A Weekend in Bruges from the UK — Hotels, Parking, Food & Travel Tips
- RetiredCormac
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
Bruges is lovely. It's a touristy, welcoming, peaceful package tied up in a bow, just like the chocolates that you can buy there - and certainly worth a return visit.
Two plus years into retirement and we are still enjoying the freedom to slow down, travel at our own pace, and do stuff like revisiting some of our favourite corners of Europe. Driving to Bruges from the UK for the weekend, for what was our 4th visit, made for a fantastic visit.
Best for: Couples, retirees, weekend break
Ideal trip length: 3 nights
Best months: March and April / Christmas
Transport: By Car via Channel Tunnel
Budget level: Moderate
Specifics that I’ll cover off in this post are;
Planning the trip
Getting to Bruges
Parking - it’s difficult
Hotel
Canals
Food and drinks
Chocolate experience
Cycling experience
What we’d do differently next time
Planning the Trip
We plan our trips 9 to 12 months ahead.
We chose Bruges as a destination, as we wanted to take the car across to the continent to stock up on some shopping - especially French wine.
We knew it wouldn’t be a tough drive over - regardless of whether we took a ferry or the tunnel.
Hotel was booked on points picked up from credit cards - reducing the overall price.
Why We Chose Bruges
We would transit through France - and pick up the wine.
Its a short and easy drive down from Northampton
A familiar location to us, whilst having more to discover
A compact walkable city, that allows for a relaxed pace
Tourist oriented - both safe and clean
Better value when compared to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam
Which all makes it ideal destination for a 2–3 night stay
Getting There
We opted for the Channel Tunnel
When it works, it is a great choice. When there are any delays or strikes - it’s an absolute nightmare.
As it worked out for us - down to the Tunnel or Chunnel as I think they are calling it now - was 120mins from Northampton, a short wait of maybe 90mins until our train departure and then crossing under the sea and into France in under 30 mins. Disembarkation at Calais is a pretty speedy process, as all the paperwork is done on the Uk side.
From there it was a nice easy 90min drive up to Bruges. Best idea is not to rush it and avoid taking the fastest roads to soak up a little of the area.
We prefer the Tunnel for its efficiency - though the boats can offer really good value.
Flying to Bruges isn’t really a thing.
And on the way back we stopped in France and filled up with loads of wine. The promise of a process of getting the tax back on the wine didn’t work out when we got the Channel Tunnel as all the manned kiosks were closed and there didn’t appear to be anything automated.
Bruges parking tips
This was something that I knew could be an issue. There aren’t a lot of visible car parks in Bruges - mostly as they are all around the perimeter of what is mostly a pedestrian loving city, and also underground.
I therefore did quite a bit of research on where best to park.
We opted to use the Station car park, as it is the largest and located a 10-minute walk from the city centre, with an option for a free shuttle into town. There was also the Centrum-Station car park which is an 8-minute walk to the centre. Both allow for reservations - but to be honest the car parks are that large that it really isn't needed.
Interparking Bruge Station:
Location: Located at the train station, a 10-minute walk from the city center.
Size: Large car park with 1,690 spaces.
Cost: The car park costs €7 per 24hrs and includes shuttle bus tickets for 2 into the city center.
Shuttle: A free shuttle bus operates between the station and the city center from 7:30 AM to 7 PM.
Entry: Located on the right after a large roundabout.
It’s all pretty standard, you get a ticket on entry, and on exit you pay what you owe. The machine has an option for English. The transfer bus leaves from the bus station and the free tickets are picked up there when showing your parking ticket. It felt secure - that said the whole of Bruges felt secure.
Bus lines 1 and 2 take you to the centre of Bruges.
Bus line 1 (towards "Sint-Kruis") - get off at stop ’t Zand, Sint-Salvatorskathedraal, O.L.V. Kerk or Dijver
Bus line 2 (towards "P+R Coiseau") - get off at stop ’t Zand, Sint-Salvatorskathedraal, O.L.V. Kerk, Dijver, Stadsschouwburg or Jan Van Eyckplein.
Remember where you got off the transfer bus - so you know where to get back on, when returning.
Where to stay in Bruges
We’ve stayed in local quirky Bruges hotels before - but this time we opted to stay at the Crowne Plaza. The rate must have been reasonable - as it wouldn’t tend to be my first choice - as a value driven traveller.
It didn’t have much of a Belgian feel to it, but it did its best.
The Crowne Plaza a good quality hotel and we enjoyed our stay.
It’s very centrally located, not far from where we got off the parking bus, allowing easy access to all the walkable areas of the city - and there are a lot.
We didn’t take breakfast there - opting to enjoy coffee and a cake at the many cafes around Bruges city centre.
The view was over the tree lines square - not great - but at least it was a bit of a view.
I’m really not sure of whether this was a good area of Bruges to stay in, or if in fact there are good and bad areas at all.
Experiences
We opted for a couple of experiences whilst we were in Bruges;
Chocolate making
Located about a 10-minute walk from Bruges' city centre.
There were only four participants in our session - result! - as there could be up to 16, the personal attention made for a much better experience.
Our enthusiastic host - Sandie, (she was lovely) walked us through the many steps of making chocolates. Her friendliness made us all feel comfortable instantly, encouraging us to ask questions. I loved her attention to the music.
No prior experience is needed to join this chocolate-making workshop. The chocolates that we make looked just like those in the chocolate shops that are all over Bruges, and as we weren’t left to make our own chocolate - they probably tasted as good. Consistency was lacking though - as we were encouraged to fill the middle of the chocolates with our own favourites.
After a fun couple of hours we left with a few boxes of chocolates each
The classroom had bottle of waters, handwashing facilities, and restroom access.
Good value and a lot of fun. For up to date cost - search Viator.
Guided cycle tour
We opted to go for one of the many that were on offer via Viator, and booked only a couple of days ahead..
It was pouring when we started, pouring for the duration of the cycle, and still wet when we finished - though wet weather gear was provided and gave some shelter from the elements. It only dried off a little when the tour had finished.
We saw all the main sites around the city - Market Square, Belfry, Basilica of the Holy Blood and lots of hidden streets and other sites that frankly didn’t mean a lot to us, and were probably only mentioned as we were cycling by them.
The advantage was the lack of traffic and the route was flat. If it hadn’t rained then it would have been such a good morning.
A quick shower and a change of clothes and we were all good.
The bikes were continental style - not e-bikes, but were very rideable as we quickly got used to the setup, and the pace was as you would expect quite pedestrian.
We didn’t really cover that much ground - what with all the stops - but it was an interesting tour, and picked up on a lot of stops that we wouldn’t have got to on foot.
Would I do that cycle again - definitely. For up to date cost - search Viator.
Food & Drink
We ate and drank well in Bruges.
The beer is a thing there - we in the whole of Belgium in fact.
It’s not a place for sinking loads of pints - much better to graze or drink through the menu - trying some new and different beers for the first time.
We also ate well - here are the reviews I did of few of the restaurants that we tried.
Of course there were the obligatory fries, waffles and coffees along the way.
Prices on the whole whilst not cheap, didn’t feel overly expensive.
Canal Boat Tour — Tourist Trap or Worth It?
My feeling is that this is a tourist trap - but it’s lovely to see them passing through the canals - I just don’t want to be on one looking back at me. Lovely to look at, but not for me.
Things We’d Do Differently Next Time
I think at three nights - it was a perfect amount of time.
I would look up what’s on in the town though - as there was a lot of stuff happening - with some areas closed off. I think it was a brass band competition - when we were there - so of no interest to us and no FOMO.
I would review the weather forecast and pack for all potentials - especially if taking the car and not having any luggage restrictions.
Opt for Spring or Christmas - July was a little too busy for us, and we were probably paying a premium for accommodation over the spring dates.
Practical Tips for First-Time Visitors
Here are my thoughts:
Currency/payment - everyone takes card - though a few Euros might be useful.
Language - no issues whatsoever - its a very touristy place.
Best months to visit - same as other places - crowded in summer. Shoulder months are quieter. Christmas there - with the market in the square is gorgeous.
Weather expectations - hope for dry conditions, pack for rain.
Comfortable shoes essential - 100% on the cobbled streets, and they tempt you to walk further than you intended - what’s around that next corner…
Is Bruges Worth Visiting?
Yes - 100%
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