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One of my favourite movies of all time is In Bruges. It’s hilarious and I’ve watched it multiple times, yet it still makes me laugh. The film (obviously) takes place in Bruges, Belgium, and it inspired us to take a train there from Amsterdam. Bruges is definitely worth visiting, especially if you’re an architecture and history lover. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site because many buildings from the 13th and 14th century are still standing. I would describe Bruges as a magical medieval city from a fairy tale.
We only stayed in Bruges for one night, but I’d love to go back and spend more time exploring the streets. We had a very comfortable stay at the Grand Hotel Casselbergh, which we would definitely recommend. Keep reading to find out how we spent 24 hours in Bruges.
GETTING THERE
The trip from Amsterdam to Bruges is quite straightforward and fairly easy to navigate. We opted for the fastest route which is via train. From Amsterdam, we took the Thalys train from Amsterdam Centraal Station to Brussel-Zuid in Belgium, which took just over two hours. We made our online reservations in advance and chose the premium seats, which set us back 129 Euros per person for just one way. Though this is a bit pricy, we wanted some flexibility in case we had challenges navigating the train station. Premium bookings are exchangeable and refundable until an hour after the departure time, plus the ticket price includes free WiFi and meals.
Once we got to Belgium, we took the InterCity train from Brussel-Zuid to Bruges Station, another hour for a total of three hours via train! Overall the trip isn’t bad at all and the three hours passes by very quickly. There are luggage compartments and we saw ample seating, though we did make reservations for all of our trains beforehand.
BREAKFAST AT BLACKBIRD
Of all the meals we had in Bruges, breakfast at Blackbird was my favourite! Located near the canal, Blackbird is a mostly plant based and vegan friendly café I was surprised to find so many vegan options in Bruges and Blackbird serving breakfast and lunch, with lots of options including healthy juices and smoothie bowls, and heartier options like pancakes and bagels.
Reservations are highly recommended as the small café can get busy. I ordered the Blackbird Brunch which came with a hot drink of my choosing, juice, fresh fruit salad, vegan croissant, multigrain breads, scrambled tofu and plant-based yogurt with granola. It was A LOT of food, but I found this was the best way to sample different items on the menu. My friend chose the Lazy Breakfast, which was also an assortment of foods and essentially the smaller version of the Blackbird Brunch. This is a wonderful café and I’d love to return.
WALKING TOUR OF BRUGES
One of the best ways to explore a new city is to go on a walking tour led by a local! There are lots of tours and companies to choose from – some are food focused and some highlight the history of Bruges. We also heard about night-time walking tours which touch on ghost stories. For our first time in Bruges, we chose a free walking tour focusing on the history of Bruges led by Ambassador Tours. Please note that though the tour is technically free, tips are expected for the guide at the end.
The walking tour started at Market Square and lasted for two hours. During the tour we learned about the Golden Ages of Bruges dating back to the 1300s and 1400s. We visited various attractions including Belfry Tower, the Bridge of Love and Rosary Quay (Rozenhoedkaai). Learning about how the city came to be and how old some of the buildings were gave us a much greater appreciation of how magical Bruges is.
LUNCH AT NOMAD
It was chilly during our stay in Bruges and we were looking for something hot to warm us up, so we stopped at Nomad Kitchen + Bar for a quick lunch. I had the immune boosting tea with fresh ginger, lemon and turmeric. My friend and I shared the vegan quesadilla and the Singapore scampi laksa. The laksa didn’t taste authentic to us, but it was still very yummy.
WAFFLES AT OTTO WAFFLE ATELIER
You can’t visit Belgium without trying Belgian waffles! As someone who struggles with a dairy intolerance, I was super happy to find Otto Waffle Atelier, which serves dairy and gluten-free oat waffles. the ingredients are all listed out clearly on their website for anyone who might suffer from allergies. We both ordered a waffle each and chose from the custom toppings, which included strawberries, crispy cacao and dark chocolate sauce. My friend liked the waffles so much that we went back the morning before our train back to Amsterdam.
DRINK BEER FROM THE WORLD’S FIRST BEER PIPELINE
De Halve Maan Brewery (Brouwerjj De Halve Maan) is a 500+ year old brewery which features the world’s first underground beer pipeline which stretches for three kilometers under the medieval city of Bruges. Guided tours are available, or you can just go and enjoy a beer in their restaurant/brewery area.
DINNER AT DE GASTRO
For dinner we went to De Gastro, a family-owned restaurant serving classic French and Belgian cuisine in the center of Bruges. We enjoyed the mussels with fries and the trout. The restaurant was able to accommodate my dairy allergies.
