Bruges travel guide with information on hotels, restaurants and much more

A city of sweet delights and blameworthy indulgence, within no more than 16 km from the North Sea, the city of Bruges Bruges is a historic city in NW Belgium, the Flemish Province of West-Flanders.

Renowned for its picturesque and pictorial buildings which reflect the era when it was a rich Hanseatic port and a wool manufacturing centre, Bruges seems to have taken in and preserved the whole of the Medieval era.

Thus, time seems to have stood still in Bruges, a town deeply anchored into a historical past, therein the old seems to reject any form of the new, so that modern architecture or infrastructure is rare in Bruges’s city centre, which made it possible for Bruges to be added to the long list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites ever since 2000. Consequently, it isn’t hard to imagine why the typical medieval cobblestone is still preferred over the much more comfortable asphalt, or why the renovation and restoration of Bruges’s ‘protected monuments’ are done according to the original style, with the ultimate goal of preserving the city’s historical glory.

So many times before you have heard the echo of its name whispering, so many times before you have tried to say out its name, but each and every time there was something magic holding you back and preventing you from calling out its name. The three-hour passage from Amsterdam to Bruges will be your initiation ritual at the end of which, once you have reached the final destination, you will be accepted into and protected by the Order of vacationers who choose the city of Bruges as their final tourist destination.

And perhaps, on your way here, apart from the power horses of the black whistling snake meandering over the pea green meadows there are no similarities whatsoever between this mechanized monster and the grazing horses dotting the jade countryside. And yet, throughout the years, the railways seem to have been engraved into the flat green Belgian farmland so that now, as unexpected and out of place as it may appear to you, the breathtaking scenery has learned to accept the prying nature of the iron snake offering some of the most wonderful experiences a tourist might have, second only to what you are to experience when in Bruges. It is only here, on this realm caught between reality and fiction, between past and present that the magic will be unleashed and so, worthy of your name – The Vacationer Knight of the Order of Bruges, you will call from the bottom of your lungs, Bruges!

After a five-minute’s taxi ride from the railway station, driving down the cobblestone streets of what is known to be the capital of the West Flanders Province - world famous for the decadent, self-indulgent, rich chocolate and fine handmade lace, you will soon plunge into the medieval heart of the Flemish gothic city of Bruges.

If you are short of time but don’t want to miss a thing, then, two full days and two nights are enough to cover all of the sites in Bruges.

Each and every one of Bruges’s numerous monuments, churches, historical buildings and squares be they Baroque, Gothic, or Romantic architectural designs, tells the tale of its history, and so, when it comes to discovering the secrets of the medieval Bruges, you can always choose between two options, one of which would be to join the two-hour English-speaking tour which sets off in Burg Square at the Town Hall.

The other one would be to let yourself lost into the gothic city of Bruges consenting to being guided by the cobblestone back streets that will trip you off right into the 11th century Bruges that grew wealthy and acquired international fame on the cloth trade market. Take a deep breath and get ready for the next stop, right into the 14th century Bruges, by now one of the biggest cities in the world boasting a population equal in number to that of London. The 14th-century Cathedral, The Church of Notre Dame with a Michelangelo statue of the Virgin and Child, The Gothic Town Hall and The Market Hall, to say the least about The College of Europe, the oldest centre of European studies, are just some of the finest buildings that date back from this century and wait for you to unveil their secrets to you.

After a rightfully earned break in one of Bruges’s spoiling tea-shops or restaurants, get ready to meet the 15th century Dukes and Duchesses of Burgundy. Then brace yourself up for the ultimate stop into the 16th century Bruges, exactly before the last days of The City’s Golden Age when Bruges became known as the mysterious and dead city.

All over the town and every step of the way there is an infusion of colorful buildings that replete with heavenly chocolate shops and tasty restaurants. Any time of the year is a good time to visit Bruges, whether it is during a hot summer vacation when you can step in a teashop and enjoy the chilliness preserved by the centuries-old thick brick walls, or during the cold days of the winter holidays when simple pink and red hearts are hung from teashop windows where alluring fireplaces can be seen glowing from within. And at the end of an exhausting day of journeying down the history lane, reward your body with a unique food experience that will definitely revive all your senses which, by now, have gone numb. De Koetse restaurant might be a good place to set up the long series of indulging dinners. Should you want to call it a day and lost yourself in a huge comfortable bed all covered all in silk sheets, know that only steps away from Market Square, the former Georgian mansion and the current small yet elegant Hotel Heritage has been opening its doors for tourists ever since 1993.

And as soon as you have regained your physical strength, start off yet again, a new medieval experience in Bruges. For more than 700 years, ever since the 1300, The Belfort, one of the city s most distinctive medieval landmarks, has been watching over Market Square and surveying from a distance over the coastal towns along the North Sea. Climbing down the 336 Belfort stairs and passing the doors of Groeninge Museum you will find one of the best collections of Flemish art in the world. However, should you have a taste for something more out of the ordinary, then the Memling Museum, a former hospital, is just the thing for you, because several of Memling s masterpieces are exhibited among surgical instruments from medieval times.

Down Streenstraat, the main shopping street, there is the already famous souvenir shop, Lace Paradise wherefrom you can buy machine made or handmade tapestries depicting King Arthur s Court, or lace in all shapes and sizes. Farther on Streenstraat, a clustering of chocolate shop windows is waiting for you to step into what seems to be the chocolate paradise that you have always dreamt about and perhaps, buy one or two souvenirs for your friends.

The comfortable temperatures during the whole time of the year make it perfect for bicycle rides nearby Damme, romantic boat trips under arched bridges, or romantic horse carriage rides through Bruges, not to mention the city tour bus or the horse tram rides. Undoubtedly all of these are authentic time machines that guarantee an unforgettable tour into the medieval city of Bruges.