In 2017 I had the chance to speak at FOSDEM in Brussels, and I used this opportunity to travel around Belgium a bit, one city every day. One of the cities I visited was Bruges.

Everyone I spoke recommended me to visit Bruges, so I decided to go. It was not the city I liked the most, but it’s quite nice indeed.

A very small city that still looks very medieval. :)

Stay

I stayed in a nice hostel with a great location and I really recommend it. Please ping me directly so I can look for it as I don’t remember the name and I don’t have internet connection while writing this.

The location is great, the place is clean, good Wifi, friendly staff (in 2017).

Transport

I did everything walking, the city is not that big and I like walking. I got the train to get there from Brussels and I rememebr it took around 1 hour and half.

Places

• As usual, I did the free walking tour with local guides. Most of the time, it’s a great experience I don’t regret. It’s cheap and fun. I met the guide at the main square around 10. The name of the group of guides is “Legends of Bruges”, and I got their info with the hostel folks.
• I like medieval structures, so I decided to walk around the city to see their portals, they have ~7 of them (if I remember correctly).
• I climbed the main clock tower and it was a good experience. It’s a very small place with tons of steps, so be prepared!

Language

I don’t remember which one is their main language. In Belgium they have French and Dutch as the most used languages. Depending on how close you are from France or the Netherlands, you see see more french or Dutch, respectively.

I remember going to a place for breakfast and a couple with kids speaking french and the person replying in English, so I tend to think they speak mostly Dutch.

Food

• Nothing that I remember and it’s worth listing. Just cheap food and nice fries. :)