Is Bruges Really Worth Visiting?

If you’re headed to Brussels with enough days to enjoy both Belgium’s capital and to make some little trips out of the city, you’re most likely considering visiting Bruges.

Perhaps you got intrigued about the place from the movie ‘In Bruges’ staring Collin Ferrell or perhaps you’re planning to come just because it’s no. 1 tourist spot in Belgium.

Bruges location

Where is Bruges, actually? The city lies in the northwest of Belgium, near the shore. It’s the biggest city in the region, even though its old town is rather small. Bruges forms a part of the Flanders region, thus people speak Dutch there.

What it’s like in Bruges

Bruges is a nice little city nearby Brussels, easily accessible by train. The historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a little Google image search will flood you with photos of a beautiful picturesque town.

The houses lining the canals in Bruges are more than pretty…

Very unique architecture in Bruges that tourists from all over the world come to admire.

The problem is that it’s crowded with tourists. Once you’re fighting your way through the center, avoiding stepping on somebody’s foot and not being seduced by the many souvenir stalls and chocolate shops, you start wondering if that trip has been worth it.

If you decide to sit down for a meal, you’re likely to experience poor service, mediocre food quality and high prices. And the restaurants are flooded anyway. Here, waiters don’t need to try.

I guess that’s the destiny of most places marked by UNESCO. Places of extreme beauty and historic relevance often become Disneyland versions of their former selves.

Is Bruges worth visiting? Don’t get me wrong, you still have to go see the unique medieval town. But don’t rely on it solely and, if you can, visit at the beginning of the workweek.

In case you really fall for Bruges, here are a few tips on the best things to do there.

If you’d rather see Bruges with a local guide, check out this highly-rated tour (the price is per group).

It’s quite typical to take a boat ride through Bruges’ canals. After you stand in the line for a while.

The main square in Bruges. Beautiful, yet full of tourists and touristy restaurants with poor service.

Somebody’s home in Bruges and one of the most photographed buildings on the way from the rail station.

Well, good you’re reading this, because I have a great tip for you:

Make a day trip out of Brussels, go to Bruges for a few hours and then head to Gent on your way back!

Doing the Brussels – Bruges – Ghent trip right

Getting a good big breakfast in Brussels before going will help you enjoy Bruges’ historical center without having to experience its pricy restaurants with poor service. Save the appetite for Ghent, you won’t regret!

Plus, Ghent is right in between Brussels and Bruges. You don’t even have to make any detours, just get off the train in the middle of your journey.

Both Bruges and Ghent can thus be managed on a day trip from Brussels. However, you won’t regret it if you stay a night or two in Ghent.

Why Ghent?

What is that about Ghent?

The architecture in Ghent is no less amazing than in Bruges. Don’t you think?

What Ghent looks like

Gent looks slightly more modern, but it definitely deserves more attention than tourists currently give it. Its architecture is amazing and you can stroll around for hours admiring all the buildings and churches.

It’s easy to enjoy high quality coffee at one of Gent’s plentiful cafés and wait for the sky to become dark and give yet another dimension to the architectural wonders.

Ghent, too, has lovely canals and historical buildings. In my opinion, they are just as beautiful as in Bruges, but there’s many more of them.

Castle of the counts in Ghent and the spot where students protested against rising beer prices from :)

Cluster of historical houses in Ghent. These were my favorite! The middle one resembles the Airbnb apartment we stayed at.

Ghent, too, has beautiful canals lined by historical buildings.

Fun and quirky side of Ghent

Ghent is unique in so many ways! Now, after coming back from my second visit to Ghent (and Bruges), I noticed the following fun aspects of the city:

• Every Sunday, locals gather at a flower market, eat oysters, drink champagne and chat with friends.
• The beer is relatively cheap thanks to students who protested against rising prices of beer in 1949
• Ghent is full of street art and they even have a Graffiti Alley!

One of the main churches in Ghent forming a beautiful silhouette of the city.

In Ghent, you’ll not only experience history and architectural beauty, you have a chance to meet locals, and even hang out with them. There’s still true essence to Ghent, and the city lives its own life, not just one fully dependent on tourism. All this makes Ghent more than worth visiting.

I can’t help but post a whole paragraph of how Lonely Planet describes Gent. If I haven’t convinced you till now, you’ll be sold the idea by reading below:

‘Ghent is one of Europe’s greatest discoveries – small enough to feel cosy but big enough to stay vibrant. It has enough medieval frivolity to create a spectacle but retains a gritty industrial edge that keeps things ‘real’. Tourists remain surprisingly thin on the ground, yet with its fabulous canalside architecture, wealth of quirky bars and some of Belgium’s most fascinating museums, this is a city you really won’t want to miss.’

Convinced?

In Ghent too you can take a good guided tour with a local.

Practicalities of visiting Bruges and Ghent

Weather

Remember, the weather in Belgium is unpredictable. Carry with you an umbrella or a simple raincoat (and thank me later).

Transport

Accommodation

Browse the accommodation options in both cities here:

Booking.com

Booking.com

Have you been to Bruges and/or Ghent? What was it like? Do you agree with me Ghent is worth visiting, perhaps even more than Bruges?

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