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Travel Guide — Belgium
Bruges, Ghent & Brussels
12 places · 7-stop walk
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Belgium panorama
Belgium is compact — Bruges, Ghent and Brussels are all within an hour of each other by train, which makes it easy to base in one city and day-trip the others. Bruges was the highlight for me; it’s small enough to see on foot in a day.
The whole country runs on trains. Buy a single ticket between any two stations and hop on — no reservations needed on domestic services.
Bruges is the postcard city but quiet at night; Ghent is livelier and cheaper. Brussels has the best rail links if you’re moving around a lot.
Brussels–Bruges is about an hour direct; Ghent is the halfway stop, so you can visit both from either base.
Bruges center is pedestrianized and tiny — the entire walking route below fits in an afternoon.
A loop through the medieval center — start at the Markt, drift through the Beguinage quarter, and finish along the canals near Rozenhoedkaai.
Everything I visited and would send a friend to. Starred entries are the ones I'd put at the top of the list.
Bruges
A quiet walled courtyard founded in 1245 for lay religious women — white houses around a lawn of daffodils, still home to Benedictine nuns.
My saved pin was on this corner of the city — the calmest spot in Bruges.
Bruges
The 83 m medieval bell tower on the Markt — climb 366 steps for the classic view over the stepped-gable rooftops.
Bruges
The twin hearts of the old town — the guild-hall-lined market square and the Burg with the Gothic City Hall and the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
Ghent
The “Castle of the Counts” — a moated 12th-century fortress in the middle of Ghent with a keep you can climb.
Ghent
The twin quays on the Leie river, lined with medieval guild houses — Ghent’s postcard view, best from St Michael’s Bridge.
Brussels
Brussels’ gilded central square — opulent 17th-century guild halls around the Gothic Town Hall, UNESCO-listed since 1998.
Brussels
The 102 m steel atom built for Expo 58 — spheres connected by escalator tubes with a panorama deck at the top.
Bruges
Houses Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child — the only one of his sculptures to leave Italy during his lifetime.
Bruges
The small lake and park at the southern edge of the old town where the canals begin — swans, bridges and weeping willows.
Bruges
The classic 30-minute boat loop through Bruges’ canals — the easiest way to see the bridges and waterside facades.
Bruges
The last working brewery inside Bruges’ old town, running since 1856 — tours end on the rooftop with a Brugse Zot tasting.
Look for the beer pipeline — they built a 3 km pipe to the bottling plant outside the city.
Everywhere
Frietkotten (fry shacks) serve double-fried frites with mayo; Liège waffles are the dense, caramelized variety — look for them hot from the iron.