Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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market square
Main square that is the modern heart of the
city, with carillon bell tower (described on opposite page).
Hours:
Always open. See page 330.
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basilica of the Holy blood
Romanesque and Gothic church
housing a relic of the blood of Christ.
Hours:
April-Sept Thu-Tue
9:30-12:00 & 14:00-18:00, Wed 9:30-11:45 only; Oct-March
Thu-Tue 10:00-12:00 & 14:00-16:00, Wed 10:00-11:45 only. See
page 333.
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City Hall
Beautifully restored Gothic Room from 1400, plus the
Renaissance Hall.
Hours:
Daily 9:30-17:00. See page 321.
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Chocolate shops
Bruges' specialty, sold at Dumon, The
Chocolate Line, and on and on.
Hours:
Shops generally open
10:00-18:00. See page 324.
gruuthuse museum
15th-century mansion displaying an eclec-
tic collection that includes furniture, tapestries, and lots more.
Hours:
Tue-Sun 9:30-17:00, closed Mon, some rooms closed until
2011. See page 321.
Choco-story: The Chocolate museum
The whole delicious
story of Belgium's favorite treat.
Hours:
Daily 10:00-17:00. See
page 325.
in Flanders Fields museum
Moving WWI museum in Ypres,
southwest of Bruges, easy to reach on a bus tour from Bruges.
Hours:
April-mid-Nov daily 10:00-18:00; mid-Nov-March Tue-
Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon and for three weeks in Jan. See
page 328.
life, walk through the simple museum, the Beguine's House
museum (€2, daily 10:00-17:00, shorter hours off-season, English
explanations, museum is left of entry gate).
minnewater
—Just south of the Begijnhof is Minnewater, an
idyllic world of flower boxes, canals, and swans.
Almshouses
—Walking from the Begijnhof back to the town cen-
ter, you might detour along Nieuwe Gentweg to visit one of about
20 almshouses in the city. At #8, go through the door marked
Godshuis de Meulenaere 1613
into the peaceful courtyard (free). This
was a medieval form of housing for the poor. The rich would pay
for someone's tiny room here in return for lots of prayers.
