In 2008, we watched the movie In Bruges and were immediately captivated by the charming town.  The cast of Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes didn’t hold a candle to the beautiful buildings and romantic canals in the town.

Years later, in 2018, we had the chance to visit Bruges twice:  once in summer and once in the winter for Christmas.  Bruges is not far from Brussels and can easily be visited as a day-trip from the capital.  However, the ambiance of the town is magnified in the early morning and late evening hours when all of the day-trippers have left for the day and you can wander the streets between the Hanseatic buildings by yourself.

The incredible medieval town city was everything that we hoped for.  We fell in love with the Dutch-Gothic architecture of the beautiful Beguinage cloister, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site (a UNESCO site within a UNESCO site).

In many ways, Bruges is lucky.  It was twice captured by the Germans in the World Wars, but both times it escaped destruction – by either the Germans or the Allies.  In visiting Bruges, we got a glimpse of what other cities in Europe may have looked like if they had avoided destruction.

The best part of Bruges may be the chance to do nothing at all.  It is the perfect place to take a canal cruise and sit by the water while enjoying some of that famous Belgian chocolate.  Or maybe a Trappist beer while reflecting on one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.

Either way, we absolutely loved our visit to Bruges!