Brugge can be overwhelming.
Many of the guidebooks, web guides, and travel forums I consulted prior to my trip say you can spend one day in the city and see everything there is to see. I’m here to tell you that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Although I didn’t like Brugge at first, I learned (eventually) that like any other city, it needs to be savored–slowly–to be enjoyed.
Trying to hit all of the top spots in the space of 24 hours will leave you much like the people pictured, exhausted and burned out from seeing too much too fast. Exploring many of the museums and historic sites around the Grote Markt might be done in a day, but there’s a great deal more to see and do around the perimeter.
Like visiting Minnewater Park. Or enjoying an authentic Belgian meal where the locals do. Or having a beer at the oldest bar in Brugge (just don’t go on Tuesdays when it’s closed). There’s just so much you’ll miss if you try to speed through Brugge.
So don’t be like these folks. Stay a while. You might be glad you did.
Hi Marsha, thanks for the review,,, im going to Antwerp on the 18th, arriving at 19th and i have NOOOO idea what i’m going to do there. so i browsed the UGC Antwerp to watch movie. plesae tell me what i did was wrong x_x would like to know more about the city, since i will be having Meeting on the 20-22 (June) and i also read about the Give Away shop, is that true ? and is it worth visiting ? since i notice that mose of the Stores (H&M, Zara, New Look) will be closed on Sunday.
so.. im lost 🙁 help meee..
thanks ! 🙂
Hello, Angie! I loved Antwerp and hope you do too. I’ll admit I haven’t heard about the Give Away shop, but I’ll share the three things I enjoyed the most: the Rubenshuis Museum, the Grand Place/Grote Markt and the Onze Lieve Vrouwekathedraal, and some of the markets on the squares are quite nice to explore. Enjoy your trip!
It really depends on how you visit the city. When I’m a “guide” I’ll show Brussels in one day to my visitor friends, because I know where the hotspots are (and I’m not talking about Grand Place, I’m actually talking about other places like the Peter Pan secret garden, the statue of the pissing DOG, or the best frites in Place Jourdan which is outside the center). But it took me about 6 months to 1 year to find out all of this. 🙂
Exactly…if you’re exploring on your own without the help of a guide, it’s going to take you a heck of a lot longer to figure things out. So my advice to people planning to go to Brugge without a guide is to take at least two days.
I’d say this is true of pretty much every city. I know I’m always burned out when I try to cram too much into a short period of time.
Yeah, but I’d say roughly 75% of the stuff I read on Brugge commented that it could be done in one day. I guess since people assume that since Belgium is so small, its cities can be done fairly quickly too, but it’s not true. Brugge may be small, but it’s dense.