Things to do in Bruges

Bruges packs a lot into a compact centre. Here are all 49 sights in our planner, starting with the must-sees and then grouped by theme, each with opening hours, price and the time you need.

Last updated: 22 October 2026

Don't miss

Markt & Burg

Photo: Wolfgang Staudt [1] · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Market Square (Markt)

The medieval main square, dominated by the Belfry and lined with stepped gables and horse-drawn carriages.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Superchilum · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Burg square

The old seat of power, framed by the Gothic City Hall, the Basilica of the Holy Blood and the Liberty of Bruges.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Rozenhoedkaai

The Rosary Quay, Bruges’s most photographed corner, with the Belfry rising over the canal and old gables.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Peter K Burian · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Canal boat tour

A 30-minute guided trip in an open boat from Jan van Eyckplein to the Beguinage, past the best-known canal views.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (guaranteed March–October; last boat 17:30); Nov–Feb only some boats
• 🎟️ Price: €15
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Jean-Pol GRANDMONT · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Beguinage (Begijnhof)

A UNESCO-listed courtyard of whitewashed houses around a green, still home to women living quietly.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 07:30–18:30 (winter); 07:30–20:30 from the end of March
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Sightseeing: squares, landmarks and viewpoints

Markt & Burg

Photo: Adiel lo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Belfry (Belfort)

The 83 m medieval belfry with 366 steps up to a panorama over the roofs of Bruges, plus its carillon.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:00–20:00 until 2 Nov (last entry 19:00); 3 Nov–31 Mar Mon–Fri and Sun 10:00–18:00, Sat 09:00–20:00
• 🎟️ Price: €16
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Dominique Uyttenhove · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Historium

A staged walk back to 15th-century Bruges with painter Jan van Eyck, plus an exhibition and optional VR flight.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Fri and Sun 10:30–17:00 (Story last entry 16:00); Sat 10:30–20:00
• 🎟️ Price: €22
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Wolfgang Staudt · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Church of Our Lady (Michelangelo’s Madonna)

Brick Gothic church with a 115 m spire, Michelangelo’s Madonna and the tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 09:30–17:00, Sun 13:30–17:00 (museum part with the Madonna)
• 🎟️ Price: €10
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Bonifacius Bridge & Arentshof

A tiny, much-photographed stone bridge between the Church of Our Lady and the Gruuthuse, beside the quiet Arentshof garden.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

Minnewater (Lake of Love)

The Lake of Love: swans, willows and the old lock house on the southern edge of the old town, beside a quiet park.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Hanseatic Quarter

Photo: Chad K · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Jan van Eyckplein & Spiegelrei

The medieval harbour square with the Toll House and the Burghers’ Lodge, leading to the quiet Spiegelrei canal.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Sint-Anna & Windmills

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia

Windmills on the Kruisvest (Sint-Janshuismolen)

The 1770 Sint-Janshuis mill still grinds grain on the green ramparts, with a view over the old town.

• 🕗 Hours: Ramparts always open; inside the Sint-Janshuismolen Tue–Sun 09:30–12:30 and 13:30–17:00 until 2 Nov (€5), closed in winter
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Wolfgang Staudt from Saarbruecken, Germany · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Horse-drawn carriage ride

Half-hour carriage ride through the old centre from the Markt, with a rest stop at Wijngaardplein.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:00–18:00, later in summer (weather permitting)
• 🎟️ Price: €70
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Gentpoort (Ghent Gate)

Medieval gate on the south-east ring with a statue of St Adrian, set between ramparts, a canal and the Kruisvest path.

• 🕗 Hours: Always visible
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Sint-Anna & Windmills

Photo: Wolfgang Staudt · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Kruispoort (Cross Gate)

Gate of 1400 with two heavy towers and octagonal turrets at the head of the Kruisvest windmill path.

• 🕗 Hours: Always visible
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

't Zand & Sint-Jakobs

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia

Smedenpoort (Blacksmiths’ Gate)

Elegant 14th-century gate on the south-west ring, with a bronze skull above the left passage and a suspended footbridge beside it.

• 🕗 Hours: Always visible
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

't Zand & Sint-Jakobs

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Ezelpoort (Donkey’s Gate)

Gate of 1369 on the north-west ring, its top removed in the 17th century, next to the ramparts and a quiet canal stretch.

• 🕗 Hours: Always visible
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Tony Grist · Public domain · Wikimedia

Huidenvettersplein (Tanners Square)

Tiny canal-side square between the Fish Market and Rozenhoedkaai, once the tanners’ quarter, now a quiet photo stop.

• 🕗 Hours: Always visible
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

Groenerei

The prettiest stretch of canal in Bruges, with small bridges, greenery and benches at the water’s edge.

• 🕗 Hours: Always visible
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Zeisterre · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Hof Arents

Pocket park by the Dijver with a postcard view of Our Lady’s tower, the Gruuthuse and the Bonifacius Bridge.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Almshouses (Godshuizen De Vos)

Whitewashed courtyard cottages built for the poor, still lived in, a quiet corner to peek into.

• 🕗 Hours: Always visible from Noordstraat; the courtyard gate may be closed
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Museums and galleries

Museum Quarter

Photo: Navy8300 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Groeningemuseum

Six centuries of Flemish art, from Van Eyck, Memling and Bosch to Magritte, in the Dijver museum quarter.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 until 2 Nov; from 3 Nov Tue–Sun 09:30–17:00; closed Mon; closes for refurbishment on 11 Jan 2027
• 🎟️ Price: €15
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

St John’s Hospital (Sint-Janshospitaal, Memling)

A 12th-century hospital with six Memling masterpieces, the St Ursula Shrine and a 17th-century pharmacy.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 09:30–17:00; closed Mon
• 🎟️ Price: €15
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Sint-Anna & Windmills

Photo: Donarreiskoffer · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Jerusalem Chapel (Adornes Domain)

A family estate with a rare Holy Sepulchre-style chapel, a renewed museum in the almshouses and a garden.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 10:00–17:00 (1 Oct–31 Mar); Sat until 18:00 in summer; closed Sun and holidays
• 🎟️ Price: €11
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Ymblanter, turned & cut by Ulamm (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Lumina Domestica (Lamp Museum)

Museum of indoor lighting from torch to LED with over 6,000 lamps, entered through Choco-Story.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00)
• 🎟️ Price: €20
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Diamond Museum

Museum on the history of Bruges as a diamond city, with a daily polishing demonstration.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:30–17:30 (polishing show 12:15)
• 🎟️ Price: €15
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Sint-Anna & Windmills

Photo: ArtProf · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Lace Centre (Kantcentrum)

Museum and workshop in the Jerusalem almshouses where lacemakers demonstrate the bobbin craft every afternoon.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 09:30–17:00 (demonstrations 14:00–17:00)
• 🎟️ Price: €8
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Sint-Anna & Windmills

Photo: EvanBrugge · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Folklore Museum (Volkskundemuseum)

Everyday life in Bruges in the 19th and early 20th century in a row of old almshouses, with a period grocer’s and school.

• 🕗 Hours: Wed–Sun 09:30–17:00 (also Tue until 2 Nov)
• 🎟️ Price: €8
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

BRUSK

Bruges’s new art hall next to the Groeningemuseum, opened in 2026 with large temporary exhibitions and a free-to-enter forum.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (09:30–17:00 from 3 Nov; closed Mon)
• 🎟️ Price: €20
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: rene boulay · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Dalí Exhibition (Belfry Halls)

More than 300 surrealist works, sculptures and design objects by Salvador Dalí, in the halls under the Belfry.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00)
• 🎟️ Price: €10
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Fred Romero from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Brugse Vrije (Liberty of Bruges)

The aldermen’s chamber on the Burg with an oak-and-marble Renaissance chimneypiece honouring Emperor Charles V.

• 🕗 Hours: Sat–Sun 09:30–17:00
• 🎟️ Price: €3
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Architecture

Markt & Burg

Photo: Fred Romero from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Basilica of the Holy Blood

Two chapels on the Burg: a Romanesque lower church and an ornate upper chapel holding the relic of the Holy Blood.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–17:15; relic veneration daily 14:00–16:00 (Fri also 10:15–11:00)
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

City Hall (Gothic Hall)

One of the oldest Gothic city halls in the Low Countries, with a painted vaulted hall and a history of Bruges and the sea.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 09:30–17:00
• 🎟️ Price: €8
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Wolfgang Staudt · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

Gruuthuse Museum

A 15th-century city palace of the Gruuthuse family with tapestries, lace, wood carving and a private oratory.

• 🕗 Hours: Thu–Tue 09:30–17:00; closed Wed
• 🎟️ Price: €15
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

't Zand & Sint-Jakobs

Photo: Cmcmcm1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

St Salvator’s Cathedral

Bruges’s oldest parish church and cathedral, with tapestries and Flemish primitives in its treasury.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Fri 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:30; Sat 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–15:30; Sun 14:00–17:00
• 🎟️ Price: Free
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Food and markets

Markt & Burg

Photo: Zeisterre · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Frietmuseum (Fries Museum)

Museum on the history of the potato and the fry, in a medieval house, with a fries bar to finish.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:15)
• 🎟️ Price: €12
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Vismarkt (Fish Market)

Belgium’s oldest preserved fish market, a classical colonnade of 1820 selling day-fresh North Sea seafood.

• 🕗 Hours: Wed–Sat 08:00–13:30
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Beer

Museum Quarter

Photo: Spotter2 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

De Halve Maan brewery

The family brewery of Brugse Zot and Straffe Hendrik: a 45-minute tour with a rooftop view and a beer at the end.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 11:00–18:00; guided tours through the day (book a time slot online)
• 🎟️ Price: €16
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Queeste · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia

Bourgogne des Flandres brewery & distillery

City-centre brewery of the red-brown Bourgogne des Flandres, with an immersive visit, a genever still and a canal-view bar.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00 (closed Mon; tours by booking)
• 🎟️ Price: €16
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: BLloydT · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Bruges Beer Experience

Interactive beer museum on the Markt where you smell, taste and touch the ingredients, then a bar with 16 draught beers.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00; bar and shop to 18:30)
• 🎟️ Price: €14
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

The Bottle Shop

Specialist shop with hundreds of Belgian beers from abbey to lambic, plus gift packs and matching glasses.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 11:00–19:00
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Chocolate

Markt & Burg

Photo: Dani Latorre · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia

Choco-Story (chocolate museum)

The 5,500-year story of cocoa and chocolate, with a live chocolate-making demonstration and tastings.

• 🕗 Hours: Daily 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00)
• 🎟️ Price: €16
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Piet de Kersgieter · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

The Chocolate Line

Dominique Persoone’s bold pralines, with small-scale bean-to-bar chocolate making to watch in the shop.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sat 09:30–18:30, Sun–Mon 10:30–18:30
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Museum Quarter

Photo: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

Chocolaterie Sukerbuyc

One of the oldest chocolate makers in Bruges, with pralines and truffles handmade in its own atelier.

• 🕗 Hours: Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (closed Mon)
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia

Chocolatier Dumon (Eiermarkt)

Family chocolatier on the Eiermarkt selling fresh handmade pralines made to old recipes.

• 🕗 Hours: Mon–Sat 10:00–18:00, Sun 12:00–17:00
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Shopping

't Zand & Sint-Jakobs

Photo: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR) · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

Steenstraat & Zuidzandstraat

The main shopping axis between the Markt and ’t Zand, with fashion chains, department store and Belgian labels.

• 🕗 Hours: Shops typically daily 10:00–18:00
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

't Zand & Sint-Jakobs

Photo: Marc Ryckaert · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia

Geldmuntstraat & Noordzandstraat

Quieter shopping streets with independent boutiques, delis and design shops between the Markt and ’t Zand.

• 🕗 Hours: Shops typically daily 10:00–18:00
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

Markt & Burg

Photo: Vanderhispallie, Eelkje · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia

Wollestraat & Hoogstraat

Cobbled streets from the Markt towards the canals, lined with chocolate, lace, beer and souvenir shops.

• 🕗 Hours: Shops typically daily 10:00–18:00
• ⏱️ Visit: ~1 h

With kids

Markt & Burg

Photo: Gargarapalvin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia

Koningin Astridpark

Small green park in the centre with a bandstand kiosk, fountain and playground, good for a picnic with children.

• 🕗 Hours: Always open
• ⏱️ Visit: ~0.5 h

Plan your trip → Put these places in a day plan with walking times.