Very much a tourist trap, Brugge in Belgium certainly justifies its popularity. Previously one of Europe’s key commercial centres, the wealth generated in its heyday financed the building of this pretty picture postcard city.

BRUGGE VISIT
For the definitive webguide to this city, look up the Toerisme Brugge Web Site. There you will discover everything from a virtual tour of the city to a hotel listing. Although we see no point in writing a comprehensive guide to Bruges, help with finding the Tourist Information Office follows along with some pictures of the city.
Tourist Information can be found in an old country house (Brugse Vrije) in Burg Square. This is a short distance to the South East of Markt Square, following Breidelstraat. Markt Square is relatively easy to find as the tall Belfry located on the South side is an unmistakeable landmark. It is also worth climbing the 366 steps for the view of Bruges.

At the Tourist Information you can buy a map/brochure of the city. The website quoted earlier has all of the maps and information from this brochure.

Brugge by boat

Tours by boat depart numerous locations close to the city centre between 10:00 hrs and 18:00hrs. In the Winter December to February they only run at weekends and Public Holidays.

Brugge by Horse-Drawn Cab

Horse-drawn cabs depart from Markt Square (except Wednesday morning:-Burg Square). A round trip lasts 30 minutes, including a short stop at the Beguinage.
City tour by Minibus
The Sightseeing Line run tours of the city with an audiovisual presentation in most languages. The round trip lasts 50 minutes.

Getting there

Train: There are connections to Brugge from all major Belgian cities. Bruxelles can be reached via TGV and Eurostar. Alternatively, there is a bus service from Lille’s Gare d l’Europe, which again is well served by both TGV and Eurostar trains. There is of course a train service from Lille to Bruges which takes 1hr 15 mins.

Car: Close to Bruxelles, Ghent and Lille, the Autoroutes connecting Brugge to the rest of Europe are efficient:
From Bruxelles: Via E40 take Exit 7 (Brugge) 107 km.
From Lille: Via A14 – 67 km. From Calais: Via E40 (A10) – just over 100 km.