The best part of the long flight overseas (9-10 hours from Denver to Frankfurt), besides the free drinks, is being able to watch a bunch of movies at your own pace. Back in February when we were flying to Hannover for our orientation week, the movie “In Bruges” was playing. It’s a really good and entertaining comedy/crime/drama movie, and after seeing it we knew we had to go there. It is such a beautiful and relaxing place, with canals intertwining through the whole city. It is referred to as “The Venice of the North” because of this, but the medieval architecture alone is enough to get lost wandering the cobblestone streets for hours. Due to its location, all of the service workers speak at least 3-4 languages: Dutch (and the regional variant, Flemish), English, French, and German.
We went for a long weekend at the end of November for a couple of reasons. The first is that it was at the top of our travel list and we just wanted to go, the second was that there would be less tourists (the small, quaint, romantic city is so well known now that the summer months make it impossible to visit anywhere without a barrage of people), and third is that it was during all the winter festivities!
Bruges at dusk, or as the locals call it, Brugge
Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival
Each year Bruges hosts a “Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival” just outside the main train station, which is hosted inside three large tents kept at a chilly 21°F. This year the theme was (fittingly) the new Disney movie “Frozen.” There were sculptures of all the original / most famous Disney characters, with other rooms containing fully detailed stills from Frozen. The coolest part (literally and figuratively) was at the end, where they had an ice bar and slide! We went down the slide first, which if done correctly would cause you to fly down at high speeds, had some glühwein at the bar, and then went down the slide again! After that we were cold enough, having spent an hour in there, and went on our way to enjoy the rest this beautiful city had to offer.
Each year Bruges hosts a “Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival” just outside the main train station, which is hosted inside three large tents kept at a chilly 21°F. This year the theme was (fittingly) the new Disney movie “Frozen.” There were sculptures of all the original / most famous Disney characters, with other rooms containing fully detailed stills from Frozen. The coolest part (literally and figuratively) was at the end, where they had an ice bar and slide! We went down the slide first, which if done correctly would cause you to fly down at high speeds, had some glühwein at the bar, and then went down the slide again! After that we were cold enough, having spent an hour in there, and went on our way to enjoy the rest this beautiful city had to offer.
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Canal Tour
As mentioned, there are canals that wind all throughout the city, which makes travelling by boat the best way to get a tour of Bruges. This was definitely our favorite part of the trip. It was 35 minutes of relaxing sightseeing, and was such a cool experience with some great pictures to come out of it. The boat operator narrated throughout the trip-- based on a survey at the beginning, he spoke English, French, and Dutch. He mixed in history with architecture, and pointed out some other sites worth seeing. At the beginning, we went right by our hotel room, before winding through the city and seeing many areas best viewed from the water
As mentioned, there are canals that wind all throughout the city, which makes travelling by boat the best way to get a tour of Bruges. This was definitely our favorite part of the trip. It was 35 minutes of relaxing sightseeing, and was such a cool experience with some great pictures to come out of it. The boat operator narrated throughout the trip-- based on a survey at the beginning, he spoke English, French, and Dutch. He mixed in history with architecture, and pointed out some other sites worth seeing. At the beginning, we went right by our hotel room, before winding through the city and seeing many areas best viewed from the water
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Market Square / Belfry Tower
The market square at the city center was stunning. Since the Christmas markets were set up, there were food, drink, and gift booths around the whole square, along with a skating rink right in the middle. We of course strapped on some skates and had a blast racing and spinning (and not falling!) before walking around the market. The Belfry tower in the background also made the skating experience a beautiful and unique one. The Belfry tower is a medieval bell tower and the most prominent site in Bruges. The walk to the top is by a narrow, 366-step staircase, and has rooms to stop in on the way up that tells the history of each section of the tower.
The market square at the city center was stunning. Since the Christmas markets were set up, there were food, drink, and gift booths around the whole square, along with a skating rink right in the middle. We of course strapped on some skates and had a blast racing and spinning (and not falling!) before walking around the market. The Belfry tower in the background also made the skating experience a beautiful and unique one. The Belfry tower is a medieval bell tower and the most prominent site in Bruges. The walk to the top is by a narrow, 366-step staircase, and has rooms to stop in on the way up that tells the history of each section of the tower.
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Minnewaterpark
In the south part of Bruges is Minnewaterpark. There you can find a bridge crossing over a rectangular lake called “Minnewater” or Lake of Love. There is a local legend based off of the tragic romance between Minna and her warrior love Stromberg, that you will experience eternal love if you walk over the lake bridge with your significant other. So naturally, we decided to take a stroll over it.
In the south part of Bruges is Minnewaterpark. There you can find a bridge crossing over a rectangular lake called “Minnewater” or Lake of Love. There is a local legend based off of the tragic romance between Minna and her warrior love Stromberg, that you will experience eternal love if you walk over the lake bridge with your significant other. So naturally, we decided to take a stroll over it.
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Rozenhoedkaai
Probably the most famous spot to take a picture is called Rozenhoedkaai. It’s a perfect blend of beautiful buildings, water, and nature. We were super lucky as our hotel room can be seen from this picture, so we got to enjoy this beautiful view constantly. The view from our hotel room was quite stunning as well, as we were literally right on the water.
Probably the most famous spot to take a picture is called Rozenhoedkaai. It’s a perfect blend of beautiful buildings, water, and nature. We were super lucky as our hotel room can be seen from this picture, so we got to enjoy this beautiful view constantly. The view from our hotel room was quite stunning as well, as we were literally right on the water.
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Chocolate and Waffles
As Bruges is in Belgium, we naturally had to take part in what this country is most famous for – Chocolate and Waffles! Their solid chocolate is out of this world, although they are most famous for their pralines, as they are the ones who created and perfected the nutty-crème-filled chocolates. We went to the “Choco Story” museum, which told the complete history of the cocoa bean, and how chocolate played a large role through much of history. It was quite fascinating, and ended with a demonstration (and tasting) of how they make pralines.
As Bruges is in Belgium, we naturally had to take part in what this country is most famous for – Chocolate and Waffles! Their solid chocolate is out of this world, although they are most famous for their pralines, as they are the ones who created and perfected the nutty-crème-filled chocolates. We went to the “Choco Story” museum, which told the complete history of the cocoa bean, and how chocolate played a large role through much of history. It was quite fascinating, and ended with a demonstration (and tasting) of how they make pralines.
Belgian waffles. Crispy, and coated with powdered sugar. Whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and caramel sauce. Hot chocolate trio (white, milk, and dark). Hot chocolate with Amaretto. A fantastic afternoon snack.
Belgian Beer
The beer list available at the restaurants and bars are unbelievable. We went to a famous bar that had a list of over 300 different beers to try! It was really cool seeing posters of Colorado’s “New Belgium” beer around too. One famous spot right next to our hotel is the beer wall, and contains a bottle of every beer that has been brewed in Belgium. Walking into the beer store right next to it was overwhelming as it was two stories of wall to wall beer – it was almost impossible to decide which one to try!
The beer list available at the restaurants and bars are unbelievable. We went to a famous bar that had a list of over 300 different beers to try! It was really cool seeing posters of Colorado’s “New Belgium” beer around too. One famous spot right next to our hotel is the beer wall, and contains a bottle of every beer that has been brewed in Belgium. Walking into the beer store right next to it was overwhelming as it was two stories of wall to wall beer – it was almost impossible to decide which one to try!
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Overall Bruges was purely amazing and a place we highly recommend to anyone wanting to visit Belgium. It was the perfect relaxing mini-vacation, and incredible with how much stuff there is to do and see for such a small city. We can’t wait for our next adventure, but will always remember this beautiful city and have it at the top of our favorite and most memorable trips!
With that, we wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a big thank you for following along in our adventures. We love hearing people say that they are checking our blog from time to time! See you next year.
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