I awoke early to meet a friend for breakfast at my hotel, the DoubleTree Hilton Centraal Station.
He was exited to visit Bruges, Belgium, a place long on his European travel checklist. At that time, I’m embarrassed to say, I hadn’t heard of Bruges.
Nevertheless, I was [of course] game to check-out somewhere new.
Was the tour we booked on Expedia [the night before] the right choice for seeing Bruges?
Review: Bruges Day Trip from Amsterdam [Expedia] (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Editor’s Note: This post is part of my ongoing Travel Series on Europe. Click here for more posts on this European trip including France, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.Â
About The Bruges Day Trip from Amsterdam [Expedia] (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Pick-Up In Amsterdam
After breakfast, we walked over to the backside of Centraal Station, where we met our tour guide and boarded one of the 4 tour buses heading to Bruges for the day.
Leaving Centraal Station in Amsterdam
Arrival In Bruges
As we arrived in Bruges, our tour guide explained a little about the city including its name, “Bruges”, which translates to “bridges” in English.
The Starting Point Of The Tour
The tour bus dropped us off in Bargeplein near the Bargebrug (across from Minnewaterpark).
Bargebrug
The Walk Into Town
From this point, we walked through beautiful Minnewaterpark, past Sashuis, before stopping at Viewpoint Wijngaardplein to snap some photos.
Sashuis
The Lake of Love
Viewpoint Wijngaardplein
Horse Head Drinking Fountain
Church of Our Lady Bruges
We stopped briefly [on the outside] of the Church of Our Lady Bruges.
This church is notable because it houses a unique version of the sculpture of the Madonna and Child, created by Michelangelo in 1504.
Typical street in Bruges
The Walk Along Steenstraat
We arrived at square with a statue of Simon Stevin along Steenstraat.
This section of Bruges is known for its shopping, restaurants, and chocolate shops.
Simon Stevin
Yes, this is a McDonald’s
Markt Square
The next tour stop was Markt Square, perhaps the main attraction of Bruges.
This area houses the some of the most photogenic landmarks including, the Markt, the Belfry of Bruges, and the Provincial Court.
Belfry of Bruges
Markt
Provincial Court
Burg Square
Just to the east of Markt was the next stop, De Burg (or Burg Square).
This square is home of the City Hall, the Basilica of the Holy Blood, and Ayuntamiento.
Bruges City Hall
Stadsbestuur Brugge
Ayuntamiento
Basilica of the Holy Blood
The Basilica of the Holy Blood is said to house the Christian relic of a small amount of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Basilica of the Holy Blood
Chapel of the Holy Blood
Rozenhoedkaai (Quay Of The Rosary)
From Burg Square, we walked south to Rozenhoedkaai (Quay Of The Rosary), one of the most famous viewpoints in Bruges.
Rozenhoedkaai
Callejón del Asno Ciego
Callejón del Asno Ciego
Lunch
It was here at Rozenhoedkaai where the guided portion of the tour ended.
Our tour guide gave a few suggestions for lunch nearby, adding a few final recommendations for what to do “on our own time” in the afternoon, and then notifying us to meet back at the Simon Stevin statue in a couple hours to walk back to the tour bus.
We chose to eat at a little outdoor restaurant called Old Bruges where we ordered several Belgian Beers for the main course and some steamed mussels and french fries for the sides.
Fish Market (Vismarkt)
After lunch, we made a quick stop at the Fish Market square, which was really more of a “swap meet”.
Climbing The Belfry of Bruges Tower
We decided that no trip to Bruges can be complete without a climb to the top of the Belfry of Bruges (bell-tower).
So we headed back to Markt Square and began the much-longer-than-we-expected hike to the top (The Belgian beers we consumed didn’t help…or did they?).
The very-narrow stairwell
The automated bells
Looking upward in the “never-ending” stairwell
The View From The Top Of The Tower
Inside The Top Of The Bell Tower (Belfry)
The hammer on the bell
Museum Gallery XPO Salvador Dali
After making our way back down from the Belfry, we stopped at the Museum Gallery XPO Salvador Dali (aka the “Salvador Dali Museum”), which was housed in the same building as the Belfry.
Although not as large as we expected, this museum was worthwhile for us as we were both huge fans of Dali.
Bruges Beer Experience
We chose to end our day in Bruges at the Bruges Beer Experience, just around the corner from the Salvador Dali museum.
We didn’t know if this would be a good choice vs. a bar because it seemed like it could be a tourist trap from the outside.
Well, turns out it was a great choice!
The way it worked was a little strange: you buy a “ticket” which you then exchange for a set amount of wooden tokens, which are then used to pay for the drinks at the bar.
There was no wait-staff service at the tables; but they had a large variety of excellent Belgian Beers at the bar (which I consider to be the best beers in the world).
The stairwell up to the beer hall
Round one
Round 3(?)
The bar and beer hall. Notice all the beer taps
The [second-half of the] aftermath.
The Walk Back To The Bus
We walked back to the bus the way we came through Minnewaterpark.
The Bottom-Line Review: Bruges Day Trip from Amsterdam [Expedia] (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
It’s been said, “Bruges is the place you’ve never heard of that will evoke the best memories”.
I couldn’t agree more. I’m thankful my friend knew about Bruges and suggested it to me. It would have been an absolute tragedy had I missed Bruges.
The Expedia tour was an excellent choice. The best thing about it was split between the guided portion in the morning and the “on your own” portion in the afternoon.
The Dali Museum and the Bruges Beer Experience (not included in the tour) were both worth a visit, and climbing the Belfry should [of course] be mandatory on any visit to Bruges.
The Bottom-Line Review: Highly Recommended! This tour to wonderful Bruges from Amsterdam is not to be missed!
