Top 10 Things to Do in Bruges

The grand central square of Bruges is flanked by the neo-Gothic Provincial Court and a row of stepped-gable guild houses, with the massive Belfry tower soaring above everything. This has been the beating heart of the city since medieval times, and its horse-drawn carriages still clip across the cobblestones.

Bruges has more chocolate shops per square meter than almost any city on earth, and several master chocolatiers — The Chocolate Line, Dumon, Sweertvaegher — produce pralines and ganaches that are genuine works of art. Many offer workshops where visitors can make their own.

Climbing the 366 steps of the 13th-century Belfry earns a panoramic reward — views across the entirely intact medieval roofscape to the surrounding polders and, on clear days, to the North Sea. The 47-bell carillon still plays melodies every quarter hour.

This ornate 12th-century basilica in the Burg Square claims to contain a relic of Christ's blood, brought from Jerusalem during the Crusades. Every Ascension Day, the relic is carried through the city in an elaborate procession that has taken place continuously since 1291.

Belgium's beer culture is a UNESCO Intangible Heritage, and Bruges is one of its greatest living classrooms — from the abbey-brewed Trappist ales to the local Brugse Zot served at the still-operating De Halve Maan brewery. Settling into a centuries-old brown café for an evening of tasting is the true Bruges experience.

This small but world-class museum houses the most important collection of Flemish Primitive paintings anywhere, including masterworks by Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling, and Hieronymus Bosch. The gallery is modest in size but extraordinary in quality.

The Lake of Love is a tranquil stretch of water at the southern edge of the old city, edged by weeping willows and swans, with a picturesque lockhouse at one end. A stroll along its banks, and through the adjacent Begijnhof, is Bruges at its most quietly enchanting.

The only surviving family brewery in central Bruges has been producing beer since 1856, and its guided tours offer a fascinating dive into Flemish brewing history. The brewery famously built a 3.2 km underground pipeline to transport beer to its bottling plant outside the city walls.

The 122-meter brick tower of this church is the tallest structure in Bruges and dominated the medieval skyline for centuries. Inside, Michelangelo's serene marble Madonna and Child — purchased by a Bruges merchant in 1506 and the only Michelangelo to leave Italy during his lifetime — is a work of haunting perfection.

The grand central square of Bruges is flanked by the neo-Gothic Provincial Court and a row of stepped-gable guild houses, with the massive Belfry tower soaring above everything. This has been the beating heart of the city since medieval times, and its horse-drawn carriages still clip across the cobblestones.

Bruges has more chocolate shops per square meter than almost any city on earth, and several master chocolatiers — The Chocolate Line, Dumon, Sweertvaegher — produce pralines and ganaches that are genuine works of art. Many offer workshops where visitors can make their own.

Climbing the 366 steps of the 13th-century Belfry earns a panoramic reward — views across the entirely intact medieval roofscape to the surrounding polders and, on clear days, to the North Sea. The 47-bell carillon still plays melodies every quarter hour.

This ornate 12th-century basilica in the Burg Square claims to contain a relic of Christ's blood, brought from Jerusalem during the Crusades. Every Ascension Day, the relic is carried through the city in an elaborate procession that has taken place continuously since 1291.

Belgium's beer culture is a UNESCO Intangible Heritage, and Bruges is one of its greatest living classrooms — from the abbey-brewed Trappist ales to the local Brugse Zot served at the still-operating De Halve Maan brewery. Settling into a centuries-old brown café for an evening of tasting is the true Bruges experience.

This small but world-class museum houses the most important collection of Flemish Primitive paintings anywhere, including masterworks by Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling, and Hieronymus Bosch. The gallery is modest in size but extraordinary in quality.

The Lake of Love is a tranquil stretch of water at the southern edge of the old city, edged by weeping willows and swans, with a picturesque lockhouse at one end. A stroll along its banks, and through the adjacent Begijnhof, is Bruges at its most quietly enchanting.

The only surviving family brewery in central Bruges has been producing beer since 1856, and its guided tours offer a fascinating dive into Flemish brewing history. The brewery famously built a 3.2 km underground pipeline to transport beer to its bottling plant outside the city walls.

The 122-meter brick tower of this church is the tallest structure in Bruges and dominated the medieval skyline for centuries. Inside, Michelangelo's serene marble Madonna and Child — purchased by a Bruges merchant in 1506 and the only Michelangelo to leave Italy during his lifetime — is a work of haunting perfection.