HISTORIC CENTRE OF BRUGGE
Brugge / Bruges would have an eternal special place in my heart forever and ever! This was the first trip outside of Brussels and first stay at a place other than home for Atyudarini. I was extremely flustered about all things that could possibly go wrong, but it was relatively OK. Unlike my earlier trips where my itinerary would be jam packed, this time it was slowpaced and included getting back to the room for atleast an hour during noon for Atyu to sleep!
From there a short walk took me Rozenhoedkaai which immediately reminded me of Graslei & Korenlei of Ghent. Its just so picturesque and probably because we were there on a weekday in winter, it hardly had any of the touristic crowd! As I was told "Lose the map and explore Bruges", I gave up on the map and started to walk where my legs took me and ended up in Kon Astrid (Queen Astrid) Park. It was sunny and Atyudarini got to see ducks for the first time and took some sun bath as well! In this garden is also a Church of Mary Magdelene and Saint Catherine.
By afternoon we headed to Sint Annakerk & Jeruzalemkerk and by sunset we were at Kruisvest where 4 traditional windmills are located along the canal. Somehow I missed to see a traditional windmill both in London & Amsterdam and I was pretty much bummed about it and here I was in front of one with my Atyu! The first in the line is Bonne Chieremolen which can only be seen from outside, followed by Sint-Janshuismolen (St.John's House Mill). This has been converted into a museum. But sadly this was closed for renovation when I went. But still, I got to see traditional windmills!!!
It is till this point, bordering along these mills, the UNESCO Heritage City's boundary lies. Following these 2 are 2 more mills, but by this time, it started get colder and Atyu began to cry and we skipped the 2. Pretty close to the 4th mill is the OLV-ter Potterie Church. This houses some statues or paintings of the 13th & 14th C CE.
Pic Courtesy: T-Series (Screen grab from 'Char Kadam' video of PK Movie)
To Stay:
Hotels and B&Bs at all price points are available in Brugge City Centre.
Here’s my review of Hotel Prinsenhof where I stayed.
To Get There:
To Bruges: Refer to my earlier post
Local Transport within Bruges is possible with DeLijn buses (and horse carts!). However most sites are walkable. The city does not have metro or tram.
On Google Maps: TownHall, Chez Albert Waffles, Salvador Dali Expo, Rozenhoedkaai, Kon Astrid Park, Bonne Chieremolen, Janhuismolen, Bonifacious Bridge, Minnewater, Powder Tower
Entry Ticket & Timings:
Town Hall - €6.00; 09:30AM to 05:00PM
Sint Janhuismolen - €4.00; Tue to Sun 09:30AM to 12:30PM & 01:30PM to 05:00PM
These 2 are included in the Musea Brugge card & Museumpassmusees
Roxenhoedkaai, Kon Astrid Park, Bonne Chieremolen, Bonifacious bridge, Minnewater, Powder Tower - Open 24hrs
Chez Albert Waffles - 10:00AM to 06:30PM
Salvador Dali Expo - €10.00; 10:00AM to 06:00PM
Sint Janhuismolen - €4.00; Tue to Sun 09:30AM to 12:30PM & 01:30PM to 05:00PM
These 2 are included in the Musea Brugge card & Museumpassmusees
Roxenhoedkaai, Kon Astrid Park, Bonne Chieremolen, Bonifacious bridge, Minnewater, Powder Tower - Open 24hrs
Chez Albert Waffles - 10:00AM to 06:30PM
Salvador Dali Expo - €10.00; 10:00AM to 06:00PM
My complete Bruges travelogue: Beguinage & Belfry, Groeninge Museum & St.John's Hospital, Church of Our Lady, Basilica of Holy Blood, Sint-Annakerk, Jerusalem Church, Historical City Centre of Brugge
P.S: I was invited by Musea Brugge to experience the city and hosted by Hotel Prinsenhof for review purposes, however the opinions are my own and this post does not to advertise the product/service.
I am love with this city... the first time I saw PK, the only thing I wanted to was to go there and live that life... much love to europe
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty town! The park with the windmills is so beautiful and that seating spot on the Bonifacious Bridge must be amazing!
ReplyDeleteYour post brought back such good memories of Brugge for me! I missed the windmills when I was there and would love to go back and see those. It's such a quaint, beautiful city.
ReplyDeleteBrugges is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. I'm a bit jealous of your trip however. When I went it was packed for a festival. It looks like you had the city largely to yourself. I would love to go back someday during a less crowded time.
ReplyDeleteI visited Bruges in the winter last year and it was amazing! The little cute chocolate town with a nice river. I love wandering around and exploring this city. This is still my favorite one so far :)
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely and interesting. After all, this is not the first time I have read about Beginhof and Minnewater as one of the most romantic locations.
ReplyDeleteThus, I Will definitely include this UNESCO Heritage City on my travel bucketlist. Thank you for sharing this detailed post. I have never realized that there are a lot to see and do in Bruges aside from Beginhof.
Nice account of your visit to Bruges.
ReplyDeleteBruges is so beautiful! And tasty with those yummy waffles. It looks like you were there at the right time of year because it's so peaceful and not crowded with people. So romantic!
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful place to explore! Vibrant photos BTW
ReplyDeleteThe vibrant photo of Windmill and the Lake makes me want to visit Bruges. I want to try also the waffles!
Deletei haven't visited Bruges for years and I so want to go back after reading this! particularly to try those waffles that you mention!
ReplyDeleteI really loved your photos of Bruges. I agree that the waffles at Chez Albert are amazing! When I went it was Belgian National Day, so we all got Belgian flags on ours. It's very cool that you got to see a windmill, but too bad that the museum was closed.
ReplyDeleteThe first pic won my heart. A very personal touch that is missing in most of the travel blogs these days. Also the pop culture reference was so cool. I was wondering about the place where the movie was shot.
ReplyDeleteBruges looks like a great city to sort of just wande and get lost. The waffles sound quite nice. It seems like your daughter had a great time with you there.
ReplyDeleteBruges looks like a fairytale place. I remember seeing it in one of those movies - PK I think. In someways with those canals, it reminds me of Amsterdam but a quieter version of it. Hope to be able to get here sometime.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a beautiful place. As I was reading the post I was in awe of the pictures. There is something really charming about Bruges, kinda like a soothing poetry. Definitely worth a visit.
ReplyDeleteCan see why you'd hold this place dear to your heart. It's so charming and glad to hear this trip was more slow-paced so you could really experience and enjoy all these beautiful sceneries!
ReplyDeleteamazing places!
ReplyDeleteThat was a very informative post! I visited Bruges with my 3 year old son few months ago and it was freezing at that time but we enjoyed our trip. https://t.co/DfzvkHcZXc
ReplyDeleteFatima | www.blogsbyfa.com
great coverage...
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