The last proper day of our road trip before we headed home was spent in Bruges. Dean and I visited many, many years ago but we couldn’t remember it well so it felt fresh to us all. It really is a beautiful and interesting historic centre to wander. This is the exact walking tour we followed with the kids (aged 2.5 and 5.5, both on foot throughout) followed by our experience of seeing the old town from the water.

1. First, the boring bit: you’ll find a good parking spot at Bruges Station, called Interparking. 

2. Begin by walking along the peaceful riverside pathway, Beguinevest, and head towards Lovers’ Bridge (Minnewaterbrug) which crosses the Minnewater Lake and makes a great spot for your first photo of the day, especially when the flowers are in bloom! This is an easy win with the kids before the novelty of bridges wears off, which it undoubtedly will (you know Bruges means ‘bridge’ in old Dutch/Flemish, right?)!

3. Lovers’ Bridge leads you to the Gunpowder Tower (Poertoren) which dates back to 1397. Built as a defensive tower, it was from 1477 that it was used to store gunpowder. At 18m high, it’s easy to imagine it into a fairy tale – Rapunzel perhaps or a look-out for a knight.

4. Next head towards the gabled Sashuis, crossing another picturesque bridge. This is the historic lock house – the place that once regulated Bruges’ water supply. Kids can spot features of the three distinct reservoirs: left is made of brick, centre has a wooden door, and right features a metal plate.

5. You’ll reach the tranquil Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaerde next. I found this really interesting. It’s recognised as a UNESCO site and is an enclosed, high-walled complex which 13^th century Beguines once lived in. They were medieval Christian laywomen who chose to live devout, serene lives, like nuns, but without taking permanent vows. They could leave at any time. The Beguinage consists of several small white-washed houses, grouped round a lovely courtyard with the church – Begijnhofkerk Sint Elisabeth which you can visit – on one side. You’ll likely hear the bells at some point whilst you’re there. There’s also a museum where you can learn about the daily life of the Beguines but it was closed when we were there. The complex is now home to a small community of Benedictine nuns, one of whom we saw leaving the church. As a visitor, you’re expected to remain quiet and respectful at all times, and should dress modestly.

6. Heading along Wijngaardstraat, things become very equine! The sound of hooves is a constant as horses and carts convey their passengers over the cobbles, and you can top up your water bottles at the famous horse head drinking fountain. Our children enjoyed loitering to enjoy both!

7. This is where the shops begin, as you wind your way through from here towards Walstraat and Katelijnestraat: artisanal boutiques, local crafts, child-luring souvenirs, lace shops, chocolate emporiums, macaron purveyors and, a firm favourite for our eldest, Christmas shops! You could spend a lot of time, and money, here if you wished but window-shopping is pretty fun too!

8. Next, cross Zonnekemeersbrug, and walk through Art Gallery Koetshuis (sure to capture the imagination of children and adults alike), which leads you to a canalside path with views of the grand Church of Our Lady. You can then head to St John’s Hospital Museum (which you can visit for a fee) then head along Mariastraat to the church. You can visit it for free and pay to see the museum which is home to Michelangelo’s statue, ‘Madonna and Child’. We didn’t do any of this but instead spent our time immensely enjoying a busker and a puppeteer!

9. Overlooked by the church, Boniface Bridge (Bonifaciusbrug) is next: probably the most famous bridge in the city. It’s named after Pope Boniface VIII who granted privileges to Bruges in 13^th century. Its surroundings – little canals and half-timbered houses – make it especially photogenic in a very fairy-tale way. Good luck getting a photo not filled with crowds though!

10. Head past the statues in Arentshof towards De Dijver Park which runs alongside the river and features flea market stalls; it makes for an interesting little wander. Rather than crossing the first bridge you come to (Nepomucenusbrug), head instead along Huidenvettersplein (look for signs of its animal hide tanning history) to Blinde-Ezelbrug (Blind Donkey Bridge!). This leads you onto Blinde-Ezelstraat which brings you out into the impressively grand De Burg. A wow moment for sure!

11. Look up, down and all around you, admiring the Gothic City Hall, the Renaissance Liberty of Bruges and Civil Registry, the Baroque Deanery, and the Romanesque and Gothic Basilica of the Holy Blood! Regardless of whether these periods are identifiable to you (they wouldn’t necessarily be to us!), the combined effect is striking. You can wander into some of the buildings, including the Basilica. This is one of those places where I love to imagine the hustle and bustle of the city’s inhabitants over the centuries, going about their business, in and out of the buildings.

12. Leave the square by Breidelstraat and you’ll reach Grote Markt, a large marketplace presided over by the Belfort (Belfry) tower. For city views, you can climb the 366 stairs! Or otherwise, people-watching at ground-level is fun!

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That was the end of our walking tour but we then decided to take the weight off our weary feet with a boat tour. There are five licensed operators, all of which follow the same fixed 30-minute route and charge a similar price – around €15 per adult. We boarded at Rederij Venetië van het Noorden on Huidenvettersplein but there are many other official landing docks around the historic centre. It would have been a really relaxing and informative way to see the sights but it didn’t quite work out that way! We thought this would be a guaranteed win with the kids but actually they were a little too wild, wiggly and loud for a situation where everyone was straining to hear the multilingual guide. You win some, you lose some!

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We finished our day with chocolates and drinks from Olivier’s which we’d highly recommend but many, many other chocolate shops and bars are also available!

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Bruges was the final stop in our 2.5 week road trip from Derbyshire (UK) to Copenhagen in Denmark. The full itinerary, using our own car, is below. It was a great trip but, if we did it again, we’d add another night on the way up north to break the journey up, and possibly the same again on the way back down.

Day 1: home to Folkestone for our LeShuttle crossing; drive to Bailleul, France (or similar for 1 night) (a long travel day but broken up so it didn’t feel too bad)

Day 2: long travel day #1 – breakfast in France, lunch in Belgium at Chateau d’Hélécine (free bouncy castles and amazing playgrounds next to a lake and café) and dinner in Germany (stay 2 nights in Weilerswist or similar or stay in Cologne if preferred)

GERMANY

Day 3: visit Cologne

Day 4: long travel day #2 – Cologne to Fleckby (or similar for 1 night) via Bremen Rhododendron Park (playgrounds, walks and a pricey/busy café so maybe bring a picnic) 

DENMARK

Day 5: travel to Svendborg (4 nights) and visit Odense

Day 6: visit Ærø island by passenger ferry

Day 7: visit Egeskov Castle

Day 8: visit Langeland island (self-drive tour)

Day 9: visit Sagnlandet Lejre (Land of Legends) then travel to Roskilde (or similar or stay in Copenhagen if preferred for 2 nights)

Day 10: visit Copenhagen

Day 11: visit Lisleje Beach; travel to Askeby (or similar for 2 nights)

Day 12: visit Møn island (self-drive tour)

Day 13: long travel day #3 – Askeby to Lübeck (2 nights) via a stop in Heiligenhafen Pier

GERMANY

Day 14: visit Lübeck

Day 15: long travel day #4 – Lübeck to Oberhausen (or similar for 1 night) via a stop in Celle

BELGIUM

Day 16: visit Ghent, Belgium (stay 2 nights in Wingene or similar or in Ghent/Bruges if preferred)

Day 17: visit Bruges

Day 18: Bruges to home

All information is correct at the time of posting. Follow us on Instagram @four_go_exploring for more independent family adventures.