3 days in Bruges

Just few weeks ago I travel from Dover to Dunkirk to finished my road trip destination to the beautiful city of Bruges in Belgium for a little break. I brought in my suitcase husband and toddler of course. Spoiler alert: We are planning to go back during Christmas season this year or next year.

We decided to stayed 3 nights in an hotel 8-10 minutes walk away from the heart of the city. The hotel of our choice was the Rosenburg Hotel located along the canal. A 4 stars hotel classic but elegant. We had a very large room with a stylish sitting area, ensuite bathroom and all the extras of course such as: a mini bar, a large TV, a coffee machine, a safe etc. The high point of this hotel, for me, apart the beautiful & quiet bedroom, was the very generous breakfast buffet that offered everything from: English breakfast to continental. I enjoyed a lot of scrambled eggs on seeded bread along with yummy fresh fruits. Divine. But we did not come to Bruges to just enjoy the hotel room and the hotel buffet but of course visit this stunning city that every bloggers & Instagrammers must know.

Bruges not only is absolutely stunning , it is full of history and things to do or to see but also offer amazing backdrop for the insta girls in us.

Before our arrival to Bruges we already made a list of the must see, do and eat.

On our list was of course the beautiful city architectural but we planned to at least eat some chips ( Belgium invented the famous fries and not the French!), chocolate (Belgium is worldly known for their amazing chocolatery) but also the waffle (yes I know so far only on our list is food but hang on in there!), the Chocolate and Fries museums and the Belfy tower along with all the local monuments and cathedrals. I told you I would include some others things but food. At first I was planning to do some kind of where to eat, see and do but I found this kind of post a bit too patronizing. I much prefer to show you, through my camera, what we did and let you explore this city, if you ever decided to go, the way you wish to and follow my experience or decide for yourself. The Old Town. Where can I start? Bruges have an absolutely beautiful architectural. Very North European style, very medieval and it almost feel like you are in one of Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales' books. So expect to feel like you are about to see an ogre or a fairy appearing suddenly at any corners. And just for this Bruges should be on your must see for 2020. Also my advice is: do get lost in the town. Of course go to see all the main popular streets but also do adventure out of your comfort zone and you 'll discover charming little houses, streets, shops or even small Church that are a delight to see.

Bruges's Canal.
On her second day we decided to do a trip on the Bruges's canal that circulated pretty much all around the town and that is one of the prettiest feature of Bruges. The boat tour last about 30/40 minutes and the boat captain will give you the essential guide tour from story about the many bridges you'll cross to age of some building our house that date back from the medieval etc. but if you wish to know more, some of the boat cruise companies do offer more informative guide tour but at a higher price of course. I really enjoyed this tour actually so I highly recommend it and at 10 Euro I do think it is worth it.

The Food.

As mentioned earlier, Belgium is know for its chocolate and it's fries among other tings such as Moule - Frites and beers of course (according to my husband they were pretty good) so of course the visit (and tasting of some chocolate or fries was a must!) of restaurants, brasseries or local take away places is a must. But be careful of tourist traps, a lot of restaurant based around famous tourist attractions can serve you not the real traditional deal and charge you a lot so do use web site such as Trip Advisor but obviously not all of them just few. During our stay, as we had a tight budget to keep, we often ate take away from lovely places that were hidden away but highly recommended by tourist and locals. Such as The Olive Street Food , which was so good we went twice.
I almost forgot to mention the famous Belgium waffle! You must try them as they are probably the tastiest waffle I ever had but like restaurants do check online for where to eat the best one, worth searching to taste the authenticity.

Bruges is full of beautiful chocolatery so do pay them a visit as they are a delight for your eyes and of course for your taste buds.

Visit.
Many church are open to be explored, even if just like us, you are not religious, they are still beautiful to see, but the one that, for me anyway, really stood out from the lot is the Basilica of The Holy Blood. This basilica is small but had the wow factor. Just the Romanesque style mix with ghotic and the gorgeous colours is a place to see! Also this basilica is knows to contains a phial with the blood's Chris brought back from the crusades. I am not religious so this did not interest me to see but if you are religious then do check it out. This gem of basilica is a little bit hidden away (which make it even more precious) but do find it is located behind the town hall.

Chocolate & Fries Museums.
During our stay we decided to visit the Chocolate Museum and the Fries Museum. They are two different museums, not located in the same area, and you can get special fee entrance if you wish to visit both. (to save you some money) Both are fun to do, especially with kids, and surprisingly quiet informative too. Oh! did I mentioned the chocolate museum have free chocolate to eat as much as you like! Yes !!!! Just for this worth a visit if you are a chocolate fanatique just like me.

Belfry Tower.
During our visit we especially love to visit the Belfry Tower right in the middle of the town which you can't miss it. It give you a fabulous view of all the surrounding and especially the market place with its fabulous typical Bruges houses.