Bruges was one of the richest cities in Europe until its sea channel silted up in the 15th century and trade moved to Antwerp. The money stopped and so did the building, which is why the medieval town is still standing, and why UNESCO listed the whole centre in 2000. This six-hour excursion covers it on foot with a guide and leaves you two hours to yourself. You travel by air-conditioned coach with a certified local guide.
The tour covers:
Please note that the tour order and the time spent at each venue may vary.
Meeting at the cruise terminal
Meeting at the Zeebrugge cruise terminal, where our representative waits inside the building. The start time is given approximately and will be adjusted to your ship's arrival; the exact time is on your confirmation letter.
Drive to Bruges
A half-hour drive inland from the port through the Flemish countryside
The Belfry
The Belfry on the Markt, eighty-three metres of brick and stone begun in 1240 and finished, after two fires took the top off it, in 1822. Its treasury once held the town charters, its watchmen looked out for fire, and its forty-seven bells still play from a carillon at the top of three hundred and sixty-six steps.
Burg Square
Burg Square, where the counts of Flanders built their castle and the town its government. The Gothic City Hall of 1376 is one of the oldest in the Low Countries, its facade lined with statues, and the Renaissance and classical fronts around the square make it a lesson in four centuries of building.
Basilica of the Holy Blood
The Basilica of the Holy Blood, a Romanesque lower chapel of the 1130s with a Gothic upper one above it, which holds a phial said to contain cloth stained with the blood of Christ, brought back to Flanders after the Second Crusade. It is carried through the streets each Ascension Day in a procession the town has kept up since the Middle Ages.
The Fish Market
The Vismarkt, the colonnaded fish market built in 1821, where fish is still sold on the stone slabs on weekday mornings and the surrounding lanes are full of small restaurants.
Rozenhoedkaai
Rozenhoedkaai, the quay where two canals meet under the belfry and the most photographed corner in Belgium. Rosaries were sold here once, which is where the name comes from.
Bonifacius Bridge
The Bonifacius Bridge, a small stone hump over the water behind the Gruuthuse palace. It looks medieval and was in fact built in 1910, which explains why it is the most romantic bridge in a town full of older ones.
The Beguinage
The Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde, founded in 1245 for beguines, women who lived a religious life without taking vows and supported themselves by lace and cloth. The white houses around the poplar courtyard are now home to Benedictine nuns, and the beguinages of Flanders have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
Minnewater
Minnewater, the Lake of Love, a canal basin that was the town's inland harbour when Bruges traded with the Hanseatic League. The story attached to the name involves a girl called Minna who died for love, though the word simply meant a common water.
Sint-Janshospitaal
Sint-Janshospitaal, one of the oldest surviving hospital buildings in Europe, where the sick were nursed from the 12th century. Its old wards now hold the medical instruments, chests and paintings of the house, including six works by Hans Memling made for the hospital itself.
Free time on the Markt
The Markt, the great square of gabled guild houses under the belfry, with the neo-Gothic Provincial Court on one side and the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, who led the Bruges revolt against the French in 1302, in the middle. Two hours of your own here for chocolate, waffles, a brewery or lunch.
Return to the ship
The drive back to the Zeebrugge terminal, timed to your ship's departure
| People | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 1–16 | €102 |
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