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.
Length1 night
From BrusselsTrain · about 1 h
Dinner at Bruut9-dish menu · €145 pp
Best dayMonday to Thursday night
Best timeApril – June · September · December
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for a weeknight, Monday to Thursday, which is when Bruut is open and when Bruges empties earlier. You leave Brussels mid-morning, drop your bag at the hotel, and the city is yours from the afternoon to the next morning, which is when you see it without the crowds.
Day 1
- 110:00Train to Bruges
An hour from Brussels. Drop your bag at the Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce, on Wollestraat, three minutes from the Markt.
- 211:30The Burg and the Holy Blood
The loveliest square in Bruges and the chapel of the relic, free.
- 312:30Lunch at Cambrinus
Flemish food and beer by the Markt, no booking on weekdays.
- 414:30Boat along the canals
Half an hour from the Rozenhoedkaai, right in front of the hotel.
- 516:30The béguinage and the Minnewater
The lake of love in the low afternoon light and the béguinage already silent.
- 619:00Dinner at Bruut
Nine dishes of modern Flemish cooking in a house on the Meestraat canal. Book ahead.
- 721:30The canals at night
From the Groenerei to the Rozenhoedkaai and Wollestraat, with the bridges lit up and almost no one around.
Day 2
- 109:00The belfry first thing
With the opening slot, before the queues: 366 steps and the city at your feet.
- 210:30Sint-Anna and the windmills
The locals' Bruges, along the eastern ramparts.
- 312:30Pralines at The Chocolate Line
A box to take home from Dominique Persoone's shop.
- 414:00A beer over the canal
The Bourgogne des Flandres tour ends on its waterside terrace. Afterwards, the train to Brussels.
By day, Bruges belongs to the groups. At night, when the coaches and day-trippers have gone, the canals are left lit up and silent, and at eight in the morning the Rozenhoedkaai is all yours. That is the reason for a couple to stay the night here: nothing more special is needed than being inside the city when everyone else leaves. This plan adds a hotel with rooms looking onto the water and a long dinner, the celebrating kind.
What does it cost?
| What | How much | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Boat along the canals | €15 | 30 minutes, pay at the landing stage |
| Dinner at Bruut | €145 | Nine-dish menu, without drinks |
| Belfry | €15–16 | With a booked slot |
| Bourgogne des Flandres | €16 | Tour with one beer |
| Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce | Depends on date | Ask for a room with a canal view |
Where to stay?
The Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce is the half-timbered house that appears in every photo of the meeting of the canals, by the Rozenhoedkaai. It has sixteen individually decorated rooms; the ones that make the break worthwhile are the Canal view and Superior canal view categories, with the water right in front. Breakfast is served in a lounge that also overlooks the canal. If you'd rather have a garden and private sauna than water, the Hotel Jan Brito, in a 16th-century house 500 metres from the Markt, includes an hour of sauna per stay.
Where to have dinner?
Bruut is the dinner of the trip: a historic house on Meestraat, overlooking the canals, and a nine-dish surprise menu for €145 that changes with the seasons. It is only open Monday to Friday and asks for a deposit when you book. If your night falls at the weekend, De Vlaamsche Pot serves home-style Flemish cooking in a small dining room, over-14s only, on Saturday and Sunday from 12:00; and Cambrinus serves dinner until 22:00 every day.
What if it rains?
The boat depends on the weather. If it isn't running, spend the afternoon at Choco-Story, on Sint-Jansplein, an hour and a half with a demonstration and tasting, or bring the brewery forward to the first day. The night walk copes well with drizzle: with the ground wet, the reflections in the canals are even better.
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
Nights1
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
When booking, ask for the canal-view room in writing: at the Relais it is what makes the stay, and with the flexible rate you can cancel free of charge up to seven days before.
We'd skip it
Coming on a Saturday without sorting dinner: Bruut is closed at weekends and the good tables in Bruges fill up.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What to do in Bruges as a couple?
The boat along the canals, the Minnewater at sunset, a long dinner and the night walk along the Rozenhoedkaai, and the belfry first thing the next day.
Which romantic hotel is there in Bruges?
The Relais Bourgondisch Cruyce, with rooms over the canal, or the Hotel Jan Brito, with a Renaissance garden and private sauna.
Which day is best for the break?
A night from Monday to Thursday: Bruut is open and on weekdays there are fewer visitors than on Saturday.