A Day Trip To Bruges, Belgium

I have been hearing about Bruges so much anytime Brussels is mentioned. Everyone is always saying how Bruges is a must visit. With all the hype and talk I felt like I couldn’t go to Belgium and not see Bruges. Luckily Bruges is only an hour away by train from Brussels. So we walked to the train station, bought our tickets, and hopped on the train.

One main problem though, we got on the wrong train! The signage said the next train coming was to Bruges. We overheard others waiting for the train to go to Bruges and they got on this train as well. We even asked a few locals, who told us that was the correct train. Yet, my gut was telling me we weren’t.

Finally a lady came around to punch holes in the tickets and let a bunch of know that we were indeed on the wrong train. So what should have been a 1 hour train ride, turned more into around 2 hours. A little adventure never hurt! Once off the train it is about a 5 to 10 minute walk into the main area of this UNSECO World Heritage city.

Just like in Brussels the weather in Bruges was fickle. One moment it was hot and the sun was out, the next it was windy and slightly chilly, then clouds came and it looked like it would pour, but nothing ever fell from the sky. I definitely recommend a light jacket or sweater, unless you are going in the winter then just dress warm!

We began to just randomly walk around and explore. Noticing there was a canal and boats going by we made it a mission to find our way down to one. I was unaware that Bruges was considered the ‘Venice of the North’ because of the canals. It was nice to go up and down them listening to some of the history. Swans were in the water and sitting on the grass.

After the boat ride we continued to walk around and we lucked up on a small outdoor market that we had spotted from whizzing up and down the waters. My mom was drawn into looking at different rings and after trying several on she finally found one that fit. She walked away a happy person. More walking and without a guide I didn’t know all of what I was looking at, but it was pretty.

I was looking for the very center of town. I could tell I was getting closer because the streets began to smell like chocolate.  I liked seeing the color fronts of the building and sat down to embrace it all. As we sat there, we realized we really liked Bruges and it was nice, but I wasn’t all that hype about it. I was actually over it after a while.

After sitting for a bit we wandered down a small street looking for a place to eat. We spotted one place and decided to try it out. I thought to give another beer ago since the first one I had in Brussels was only OK to me. So many beers to choose from in Belgium it was a tough one, but I picked a great one. This one was so good I actually brought some back home.

I had fish, salad, and Belgium fries. Delicious and filling. The atmosphere was nice and there was a nice view out of the window. People watching and relaxing.  From there we walked around a little more before heading back to the train station as we were tired. A nice 10 minute walk as the sun came back out and we were back at the train station.

The attendant in the booth was very rude when inquiring which platform to head to. He thought it was obvious and after asking him could he just tell us the answer a few time he finally let us know. Glad we pushed him to answer because I would have gone to the wrong platform. We got seats on the nice comfy train and I was in and out of sleep and looking out the window. We were on the right train this time so we got back to Brussels in an hour.

Bruges was nice and I would go back to see it around Christmas time. Otherwise I wasn’t as excited about it as I thought I would be. I didn’t really get the fairytale vibe. We enjoyed riding up and down the canal and the beautiful architecture. Most of the people were very nice and I found a really good beer, which is major for a person who only drinks to try things.

Have you ever been to Bruges?