Bruges is a small, beautiful, well-preserved medieval city in the North West corner of Belgium. It is unashamedly a tourist magnet and attracts visitors from all over the world. The city is easily accessible and is safe to walk around with cobbled streets, pedestrianised areas and picturesque canal side walks.
An alternative to walking around the sights would be to take a 30 minute tour of the city in a horse drawn carriage from the Market Square or there are canal trips which give excellent views of the city from a different perspective. It is also possible to visit the small village of Damme, four miles North East of Bruges, by canal boat which can be caught on the outskirts of Bruges. The boat runs from April to the end of September at two hourly intervals, as the quay is a short walk to the outskirts of Bruges along the canal it is advisable to allow sufficient time to get there.
For art lovers the Groeninge Museum offers an impressive collection of Flemish art with paintings from the 15th century to the present day. The Brangwyn museum is a small museum which houses the collection of Bruges born British artist Frank Brangwyn (1867-1956); it also hosts temporary modern exhibitions. A small but important display of the paintings by Flemish artist Hans Memling (1440-94) can be seen in St.
John’s Hospital. The Gruuthuse museum, once the home of a Flemish knight, Louis Van Gruuthuse, has been carefully restored and gives an insight into the domestic life of the early citizens of Bruges with a wide collection of artifacts on display. One of the most original and quirky museums you will come across is the ‘Chip Museum’ and should not be missed.
Fries are a Belgian speciality and, they would claim, a Belgian invention. As visitors make their way around the museum they will learn about the origins and cultivation of many potato varieties along with the history of fries and the equipment used throughout the ages in making them. The tour of the museum culminates with a visit to the museum café where cones of the best fries you will ever taste are on sale for a modest charge.
Bruges has many other attractions apart from the visual and the cultural – namely food and drink. Beer drinking and brewing has a long tradition in Belgium and is taken as seriously as choosing and sampling a fine wine. A number of breweries were started centuries ago by the monks and Trappist beers are still produced today.
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