Hotel Jan Brito
Why we like it: Four-star hotel in a 16th-century house with a Renaissance garden and private sauna, 500 metres from the Markt and outside the restricted traffic zone.
Duration3 nights
From BrusselsTrain · about 1 h
Bruges–DammeBike · about 7 km along the canal
Bruges–OstendTrain · a quarter of an hour
Best timeApril – June · September
The route
2 stops, one after another
- 12 nightsBruges
Bruges on foot on the first day and by bike to Damme on the second
- 21 nightOstend and De Haan
Ostend and the tram to De Haan
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed to leave Brussels on a Thursday morning and return on Sunday, from April to October. The order fits the opening hours: De Vlaamsche Pot opens on Thursday evening, Tante Marie on Friday, and Café Mosselhuis on Saturday lunchtime. You don't need a car at any point.
Thursday
- 109:00Train from Brussels to Bruges
About an hour. Leave your suitcase at the Hotel Jan Brito, 500 metres from the Markt.
- 210:15The belfry
The 366 steps with a booked slot, and the Burg square beside it.
- 311:45Boat on the canals
Half an hour from the Rozenhoedkaai.
- 413:00Lunch and tour at De Halve Maan
The brewery's brasserie at lunchtime and the 45-minute tour with a beer.
- 516:00The beguinage and the Minnewater
In the afternoon light, and back to the hotel along the Dijver.
- 619:30Dinner at De Vlaamsche Pot
Home-style Flemish cooking; from Wednesday to Friday it opens in the evening. Over-14s only.
Friday
- 109:30By bike to Damme
Hire bike from Bruges Bike Rental and seven flat kilometres along the Damse Vaart.
- 211:45Lunch at Tante Marie
On the Kerkstraat in Damme: shrimp croquettes and house pastries.
- 314:00The Kruisvest windmills
Back along the canal and the eastern rampart, with Sint-Anna.
- 416:00Bourgogne des Flandres
The brewery of Bruges red beer, with a terrace over the canal. Dinner at Cambrinus, open until 22:00.
Saturday
- 109:30Train to Ostend
A quarter of an hour. Suitcase to the Hotel Du Parc, a hundred metres from the sea.
- 210:30The Mercator and Ensor's house
The training ship in the marina and the house of the painter of masks, with a booked slot.
- 313:00Fish at Café Mosselhuis
What the North Sea boats bring in; open on Saturday lunchtime.
- 415:30Tram to De Haan
Twenty minutes along the coast and a stroll through the villas of the Concessie. Dinner at the Café Du Parc, open until 22:00.
Sunday
- 110:00The beach and the seafront promenade
Ostend's promenade in the morning, and train to Brussels, about an hour and a quarter.
With one night, Bruges is seen; with two, it is lived, and a whole day is left to leave the city along the canal of poplars to Damme, the old port. This plan adds a third night on the coast, a quarter of an hour by train away: Ostend, with the Mercator sailing ship and the house of the painter James Ensor, and De Haan, the village of belle époque villas reached on the tram that runs the whole Belgian coast. Everything is done by train, by bike and on foot.
What does it cost?
| What | How much | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bruges belfry | €15–16 | With a booked slot |
| Boat on the canals | €15 | €9 for ages 4 to 11 |
| De Halve Maan tour | €16 | With a beer |
| Bike hire for a day | €13 | Electric €30 |
| Bourgogne des Flandres | €16 | With a beer |
| Mercator sailing ship | €8 | €6 for ages 6 to 14 |
| James Ensor's house | €14 | Book a time slot |
Where to stay?
In Bruges, two nights at the Hotel Jan Brito, a 16th-century house with a Renaissance garden and an hour of private sauna included, 500 metres from the Markt; it has an enclosed garage for bikes. If it is a getaway as a couple, the Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce, sixteen rooms over the canal junction, ask for a room with a water view. In Ostend, the Hotel Du Parc, a restored 1929 Art Deco building, a hundred metres from the beach and with its café on the ground floor.
Where to eat?
In Bruges, the Brasserie De Halve Maan on Thursday lunchtime, De Vlaamsche Pot on Thursday evening and Cambrinus on Friday. In Damme, Tante Marie, which is closed on Saturdays. In Ostend, Café Mosselhuis on Saturday lunchtime, with North Sea fish, and the Café Du Parc in the evening, open every day.
What if I don't want to cycle?
The Lamme Goedzak boat links Bruges and Damme along the same canal in 35 minutes, from April to October, for €12 one way. Bikes do not go on board, so the combination is the boat there and a walk back, an hour and a half of canal between poplars.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Bruges, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Bruges
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
Flight to Brussels or Charleroi and train to Bruges
Bruges has no airport with flights from Spain: you fly to Brussels-Zaventem or Charleroi, both with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities, and continue by train or bus. From Zaventem there is a direct train every hour; from Charleroi, a direct shuttle bus. In Bruges you don't need a car.
- Getting thereBrussels-Zaventem (BRU): direct train to…
- Getting aroundOn foot around the centre…
- StayHotel Jan Brito, 500 metres…
- ServicesBruges station
Getting there
- Brussels-Zaventem (BRU): direct train to Bruges every hour, or any train to Brussels and change
- Charleroi (CRL): direct Flibco coach to Bruges, or shuttle to Bruxelles-Midi and train
- From Brussels, three trains an hour taking about an hour
Getting around
- On foot around the centre, which is small
- De Lijn buses 1 and 2 between the station and the centre
- A hire bike for the windmills and the outskirts
Stay
- Hotel Jan Brito, 500 metres from the Markt
- Snuffel, the youth hostel in the centre
Services
- Bruges station
- Tourist offices on the Markt and at the station
Bruges by train and on foot
Bruges is a city to visit without a car: the centre is small, has streets closed to traffic and a cycle zone, and the train from Brussels takes about an hour. From the station, take the bus or walk for twenty minutes.
100–190 €per person per day, approximate
- StayHotel Jan Brito, four stars…
- Getting aroundThree trains an hour from…
- EatCambrinus, every day from 11:00…
- ServicesBruges station
Stay
- Hotel Jan Brito, four stars 500 metres from the Markt
- Snuffel Youth Hostel, private and shared rooms
Getting around
- Three trains an hour from Brussels
- Buses 1 and 2 to the centre, 3 € ticket
- On foot or by bike inside the city walls
Eat
- Cambrinus, every day from 11:00 to 22:00
- Brasserie De Halve Maan, next to the brewery
Services
- Bruges station
- Tourist office at the station
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flyingwithout a car
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Snuffel Youth Hostel
Why we like it: Youth hostel on the Ezelstraat, ten minutes from the Markt, with private and shared rooms, a bar with a terrace and free gigs.
Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce
Why we like it: 16-room boutique hotel in a half-timbered house where two canals meet, by the Rozenhoedkaai; some rooms look onto the water.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Bruges
Cambrinus
What to order: the Flemish beer stew with chips, and a beer from the list to go with it
Open every day from 11:00 to 22:00 · walk-ins welcome
De Vlaamsche Pot
What to order: the beef stew (stoofvlees), the dish the house is proudest of
Wednesday to Friday from 17:30 · Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 · over-14s only
Brasserie De Halve Maan
What to order: the Flemish stew made with Brugse Zot Dubbel, or the Zeeland mussels
Kitchen every day from 12:00 to 15:00 · Thursday to Saturday also from 18:00 to 21:00
t Brugs Beertje
What to order: ask for advice at the bar and try one of the draught beers, which change
Opens at 16:00 · closed on Wednesdays
Bistro Bruut
What to order: the dinner menu, nine small dishes, with the wine pairing if you're not driving
Monday to Friday from 12:00 to 14:00 and from 19:00 to 21:00 · booking with a €135 per person deposit
Tante Marie, in Damme
What to order: the house shrimp croquettes at lunchtime, and for dessert a pancake with their jam or the cake of the day
Open 10:00 to 18:00 · kitchen 11:30 to 17:45 · closed on Saturdays
Takeaway and markets
The Chocolate Line, Bruges · Simon Stevinplein, five minutes from the Markt
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
If you arrive by air at Charleroi, there is a direct bus to Bruges: start there and return by train from Ostend to Brussels.
We'd skip it
Changing the order and doing Damme on Saturday: Tante Marie is closed that day and the canal path fills up with weekend bikes.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need for Bruges, Damme and the coast?
Three nights: two in Bruges, with a day cycling to Damme, and one in Ostend.
Do you need a car?
No. Train to Bruges, bike to Damme, train to Ostend and tram to De Haan.
When is the best time to go?
From April to October, when the boat to Damme sails and the coast has open terraces; in November the Mercator opens only at weekends.