Autumn in Bruges by Eurostar

I travelled to Bruges from London by Euro star for 2 nights in October.  There’s no direct train so you have to change in Brussels. If I had more time I would have spent a day exploring Brussels before continuing the journey but unfortunately it was not possible this time.

When we arrived the air was crisp but the sky was blue and the sun shining. With only small hand luggage bags we decided to walk from the station to the hotel which had a great location next to the town hall (Stadhuis) and take on some of the sights such as Minnewater Lake along the way. The walk would have only been 15 minutes, but I spent a lot of time distracted by my new surroundings, stopping to take photos and looking in the windows of Belgium chocolate shops.

I stayed in a deluxe room in the old part of Grand Hotel Casselburgh. It was newly decorated in a timeless luxurious style and it was beautiful. The ceilings were at least 3 meters high with a glittering crystal chandelier as the centre piece. An extra large comfy bed as well as tea and coffee making facilities made it a lovely haven to return to after a long day of walking around the town.

After the first day I had seen most of the main sights such as the The Markt and the belfry and the market square, the basilica of the holy blood and the windmills as well as a few churches. So dinner was a quiet affair in a quaint little restaurant serving the popular dish of Moules Frites and traditional Belgium beers. I am not usually a beer drinker, but I didn’t feel a trip to Belgium would be complete without trying out one of the local brews.

On the second day I visited the convent (beguinage or begijnhof) in the morning and then took one of the short boat trips. It is only 7 euros and you get jam packed onto a small open air boat with around 35 other tourists. But it is worth it to see the city from a different viewpoint, with sights you can’t on foot and a guide explains the history behind many of the buildings.

For the afternoon I indulged in a bit of retail therapy, wandering through the shopping streets whilst eating a warm Belgium Waffle that I had purchased from a street vendor. It tasted like heaven!  The Christmas markets don’t start until November but there are some good shops here including all of the usual European high street stores as well as nice boutiques, second hand stores and antique stores.

Bruges is only tiny and two days is more than enough to see all of the main attractions. If you’re in the area for longer I would suggest venturing further afield and taking trips to explore the city of Brussels, the town of Ghent or even the seaside. All are just short train rides away.