Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Herberg Vlissinghe
and
De Garre
(both listed later, under “Eating in Bruges”) are great
places to just nurse a beer and enjoy new friends.
Charlie Rockets
is an American-style bar—lively and central—with foosball games,
darts, and five pool tables (€9/hour) in the inviting back room. It also runs a youth hostel
upstairs and therefore is filled with a young, international crowd who take full advantage of
the guest-only happy hour prices (a block off the Markt at Hoogstraat 19). It's open nightly
until 4:00 in the morning with nonstop rock 'n' roll.
Nighttime Bike Ride:
Great as these pubs are, my favorite way to spend a late-summer
eveninginBrugesisinthetwilightonarentalbike,savoringthecobbledwondersofitsback
streets, far from the touristic commotion.
EveningCarillonConcerts:
Thetinycourtyardbehindthebelltowerhasafewbenches
where people can enjoy the free carillon concerts (generally Mon, Wed, and Sat at 21:00 in
the summer; schedule posted on courtyard wall).
Bruges is a great place to sleep, with Gothic spires out your window, little traffic noise, and
the cheerily out-of-tune carillon heralding each new day at 8:00 sharp. (Thankfully, the bell
tower is silent from 22:00 to 8:00.) Most Bruges accommodations are located between the
train station and the old center, with the most distant (and best) being a few blocks to the
north and east of the Markt (Market Square).
B&Bs offer the best value (listed on
here
), but hoteliers have lobbied City Hall to make
it harder to have more than two “official” rooms. Creative B&B owners have found ways to
get around the new restrictions. All are on quiet streets and (with a few exceptions) keep the
same prices throughout the year.
Bruges is most crowded Friday and Saturday evenings from Easter through Octo-
ber—July and August weekends are the worst. Many hotels charge a bit more on Friday and
Saturday, and won't let you stay just one night if it's a Saturday.
$$$ Hotel Heritage
offers 24 rooms, with chandeliers that seem hung especially for you,
in a solid and completely modernized old building with luxurious public spaces. Tastefully
decorated and offering all the amenities, it's one of those places that does everything just
right yet still feels warm and inviting—if you can afford it (Db-€178, superior Db-€229,
deluxe Db-€283, extra bed-€60, wonderful buffet breakfast-€24, continental breakfast-€12,
