Lonely Planet Pocket Bruges & Brussels

By Benedict Walker and Helena Smith

Lonely Planet’s Pocket Bruges & Brussels is your guide to the city’s best experiences and local life - neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Visit the famous Markt, taste the world’s best beer and cruise the scenic river; all with your trusted travel companion. Uncover the best of Bruges & Brussels and make the most of your trip!

 

Inside Lonely Planet’s Pocket Bruges & Brussels: 

Up-to-date information - all businesses were rechecked before publication to ensure they are still open after 2020’s COVID-19 outbreak

Full-colour maps and travel photography throughout

Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests

Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots

Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices

Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sightseeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss

Convenient pull-out Bruges & Brussels map (included in print version), plus over 14 colour neighbourhood maps

User-friendly layout with helpful icons, and organised by neighbourhood to help you pick the best spots to spend your time

Covers Burg, Markt, Groeningemuseum, Royal Quarter Museums, Grand Place, Ilot Sacre, Parc du Cinquantenaire, EU Quarter, the Marolles, Ste-Catherine, Musee Horta and more

 

The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet’s Pocket Bruges & Brussels, an easy-to-use guide filled with top experiences - neighbourhood by neighbourhood - that literally fits in your pocket. Make the most of a quick trip to Bruges & Brussels with trusted travel advice to get you straight to the heart of the city.

 

Looking for more extensive coverage? Check out Lonely Planet’s Belgium & Luxembourg guide for a comprehensive look at all that the region has to offer.

 

About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we've printed over 145 million guidebooks and phrasebooks for 120 languages, and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You'll also find our content online, and in mobile apps, videos, 14 languages, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more, enabling you to explore every day. 

 

'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' – New York Times

 

'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves; it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' – Fairfax Media (Australia)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781837580200

Book preview

Front CoverFull Page Samplerbutton

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Bruges’ & Brussels’ Top Experiences

Dining Out

Bar Open

Treasure Hunt

Show Time

Festivals & Events

Museums & Galleries

Architecture

LGBTIQ+ Life

Markets

Under the Radar Bruges & Brussels

For Kids

Tours

Four Perfect Days

Need to Know

Bruges Neighbourhoods

Brussels Neighbourhoods

Explore Bruges

Markt, Burg & North Bruges

South Bruges

Explore Brussels

Grand Place & Îlot Sacré

Royal Quarter

EU Quarter & Etterbeek

Worth a Trip

Take a Trip down the Belgian Coast

Detour to an Art Nouveau Jewel at Musée Horta

Survival Guide

Before You Go

Arriving in Bruges & Brussels

Getting Around

Essential Information

Responsible Travel

Language

Behind the Scenes

Our Writer

COVID-19

We have re-checked every business in this book before publication to ensure that it is still open after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 will continue to be felt long after the outbreak has been contained, and many businesses, services and events referenced in this guide may experience ongoing restrictions. Some businesses may be temporarily closed, have changed their opening hours and services, or require bookings; some unfortunately could have closed permanently. We suggest you check with venues before visiting for the latest information.

Bruges’ & Brussels’

Top Experiences

1 Take in the magic of Markt

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Bruges & Brussels Top Experiences

Explore art and architecture at Burg

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Bruges & Brussels Top Experiences

Admire Flemish art at Groeningemuseum

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Bruges & Brussels Top Experiences

Stroll the tranquil streets of Begijnhof

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Bruges & Brussels Top Experiences

View masterpieces at Museum Sint-Janshospitaal

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Bruges & Brussels Top Experiences

Hit museums at Parc du Cinquan-tenaire

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Bruges & Brussels Top Experiences

Detour to an art nouveau jewel at Musée Horta

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Bruges & Brussels Top Experiences

Hear music in a new way at MIM

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Discover cafés and guildhalls at Grand Place

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Bruges & Brussels Top Experiences

Learn about comics at Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée

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Admire art at Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts

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Find treasures at Musée Art & Histoire

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Dining Out

Bring a healthy appetite with you – restaurants in Bruges and Brussels dish up a seemingly endless procession of delicious fare. What’s more, Belgium boasts more Michelin stars per capita than anywhere else in Europe. Many cafés (bars and pubs) also serve hearty meals.

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What to Eat

Breakfast in Flanders is a hearty affair of cured meats, cheeses, cereals and so on. At lunchtime many restaurants offer a dish of the day (dagschotel in Dutch; plat du jour in French). Also watch for a ‘menu of the day’ (dagmenu; menu du jour). These set menus comprise three or more courses and work out cheaper than ordering individual courses à la carte. Some kitchens open as early as 6pm for dinner, but most don’t get busy until at least a couple of hours later.

Mussels & Frites

If Belgium has a national dish, it is mussels (mosselen in Dutch; moules in French). Forget about using a fork to scoop out these much-loved molluscs; use an empty shell as a pincer to prise them out. Fries (frieten or frites) are even more ubiquitous. Not only do they accompany mussels (and virtually any other dish), but they are easily Belgium’s favourite snack.

Meat Lovers

Those of a delicate disposition, beware: Belgians’ idea of saignant (rare) meat drips with blood; à point (medium) is what other nationalities consider rare, and bien cuit is the closest you’ll get to well done (these French terms are also used by Dutch speakers). Bleu steaks will barely have bounced off the grill.

Best Belgian Food, Bruges

Lieven Book ahead for this extremely popular Belgian bistro.

Den Dyver A pioneer of fine beer dining.

Best Belgian Food, Brussels

Chez Léon (pictured) Long-time tourist fave known for its ‘Mussels from Brussels’

In ’t Spinnekopke A lovely old cottage restaurant serving up meaty Belgian specials.

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Best Seafood

De Stove A 20-seat gem where fish caught daily is the house speciality. (Bruges)

Bij den Boer This convivial fish restaurant won’t break the bank. (Brussels)

Mer du Nord Sublime scampi from one of the city’s best fishmonger windows. (Brussels)

Best Comfort Food

Charli Bargain pastries and cakes made with organic ingredients. (Brussels)

Maison Antoine Brussels’ best frites? You decide. (Brussels)

That’s Toast The one and only for all-day breakfasts. (Bruges)

Traditional Belgian Dishes

Bloedworst Pig’s blood black pudding, with apple sauce

Paardenfilet/steack de cheval Horse steak

Filet américain Minced beef served raw

Konijn met pruimen Tender rabbit in prune sauce

Bar Open

You’ll encounter a bewildering choice of Belgian beers and jenevers (gin) at just about every drinking establishment. In bars and clubs, jazz is the style of live music you’ll encounter most often. Look out for flyers in music shops, street-wear boutiques, bars and cafés about DJ nights, club fixtures and one-off parties.

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Drinking Culture

At specialised drinking establishments, you’ll be handed a thick menu detailing hundreds of varieties. Wading through the menus is a Herculean feat: ask the staff for the flavours and characteristics you have in mind and be guided by them. Drinking establishments usually open around 10am; closing hours aren’t restricted by law but simply depend on how busy it is on the night.

Everyone buys rounds, except ‘Bob’ – the Belgian name for the designated driver.

Remember to say ‘cheers!’ – in Dutch, schol (or gezondheid – ‘to your health’), and in French, santé!

All Kinds of Watering Holes

Cafés always serve alcohol and some, though not all, also serve food. Places that do are sometimes classified as an eetcafé (eating cafe) or a grand café (a larger, more elegant version of an eetcafé), and it’s fine to just stop in for a drink even if you’re not dining. You can also just pop in for a drink at a brasserie or bistro, although these are chiefly eateries. Anywhere that labels itself a bar generally only serves drinks. Likewise, a herberg (Dutch for ‘tavern’) is primarily a drinking spot. One of the most atmospheric cafés for drinking is the traditional bruin café (‘brown cafe’, sometimes called a bruine kroeg). So named for their wood panelling, interspersed with oversized mirrors, these small, cosy, old-fashioned pubs are prime places for mixing with locals.

Best Specialist Beer Pubs, Bruges

Herberg Vlissinghe The city’s oldest bar is not to be missed.

De Garre Brace your tastebuds for 11% Garre beer.

’t Poatersgat Cellar bar with umpteen Trappist beers to sample.

Best Specialist Beer Pubs, Brussels

À la Mort Subite (pictured) Come for the unchanged decor and vibe.

La Fleur en Papier Doré The walls feature scribbles by surrealist Brussels homeboy Magritte.

Brussels Beer Project One of the most innovative players in the Brussels’ beer scene.

Best Live Music Bars

Du Phare Blues and jazz venue at the north end of town. (Bruges)

Le Cercle des Voyageurs Piano jazz and experimental music near Grand Place. (Brussels)

Walvis From soul to punk to progressive rock, live acts and DJ sets. (Brussels)

Best Drinking Vibes

De Stoepa A fabulous summer courtyard for drinks or dinner too, near the station. (Bruges)

BarBeton Aperitivos, cocktail hours and DJ nights. (Brussels)

Goupil le Fol Overwhelming weirdness in a sensory overload of rambling passageways. (Brussels)

Treasure Hunt

Beer and chocolate top most shopping lists for visitors to Bruges and Brussels, and each city has an astonishing array of both. Other unique buys include handmade lace, designer fashions, classic comics, diamonds and quality antiques. Bargain hunters should visit during the two annual sales periods – the first week of January and July.

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Chocolate

Glinting light-brown, dark-brown and creamy-white coated squares, oblongs, balls and cups, embossed gold stamps and elaborate swirls, wrapped in shimmering tinfoil or twisted inside cellophane. Yes, even shopping for chocolate is an art in Belgium – and it would want to be, with premium chocolates reaching €120 per kilogram. A turning point for Belgian chocolate came in 1912, when pralines (filled chocolates) were created in Brussels. Today these are undergoing another evolution at the hands of Belgium’s mould-breaking chocolatiers, whose fusion pralines incorporate flavours such as Havana cigar, cauliflower, green pea, chilli and wasabi.

Where to Buy Chocolate

In addition to the rarefied showrooms of top chocolatiers, there are also numerous luxury chains. Popular