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    The Mini Rough Guide to Bruges & Ghent: Travel Guide eBook
    The Mini Rough Guide to Bruges & Ghent: Travel Guide eBook
    The Mini Rough Guide to Bruges & Ghent: Travel Guide eBook
    Ebook267 pages1 hour

    The Mini Rough Guide to Bruges & Ghent: Travel Guide eBook

    By Rough Guides

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    About this ebook

    This mini pocket Bruges & Ghent travel guidebook is perfect for travellers seeking basic information about Bruges & Ghent. It covers key places, main attractions and a short hotel and restaurant recommendations list. 

    This Bruges & Ghent travel book covers: South from the Markt, West from the Markt, North from the Markt, Ghent, plus excursions to Damme, Dudzele, Lissewege, Zeebrugge, De Haan, Oostende (Ostend), Veurne, Ypres and Flanders Fields, The War Cemeteries, Sint-Andries, Tillegembos, Kasteel Loppem.

    In this Bruges & Ghent guidebook, you will find:  

    • Curated recommendations of places – main attractions, child-friendly family activities, chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas 
    • Things not to miss in Bruges & Ghent – The Begijnhof, Sint-Janshospitaa, Stadhuis, Huis Ter Beurze, The Canals, The Groeninge Museum, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, The Basilica Of The Holy Blood, The Bell Tower, Gravensteen 
    • Perfect Day – itinerary suggestions for those on a short break
    • Short Bruges & Ghent introduction – geographical location, cultural legacy, history with interesting key dates 
    • What to do in Bruges & Ghent – recommendations for entertainment, shopping, sports, children’s activities, events and nightlife
    • Food and drink – recommendations for local products and places to eat
    • Overview maps – handy maps on the inside cover flaps showing Bruges & Ghent and around
    • Practical information – how to get there and around, opening times, health and medical care, and tourist information
    • Striking pictures – inspirational colour photography throughout
    • Fully updated post-COVID-19

    This guide is easy to use and quick to scan through when you need help on the go. It’s the perfect companion both ahead of your trip and on the ground. It gives you the flavour of Bruges & Ghent without overwhelming you with too much information.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherInsight Guides
    Release dateOct 1, 2024
    ISBN9781835291313
    The Mini Rough Guide to Bruges & Ghent: Travel Guide eBook
    Author

    Rough Guides

    Rough Guides are written by expert authors who are passionate about both writing and travel. They have detailed knowledge of the areas they write about--having either traveled extensively or lived there--and their expertise shines through on every page. It's priceless information, delivered with wit and insight, providing the down-to-earth, honest read that is the hallmark of Rough Guides.

    Read more from Rough Guides

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      Book preview

      The Mini Rough Guide to Bruges & Ghent - Rough Guides

      cover.jpg

      HOW TO USE THIS E-BOOK

      Getting Around this e-Book

      This Rough Guide Mini e-book is designed to inspire you and help you plan for your visit to Bruges and Ghent, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

      The guide begins with our selection of Highlights, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan an unforgettable trip. The Introduction and History and Culture chapters give the lowdown on Bruges and Ghent, past and present, while the Out and About chapter is a comprehensive guide to all the best sights. You will find ideas for getting active in Things to Do, while the Food and Drink chapter introduces you to the local cuisine and gives listings of our favourite restaurants by area. Travel Essentials offers just that; practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, Where to Stay provides a special selection of hotels for every budget.

      In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

      Maps

      All key attractions and sights in Bruges and Ghent are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

      Images

      You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Bruges and Ghent. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

      About Rough Guides:

      Published in 1982, the first Rough Guide – to Greece – was created by Mark Ellingham and a small group of friends who couldn’t find a guidebook to meet their needs. Combining a contemporary, journalistic style with a thoroughly practical approach to travellers’ needs, the immediate success of the book spawned a series that rapidly covered dozens of destinations. These days, Rough Guides include recommendations from budget to luxury and cover more than 120 destinations worldwide, all regularly updated by our team of ever curious, roaming writers. These Rough Guide Minis may be small, but they are packed with information and inspiration and offer amazing value for money.

      © 2024 Apa Digital AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd.

      Table of Contents

      10 Things Not To Miss

      A Perfect Day In Bruges

      Overview

      History and Culture

      The Kingdom Of The Franks

      The Golden Age Of Bruges

      The Habsburgs

      The Reformation

      War Of The Spanish Succession

      French Invasion And Independence

      Armageddon – Twice

      Regionalisation

      Out and About

      South from the Markt

      The Burg

      Around Vismarkt

      The Groeninge Museum

      The Gruuthuse Museum

      Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk

      Sint-Janshospitaalmuseum

      Around Mariastraat

      The Begijnhof

      Minnewater

      Katelijnestraat

      West from the Markt

      Around ’t Zand Square

      North from the Markt

      Jan van Eyckplein

      East of Jan van Eyckplein

      West of Jan van Eyckplein

      North of Jan van Eyckplein

      Excursions

      Damme

      Dudzele

      Lissewege

      Zeebrugge

      De Haan

      Oostende (Ostend)

      Veurne

      Ypres and Flanders Fields

      The War Cemeteries

      Sint-Andries

      Tillegembos

      Kasteel Loppem

      Ghent

      Sint-Baafskathedraal

      The Belfort and Lakenhalle

      Botermarkt and Hoogpoort

      Korenlei and Graslei

      North of Korenlei

      Gravensteen

      From Kraanlei to Vrijdagmarkt

      Around Veldstraat

      Fine Arts Museums

      Sint-Pietersplein

      Things To Do

      Shopping

      Where To Shop

      Good Buys

      Entertainment

      Nightlife

      Sports

      Activities For Children

      Food and Drink

      Restaurants And Bars

      Breakfast

      Cold Dishes

      Fish And Shellfish

      Meat And Poultry

      Vegetables And Salads

      Cheese

      Desserts And Pâtisseries

      Snacks

      Vegetarians And Vegans

      Drinks

      To Help You Order

      Menu Reader

      Where To Eat

      Bruges

      Ghent

      A–Z Travel Tips

      A

      Accessible Travel

      Accommodation

      Airport

      B

      Bicycle rental

      Budgeting for your trip

      C

      Camping

      Car hire

      Climate

      Clothing

      Crime and safety

      D

      Driving

      E

      Electricity

      Embassies and consulates

      Emergencies

      G

      Getting there

      Guides and tours

      H

      Health and medical care

      L

      Language

      LGBTQ+ travellers

      M

      Maps

      Media

      Money

      O

      Opening times

      P

      Police

      Post offices

      Public holidays

      R

      Religion

      T

      Telephones

      Time zones

      Tipping

      Toilets

      Tourist information

      Transport

      V

      Visas and entry requirements

      W

      Websites

      Y

      Youth hostels

      Where To Stay

      Bruges

      Ghent

      10 THINGS NOT TO MISS

      Shutterstock

      1. The Begijnhof

      A peaceful retreat in the heart of the city. For more information, click here.

      Shutterstock

      2. Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk

      Bruges’s finest and most important church. For more information, click here.

      Shutterstock

      3. Canals

      Cruising the waterways is a relaxing way to enjoy the historic sights. For more information, click here.

      Inge Kinnet/Musea Brugge

      4. Bell Tower

      The 13th-century structure looms over the city. For more information, click here.

      Shutterstock

      5. Groeningemuseum

      Works by Flemish masters. For more information, click here.

      Shutterstock

      6. Het Gravensteen

      A medieval fortress in the heart of Ghent. For more information, click here.

      Shutterstock

      7. Huis Ter Beurze

      An elegant 15th-century mansion. For more information, click here.

      Shutterstock

      8. Stadhuis

      The Gothic Town Hall. For more information, click here.

      Shutterstock

      9. Sint-Janshospitaalmuseum

      Discover masterpieces by the painter Hans Memling in the old hospital’s church. For more information, click here.

      Shutterstock

      10. Basilica of the Holy Blood

      Stands guard over the holiest relic in Bruges. For more information, click here.

      A Perfect Day In Bruges

      9.00am

      Breakfast. For breakfast in a splendid setting, go to the delightful Blackbird café (for more information, click here).

      10.00am

      The Markt. Stroll into the nearby Markt for a turn around the magnificent market square. Take in the Belfort (belfry) and medieval buildings, then discover what 13th-century Bruges was like, inside the Historium.

      11.00am

      The Burg. The historic square contains the medieval Basiliek van het Heilig-Bloed, the lovely Gothic Stadhuis and the Baroque Proosdij (Provost’s House).

      12.30pm

      Lunch. Breydel De Coninc (www.restaurant-breydel.be; for more information, click here) in Breidelstraat is a good traditional restaurant. For something more sophisticated, go down Blinde-Ezelstraat and cross the canal to the Vismarkt (Fish Market) for the highly regarded seafood restaurant Den Gouden Karpel (www.dengoudenkarpel.be; for more information, click here).

      2.00pm

      Groeninge. Head along the canal on photogenic Rozenhoedkaai and tree-shaded Dijver, then turn left into Groeninge. If you visit only one museum in Bruges, this should be it. The collection of paintings by medieval Flemish Primitives is world-class, including Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling, Rogier van der Weyden and Gerard David, among others.

      3.00pm

      Culture fix. If you fancy more culture, or you missed out on the Groeninge, cross the pretty little Boniface Bridge and continue to the Gothic Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady). The church is worth visiting for its Madonna and Child sculpture by Michelangelo. The church’s 122m (400-ft) -tall brick tower is the second-tallest of its kind in the world, and once served as an inland lighthouse for ships on their way to Bruges.

      4.30pm

      Towards the Begijnhof. Across the street is Sint-Janshospitaalmuseum, whose old church houses works by Hans Memling. By way of the Halve Maan brewery, you arrive at the pretty courtyard of the Unesco-listed Begijnhof.

      6.00pm

      The Lake of Love. Just south of the Begijnhof, the Minnewater lake can be imaginatively translated as the ‘Lake of Love’, though it probably takes its name from Bruges’ medieval Binnen Water (Inner Harbour). On its east bank is a handsome park. Take a stroll around here and the neighbourhood by the lake’s eastern shore.

      8.00pm

      Dinner. If you want to dine in this area, off the north end of the Minnewater you will find the traditional Flemish restaurant Maximiliaan van Oostenrijk (www.maximiliaanvanoostenrijk.be; for more information, click here). Alternatively, return to the Vismarkt for dinner at Huidevettershuis (www.huidevettershuis.be; for more information, click here), which is set within a medieval guild house.

      Overview

      For hundreds of years Belgium has been coveted, invaded and fought over by Europe’s great powers. Steeped in history and legend, the country was the site of numerous bloody battles, particularly in the northern region of Flanders. Once ignored in favour of other holiday destinations, Belgium’s charm is no longer a secret and its historic towns, first-class museums, hearty food, rich beers and ancient architecture are well-known. Most beautiful of all these attractions is Bruges, Europe’s best-preserved medieval city and the capital of West Flanders, one of Belgium’s 11 provinces. Its gabled houses, meandering canals, and narrow pedestrianized cobblestone streets combine to create one of Europe’s most romantic towns.

      Bruges’ egg-shaped historic centre is contained by a 7km (4.3-mile) -long ‘ring canal’, which traces the route of the former defensive outer ramparts. A ring road follows this perimeter boundary and, along with other

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