If you think Brussels is picturesque, wait until you see Ghent and Bruges! This itinerary covers a full-day trip visiting both cities from Brussels by bus. Our tour was with Brussels City Tours, and was booked through Trip Advisor. Ghent and Bruges are both small-ish medieval cities known for their canals and gothic architecture. Grab your camera, put on your walking shoes, and let’s take a day trip to Ghent and Bruges!
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Here is a sample day trip to Ghent and Bruges based on our trip with young adults in March:
We were able to walk from our hotel to the meeting spot for the bus, which left at 9AM. We were on a coach bus, but it was comfortable since it was just about a 40 minute ride from Brussels to Ghent. Our guide gave us a historical and cultural overview of the areas of Brussels we drove through on the way out of town, which was a nice bonus.
Ghent was a prominent city-state in the Middle Ages and is now a university town and cultural hub, with a population of over 240,000 people. We spent about 2 hours total in Ghent, the first hour walking as a group with our guide, and the second hour on our own. With our guide, we walked through the main city center while learning all about the city, then past a number of historic buildings and monuments including St. Bravo’s Cathedral, City Hall, the Belfry of Ghent (1313), St. Michael’s Church (1440), and Gravensteen Castle. The pictures don’t do it justice, but the city is really beautiful and surprisingly quaint!
During our free time, we explored the city a bit more on our own and then found a coffee shop to stop for a warm drink and a snack. My only complaint was that it was difficult to find a place that was open before 11AM! Then back to the bus we went…
The trip from Ghent to Bruges was about 45 minutes, so by the time we arrived it was getting close to about 1PM (good thing we had those snacks!). Bruges is known as the “Venice of the North” because of its extensive canal system, and is about half the size of Ghent based on its population. This is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited.
We started out walking through a park and then in to the Monasterium de Wijngaard (1245); a historic site with white-washed houses and beautiful gardens that was originally (and still partially) home to Benedictine Nuns. We spent about 45 minutes on the walking tour with our guide until we reached the city center.
We were able to take a short break for lunch on our own, so we had to visit De Halve Maan (Half Moon) brewery and restaurant to sample the local beer and the Flemmish Beef Stew with Fries! While you’re there, don’t miss the 3-mile, stainless-steel beer pipeline that transports beer from the brewery to the outskirts of town. We didn’t have time for a brewery tour since we had to meet back up with the group, but that would be a fun thing to do if you have the time.
Our tour had an option for a short canal cruise (about 10-15 minutes) for a small fee, and it was definitely worth doing…a completely different vantage point from the water that was breathtaking! We continued on the walking tour with our guide for about another hour, passing by the Gruuthusemuseum (15th Century), the Groeninge Museum, the Belfry of Bruges, Bruges City Hall, and Basilica of the Holy Blood (where an apparent cloth with the blood of Jesus is featured).
To end our time in Bruges, we had another hour to ourselves to explore and of course…grab another drink and a snack! We stopped in to Brasserie Tompouce for coffee, champagne, and some dessert…it really hit the spot. After our snacks we walked around the shops for a bit and then ended up in Markt (the central city square) where we would eventually meet up with the rest of the tour group and back to the bus. The ride back to Brussels was about an hour and a half…we got back just in time for a late dinner. What a fantastic day in Belgium!
