My 10 favourite destinations number 5

It's getting harder to choose my top destinations but after some deliberation I have chosen Bruges as my number 5 destination. I only actually spent one day there as part of a WW1 Battlefields trip but I certainly made the most of it. The bad news is I recently got my phone stolen which had all my Bruges photos so I only have a select few that I had uploaded to Facebook.

 Canal in Bruges

What I loved about Bruges

- it's pretty
- it's historic

- it's clean

- the people are friendly

- it has a relaxed atmosphere even though it is bustling

- lots of chocolate shops (always a bonus in my eyes)

What to do there

1. Go on the boat trip down the canal. This is the easiest way to see Bruges and you get a lot of interesting facts about the city. I thoroughly recommend this, I think it costs about €8 and it was so worth it. Along the way you see the St Salvators Cathedral, the Old St John's Hospital and the De Halve Mann distillery. It feels like you could be in Venice as you go under all the numerous bridges, partly ducking as you think you're not going to make it under.

The only downside for me was not getting the chance to visit all those wonderful places but if you were going for a couple of days I would recommend the boat trip and visiting the monuments.

2. Go to the Markt and see the beautiful and historic Belfry. You could take the stairs to the top to get a lovely view of the square. Personally I didn't but would have loved to. Soak up the atmosphere in one of the cafés or restaurants. They are pretty expensive here but the food is delicious.

3. Take a walk down all the old quaint streets and a walk through the Koningin Astrid park.

4. Eat a Belgian waffle, it's an absolute must! We found the waffles in the Markt square were so expensive. We refused to pay €8 for a waffle so had a look around for cheaper places. Only a couple of streets away we got these delicious ones for €4.

Yummmmmmmmy

5. Take a daytrip to the WW1 Battlefields nearby, such a worthwhile and humbling experience. We went to Newfoundland Park, Tyne Cot cemetery and Vimy Ridge. If you can only go to one, I recommend Vimy Ridge as you can get 30 minute tours and it's actually a part of Canada! It was awarded to the Canadians to thank them for their involvement in the War. And it's run by all Canadian people.

6. Go to Ypres for the day. Ypres is a beautiful small city which is a couple of hours from Bruges. In Ypres go to the Menin Gate and hear the Last Post being played. You need to get here early though as it is packed every single night and you need a good viewing spot. If you eat there, I recommend Brasserie Central from where this picture was taken:

 The main square in Ypres

In Flanders Field museum ( Ypres)

 

If you have never been to Bruges before or even any part of Belgium, I definitely recommend it. I loved it so much I would happily move there. Bruges isn't really the type of place that you can spend a lot of time in, I would say maximum 4/5 days.

Thanks if you read this far!

 

Nikki