Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Markt). Under the bell tower are two great Belgian-style french-fry stands, a quadrilingual
Braille description of the old town, and a metal model of the tower. In Bruges' heyday as a
trading center, a canal came right up to this square. Geldmuntstraat, just off the square, is a
delightful street with many fun and practical shops and eateries.
Most of this bell tower has presided over the Markt since 1300, serenading passersby with
carillon music. The octagonal lantern was added in 1486, making it 290 feet high—that's
366 steps. The view is worth the climb and probably even the pricey admission.
Cost and Hours:
€8, daily 9:30-17:00, 16:15 last-entry time strictly enforced—best to
show up before 16:00, €0.30 WC in courtyard.
This opulent square is Bruges' civic center, the historic birthplace of Bruges, and the site
of the ninth-century castle of the first count of Flanders. Today, it's an atmospheric place to
take in an outdoor concert while surrounded by six centuries of architecture.
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Basilica of the Holy Blood
OriginallytheChapelofSaintBasil,thischurchisfamousforitsrelicofthebloodofChrist,
which, according to tradition, was brought to Bruges in 1150 after the Second Crusade. The
lowerchapelisdarkandsolid—afineexampleofRomanesquestyle.Theupperchapel(sep-
arate entrance, climb the stairs) is decorated Gothic. An interesting treasury museum is next
to the upper chapel.
Cost and Hours:
April-Sept daily 9:30-12:00 & 14:00-18:00; Oct-March daily
10:00-12:00 & 14:00-16:00 except closed Wed afternoon; Burg Square, tel. 050-336-792,
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City Hall
Thiscomplexhousesseveralinterestingsights.Your€2ticketincludesanaudioguide;access
to a room full of old town maps and paintings; the grand, beautifully restored
Gothic Room
from1400,starring apainted andcarvedwoodenceiling adornedwithhangingarches (daily
9:30-17:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, Burg 12); and the less impressive
Renais-
sanceHall
(BrugseVrije),basicallyjustoneornateroomwithaRenaissancechimney(same
hours, separate entrance—in corner of square at Burg 11a).
This museum has one of the world's best collections of the art produced in the city and
surrounding area, from Memling to Magritte. In the 1400s, Bruges was northern Europe's
