Bruges Day Trip from Amsterdam with Optional Canal Boat Ride

Bruges: the medieval jewel of Belgium

Bruges, in the Flemish region of Belgium, was one of the richest trading cities of medieval Europe, a centre of the cloth trade connected to the sea by canals. When its waterway to the coast silted up in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, trade moved away and the city fell into a long sleep, which preserved its streets, canals and brick gabled houses almost untouched. Its historic centre has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

A Bruges day trip from Amsterdam is a long but rewarding day: the drive takes about three hours each way, and you have around five hours in the city. The best time to visit Bruges is spring or early autumn, when the canals are framed by green trees and the streets are less crowded, though the winter lights and Christmas market are also magical.

Minnewater, the Begijnhof and the Church of Our Lady

The guided walk begins in the quiet south of the old town at the Minnewater, the Lake of Love, a peaceful lake with swans, willows and a small brick lock house, once the inner harbour of the city. Next to it lies the Begijnhof, founded in the thirteenth century as a community for religious women; its whitewashed houses around a lawn of tall trees are still one of the calmest places in Bruges, and in spring the grass is covered with daffodils.

From here you walk to the Church of Our Lady, whose brick tower of about 115 metres is one of the tallest brick towers in the world and dominates the skyline. Your guide explains its history and its treasures, including the tombs of the last dukes of Burgundy, before continuing along the Dijver canal, one of the most photographed spots in the city.

Burg Square and the Gothic Town Hall

Passing Walplein Square and the Gruuthuse Palace, the medieval mansion of a wealthy Bruges family that is now a museum, the walk reaches Burg Square, the political and religious heart of medieval Bruges. Here stands the Town Hall, begun in 1376 and one of the oldest in the Low Countries, with a richly carved Gothic facade lined with statues.

Beside it is the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a small two-level church with a Romanesque lower chapel and a Gothic upper chapel. Your guide tells you how Burg Square was the site of the counts' castle and how the different buildings around it reflect eight centuries of history, from Romanesque to Renaissance.

The Grote Markt and the Belfry of Bruges

The Grote Markt, the Market Square, is the heart of Bruges, surrounded by colourful stepped-gable guild houses and dominated by the Belfry, a medieval bell tower about 83 metres high. The tower once held the city's treasury and charters and served as a watchtower; its carillon of 47 bells still rings over the city, and visitors can climb its 366 steps for a panoramic view.

The guided walk ends here, and your free time begins. Climbing the Belfry, visiting a museum, sitting at a café on the square with a Belgian waffle or browsing the chocolate shops in the surrounding streets are all popular choices. Belfry of Bruges tickets are not included, but you have plenty of time to buy them on the spot.

The canals of Bruges by boat

Bruges is often called the Venice of the North, and its canals, the reien, are the best way to see the city from a different angle. Open boats glide under low medieval bridges, past brick houses rising straight from the water, hidden gardens, the Church of Our Lady's tower and the willows of the Dijver, while the boatman points out sights along the way.

The canal boat ride is included in the default option and in the at-your-own-pace option with boat. It is one of the highlights of any Bruges tour and a relaxing break from walking. In the coldest winter weeks boats may pause if the canals freeze; in that case we contact you about options.