Bruges (Brugge) charms visitors with its stunning architecture, cozy cafés, and the cobblestone pathways that crisscross its tranquil canals.Whether you choose to explore Bruges by taking a walk along its streets, a horse carriage ride, a canal boat tour, or a bike tour – you will be able to get a glimpse of the many charming facets of this fairytale Belgian town.
We decided to discover Bruges over two days on foot, bike, canal boat, and even the horse carriage ride.
Each of these ways allowed us to experience Bruges from different perspectives, making our visit to Bruges memorable.
Here’s a list of the ways in which you can choose to explore Bruges and discover its hidden gems.
Get oriented to Bruges by taking a horse-carriage ride:
After arriving in Bruges, one of the best ways to get oriented to the city is by taking the horse carriage ride. These rides were easy to find in the Markt Square and cost us about 50€ total (for our family of four) for an hour-long tour around Bruges. My children absolutely loved the experience and the clink-clank of the horse’s hooves on the cobblestones added to the medieval charm of Bruges. The narration during the tour by the guide gave us a nice overview as well of the main attractions in the old city center and helped us get oriented to the city layout quickly.
Horse Carriage Ride, Bruges
Explore Bruges by strolling along the cobblestone streets and canals:
A leisurely stroll around Bruges is an ideal way to get acquainted with the city and discover its picturesque corners. Bruges is certainly a very walkable city (make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes) and walking around the town was my favorite way to explore this city. Our hotel staff was kind enough to provide us with a free map of the city and even suggested various walking itineraries for exploring the city. You can always pick up the city map from the Tourist Information office located in Markt Square or at the train station to plan your sightseeing route. Our walk around the town helped us come across chocolate shops, lacework shops, waffle vendors, and talented street-side performers. The best way to wrap up each of our sightseeing days was by taking an evening stroll after dinner around the town.
Walk along the canals of Bruges and discover its hidden gems
Discover Bruges by taking the canal boat tour:
Most of the tourists visiting Bruges have a ‘canal boat tour’ as a must-do during their visit to Bruges. It’s no wonder that the lines for these canal boat tours get quite long, especially from the mid-morning to late afternoon hours. Plan on going early in the morning or later in the evening for the canal boat tour in order to avoid the lines. The tickets for these tours can be purchased when you arrive at the boat tour wharf itself. The boat rides run till about 5 pm so make sure you plan accordingly. While planning our visit, I found that the web page Bruges by Boat provided very helpful information about the timings and departure points for the boat tours. To add a special touch to our boat experience, we purchased a box of Belgian chocolates before hopping on our boat tour and enjoyed munching the famous choco-delights as we took in the stunning views of the city.
Canal Boat Tours are a popular way to explore Bruges
Canal Boat Tour in Bruges
Explore the city (and countryside) like the locals do – by bike :
Lastly, if you plan to stay for 1-2 days in Bruges, then another great way to explore the city is by taking a bike tour. There are city bike tours as well as countryside bike tours offered by bike tour companies around town. We found biking around Bruges quite easy as the traffic, in general, was not too much (of course you have to always watch out for pedestrians). It reminded us of our relaxing biking experience in Salzburg and Zaanse Schans. Biking in Bruges was one of the highlights of our trip to Bruges for my children. While I would have loved to take both the city bike tour as well as the countryside tour, our schedule didn’t allow for both types of tours. So we ended up opting for the morning city bike tour.
I had booked our bike tour with Quasimundo Bike Tours before departing from home and we had a great experience. The reason I had booked this particular bike tour company was that it had been recommended by the Rick Steves guidebook and had great reviews on various forums as well. This bike tour company also offered different bike tour itineraries to choose from which was ideal. Moreover, since their office was located about 5 mins walk from the hotel we were staying at, it turned out to be very convenient for our 10 am departure for the tour. Our guide took us along the back alleys of Bruges, explained the history of Bruges as we cycled past the town’s squares, its churches, the moat, and the windmills around the city center. The tour also included a stop at the oldest Beer pub in town – Vlissinghe.
I would say in all, what a delightful way to experience the city!
Bike Tour in Bruges
To get more information about how to reach Bruges and about our itinerary for the two days we spent in Bruges, don’t forget to read our comprehensive guide, Two Perfect Days In Bruges, Belgium. Whether you choose to visit Bruges on a weekend getaway or as a day trip from nearby cities like London, Amsterdam or Brussels, one thing is for sure – Bruges will manage to charm you with its picturesque setting and stunning architecture.
We fell in love with Bruges during our first visit and can’t wait to return to this amazing city. I hope you have a memorable time in this quaint Belgian city during your visit as well.
To learn more about things to do during your visit to Bruges, read my post 30 Things To Do In Bruges In 48 hours.
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Hello ! I’m Aditi …..
Welcome to Land Of Travels – a travel blog that my husband Manish and I started to share our travel stories and travel tips. We are full-time professionals, dedicated parents, foodies, and it is our shared passion for traveling that lead us to become part-time bloggers.
I was born and brought up in Northern India, lived in Bay Area, California for nearly two decades and currently reside in Ontario, Canada. Since childhood, I’ve always had a passion to travel far & wide and experience different cultures. I am passionate about planning our trips and exploring off-the-beaten-path destinations.
My sincere hope is that the travel tips offered on this blog will help you plan your next memorable adventure.
Happy travels!
~ Aditi Sharma ~
This looks like a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to visit this area with the family
I found Bruges such a romantic city. I can’t believe how small it is! This post makes me want to go back… possibly in the autumn time!
I love such rustic and quaint towns and therefore Burges looks my cup of tea. I would really take those horse carriage rides and stroll on the cobbled stoned streets. Canal boat tours also look a great way to admire the beauty of this wonderful city.
Bruges is so cool. Tourist spots look very close in distance. Happy to be there going around the city with bicycle
It’s a charming city and so walkable. Thanks for visiting the post.
What a great guide, it looks like you guys did this right. I made the mistake of only spending an afternoon in Bruges. I really loved walking around the city but felt very rushed. I think I would need at least 3 days to see all the beauty of Bruges. Hopefully I can go back and see what I missed.
Bruges is the perfect stop to relax and slow down during an otherwise busy trip around Belgium/ Europe. We loved being able to spend 2 days in Bruges, given another day – would have surely explored the countryside as well. Glad you enjoyed reading the guide.
Bruges is such a wonderful city! This post takes me back to my trip years ago. Thanks for sharing!
Bruges seems to be a laid back and beautiful city. Loved the horse carriage ride..feels like the old days. Great when kids are a part and enjoy the place.
Bruges looks amazing! I am hoping to make my way back to Belgium soon– will pin this post for later!
Great tips! Hoping to visit soon. Saving this and your 30 things to do post to help me plan my trip.
Thank you – I am glad you found the posts helpful. Wish you a lovely trip to Bruges.
Oh my goodness, the architecture in Bruges is stunning! Loved looking at these photos and getting inspiration!
Glad you enjoyed reading the post.
Oh I love the idea of doing the carriage tour! My parents actually used to do them in Orkney, and yet I’ve never done it in a city, but I always see the photos of them in Bruges and it looks like a wonderful city to do that in! Bruges is on my list in any regard!!
It is a lovely city indeed. The horse carriage was such a relaxing way to get oriented to the city.
I’ve never visited Bruges before! Definitely bringing this guide along when I finally make it there. Thank you for the tips! I want to explore by bike particularly.
Exploring by bike was so much fun – I would love to take the countryside tour next time we visit Bruges. Thanks for visiting the post
Your photos of Bruges are so lovely. I think Belgium as a whole is so underrated. I’d love to explore to Bruges and I think my husband would love the architecture, too. The bike tour seems like a perfect way to see the city!
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed reading the post – Bruges is a lovely city indeed. I would love to return to Belgium to explore it some more – it is a beautiful country.
Bruges is one of my favourite cities for a day trip. It’s so walkable and such lovely shops.
I love this guide you’ve put together. I visited Bruges last year and absolutely loved it. I only spend half a day here before I moved on to Ghent, but I really wish I’d had more time. You’ve got some great tips and ideas here, I love it.
I’ve only heard wonderful things about Bruges but never had the opportunity to visit. It seems like quite a charming city. Great way to explore the city on bikes. Hope to visit and get lost in the cobblestone streets and canals soon.
We fell in love with Bruges – such a delightful town. Hope you have a lovely time when you visit Bruges. Thanks for visiting our blog.
I loved Bruges when I visited years ago – my favourite experience was the bike tour, outside of the city and I went with the same tour company too! Such a great experience seeing the countryside and the windmills. I’ll have to try the boat tour next time!
I am looking forward to taking the countryside tour the next time we visit Bruges. We loved the city tour with this company as it was fun and informative. So nice to hear about your experience as well. Thanks for visiting our blog.
My grandfather is from Belgium and I would love to visit and explore the beautiful country! I think the bike tour would be my favourite way to get around.
We loved exploring Bruges on foot, bike, horse carriage and canal boats. Each way offers such a different perspective of this charming city. During the next trip we’ll definitely try to explore the countryside as well by bike. Loved Bruges, it’s a delightful place. Thanks for visiting the blog.
Bruges is truly adorable! I love everything about it, especially the canals, the quaint alleys and the cherry beer! 😀
Yes it is really such a charming place. We loved our visit there. Thanks for visiting our blog.
The canal boat tour, seems like it’d be so relaxing and a great way to see Bruges from a different perspective. I really must make it a point to visit.
Yes indeed the canal boat tour is an amazing way to explore Bruges. Hope you have a wonderful time when you visit this adorable Belgian town. Thanks for visiting our blog.
Bruges always makes me think of the movie “In Bruges.” The canals look amazing so I could see how a cruise through them is a must. It also looks like a great town to bike around.
Exploring Bruges is relaxing in a most welcome way – it’s such a charming town. We loved biking around the town and also the canal boat tour. Thanks for visiting the blog.
Bruges is one of my favorite places! What a great guide on how to explore Bruges. The bike tour looks like a ton of fun and I hope to get back there one day to do a canal tour!
Glad you enjoyed reading the post. Indeed, it’s a joy to explore this charming town. I wish you a wonderful trip to Bruges. Thanks for visiting our blog.
Bruges is so pretty, I loved my trip there. Doing a boat trip is such a good idea isn’t it – you get to see so much x
Definitely! The boat tour offers such a different perspective of this charming city. We loved it! Thanks for visiting the blog.
I have never heard of Bruges before but it seems so quaint and relaxing. A great getaway for sure!
Indeed Bruges is such a charming Belgian city. We loved it there and can’t wait to return. Thanks for visiting our blog.