Bruges
Bruges is one of the most perfectly preserved medieval cities in Europe, and consequently it has become the most popular tourist destination in Belgium. During the height of summer the number of visitors can tend to overwhelm the town's charms, but you would still be mad to come to Belgium and miss the place. Autumn is a great time to visit.
Overlaid on a network of canals, Bruges' winding streets were once the arteries of an international commercial power. Hard as it is to believe now, sleepy Bruges was amongst the richest towns in the Western world, acting as a centre of the European wool trade for two centuries. The legacy is evident in the monumental Belfry, the broad expanse of the town square, the ornate ancient buildings, and the wealth of the city's museums.
By the end of the fifteenth century Bruges was in terminal decline, with the city's vital river link to the North Sea silting up. Bruges simply ceased to be a commercial centre of any importance, and effectively became 'frozen in time'. Escaping any significant damage in the world wars, Bruges has re-emerged in this century as a major tourist attraction.
The older sections of Bruges border the two central squares - Markt and Burg. Markt, edged on three sides by gabled buildings that contain a number of cafes and restaurants, is a hugely impressive open space, overlooked by the mighty Belfry. Built in the thirteenth century when the town was at its richest, the Belfry towers over the square and the cloth hall below.
The nearby Burg is fringed by the city's finest group of buildings. One of the best is the Heilig Bloed Basiliek (Basilica of the Holy Blood), named after a phial of Christ's dried blood that was brought here in 1150 and then reputedly liquefied every Friday for the next 175 years. The Holy Blood is still carried through the town in a solemn procession on Ascension Day (mid-May). Next to the basilica is the Stadhuis, with its sandstone façade dating from 1376, interspersed with the statues of the counts and countesses of Flanders. Inside, the magnificent Gothic Hall is well worth a look.
Heading south from the Burg, through the archway next to the Stadhuis, it's a brief walk to both the eighteenth-century Vismarkt, and the huddle of picturesque houses that make up Huidenvettersplein. Close by, the Groeninge Museum houses a superb sample of Flemish paintings from the fourteenth to the twentieth centuries.
Getting There
Eurostar train services leave London Waterloo for Brussels several times per day. Connecting trains can be caught to Bruges, where the station is a 20 minute walk from the historic centre.
Numerous ferry services operate between the UK and ports in France and the Low Countries, where connections to Bruges can be organised.
More Information
Check out the simple but useful tourist information website at www.brugge.be.
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