant, kilometre-long walk from the centre, overlooking the
Kanaal Brugge-damme, is a line of four windmills, the archetypal Low
Countries scene.
The St Janshuismolen dating from the 1770s is the only remaining
original windmill of the many which surrounded the Bruges city walls
from the 13th to 18th centuries. Formerly used to make flour, its
function is now purely decorative, though its sails are regularly
set in motion and it makes for an excellent picnic or photograph
spot.
The other three windmills that neighbour it were moved from
elsewhere and rebuilt here during the 20th century. They are the
Bonne Chihre Mill, originally from Olsene, the Coeleweymolen, and
the Nieuwe Papegaai. The windmills are open to visitors in summer
but are a picturesque sight at any time of year.
Gruuthuse
Museum
 As
much an attraction for the building itself as for the artefacts it
contains, the Gruuthuse Museum is housed in the former palace of the
Lords of Gruuthuse. Dating from the 15th century, the building is a
superb example of the lavish architecture and interior décor of its
time, with beautifully grand fireplaces and heavy oak panelling.
Inside, pride of place goes to a number of enormous 17th-century
tapestries, along with Gothic furniture, baroque art and silverware
and ceramics from the 15th to 18th centuries. There'a a particularly
grisly collection of ointments and pictures of unusual conditions in
the medical room, and even a guillotine bought by the Bruges
authorities from France to keep its citizens on the straight and
narrow. It is quite clear just how eminent the former inhabitants of
the house were: they had a chapel in the house with its own private
window overlooking the interior of the Church of Our Lady nextdoor.
Dijver 17.
Open: Tue-Sun 09h30-17h00.
Admission: EUR6, adults; EUR4, children.
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