Bruges--Canal tour/Brewery Tours/restaurants/pub/beer halls/

Can't help with the drinking questions.

The buildings in Bruges are different to those in Amsterdam. I assume that the reason you do the boat tour in Amsterdam is to see the city from a different angle. That's why I did it.

The boats in Bruges are much smaller and open. All follow the same route regardless of where you board (we like the boarding at the Fish Market).

I think that there is sufficient difference between the two cities to enjoy the boat. We did.

On the other hand that may not be your purpose and may have no interest in Bruges buildings.

We enjoyed the canal ride. It gave a different perspective for viewing the buildings.

My lists of things to see in Brugges from 2018.

1. Ezelpoort - city gate
2. Koeleweimolen - windmill
3. Sint-Janshuismolen windmill
4. Bonne Chieremolen windmill
5. Kruispoort city gate
6. Grote Markt city center
7. Belfort van Brugge clock tower
8. Basilica of the holy blood
9. St Bonifacius Bridge
10. Jan Van Eyck Square/tolhuis
11. Gentpoort city gate
12. Poertoren city gate
13. Smedenpoort city gate
14. Vismarkt
15. Rosenhoedkaai
16. Boottochten
17. Walplein square
18. Sashuis
19. Burg (liberty of Bruges) - court building by city hall
20. Huidenvettersplein

@Jim, you are awesome! I know you go off the beaten path some. I was looking at some other cities close to Bruges for possible daytrips. We will be biking to Damme. Also, we'll do a daytrip to Ghent for the altarpiece and other sites. Did you happen to go to Blankenberge or Veurne?

That was a shorter trip and we only went to Brugges, Ghent, Antwerp, and one night in Brussels. In Brugges we did take the Quasimodo Flanders Fields tour. It occupied an entire day and was worth every Euro.

on your number 19 you say "Burg (liberty of Bruges)"

What do you mean by liberty of Bruges ?

Trying to remember my cryptic notes, I had to look at the map I made with placeholders. It refers to Brugse Vrije, the 18th century Court building by city hall.

In my opinion, if you're that close, Ypres is a must-see.

I took the tour at De Halve Maan and I enjoyed the tour. I was in Bruges in 2009, so it has been a while but I do remember learning a fair bit about the history and culture of beer in Belgium (for example, lambic was made as a way to preserve fruit). Obviously I can’t compare to the other brewery or know whether the De Halve Maan has made any changes to their tour in the 14 years since I was there.

Veurne is a nice little city and I would certainly check it out if you can combine it with for instance Ypres or Diksmuide. Both have more history and some interesting museums. But in my opinion Veurne is not big enough for a day trip so I would certainly combine it with something else.

I wouldn't go to Blankenberge it's not the nicest place at the coast and there is not much to see except for the beach and some restaurants/bars. I'd rather go to Ostend it's the only city at the Belgian coast and there is more to do and it's easier to get to by train. If you have the time and you're into war museums. You have the Atlantikwall in Raversyde. It's less known than the museums in Ypres but it's nice to do and you have audioguides in different languages. If you have the time and you're into that I think it's a must see and it's next to the beach and pretty close to Ostend.

Of the brewery tours, just do the De Halve Moon tour. I have been on it twice, once back before they started production again, a couple decades or more ago, and again a couple years ago. I thought that the tour was actually better the first time, most of the original equipment was still in place and you could follow the old process, including malting of the grain, pretty well, overall it was an excellent overview of how they used to make beer.

Since, they have moved some production into the old brewery, this required moving some things around, so it is a mix of new and old equipment, the new process in places and some of the old equipment still in place. Still a great tour and worth the time.

Bourgogne des Flandres, is a newer operation, basically a microbrewery, in size, with modern equipment. While the brand has been around for a couple centuries, and was brewed in Bruges, over time, it changed breweries, then sold to Timmerman's. Most of the volume is brewed elsewhere, the operation in Bruges is a bit of getting back to their roots, but also to take advantage of the tourism volume. The taproom/restaurant is worth a stop for a beer, overlooking one of the canals.

For beer, there are a number of beer bars with a wide selection of beers. These places are probably a better place to experience beer than most breweries there. De Garre and 't Brugs Beertje are two classics, we found 't Poatersgat on the last trip and really enjoyed it. In a vaulted basement, great beer selection on tap, and the guy that owns it is really knowledgeable about Belgian Beer.

@Paul, Laura, and NSTTSN, exactly what I needed, decision made! Paul, we'll be checking out the pubs you mentioned as well. I'm not much of a beer drinking, but my husband is. We've done a lot of wine tasting in Europe, and we're happy to finally experience some beer in Europe.

I did the De Halve Mann tour and frankly, wasn't impressed. Maybe try the other. Also did the Boten Stael canal tour in Bruges and had trouble keeping my eyes open. My fave pub by far was Café Vlissinghe on the other side of town. Keep an eye out for Freddie, the Jack Russell Terrier.

We recently did the De Halve man brewery tour and really enjoyed it. We have been on a couple brewery tours in the States, but De Halve man was unique given the family history, and the breweries history. It is like a brewery museum. Plus it ends with a great view from the top of the brewery of Bruges. Like any other tour, it is largely dependent upon the enthusiasm of the tour guide, but the guide was enthusiastic. Plus, I think the beer is pretty good, the Bruges Zot was one of our favorites.

@Don and Nick, thank you so much for your input! Café Vlissinghe has cropped up in other places, we'll put it top of our list. I really appreciate getting personal recommendations. So far, we've decided that we will do the De Halve tour and then make a stop at Bourgogne des Flandres for a beer and maybe snacks with a view.

Would love more restaurant recommendations. Also, we are planning day trips (via train) to Ghent and Damme and possibly Antwerp, are there any restaurants in those cities that are highlights that might be a reason to linger into an evening a bit

Thanks for asking this question. My husband and I will be in Bruges for 2 nights in September. Now I know what brewery tour to do.