Bruges in 24 hours too short a visit?

You do not provide any information on your other planned activities or interests. I only spent a day in Bruges as a side trip from Brussels. Most of the top sites there could be done in one day, and of course, there are lots of things of chocolate, beer and mussels variety if you have more time. I did not spend an overnight which opens up a lot of additional possibilities I did not have. There are brewery tours which could be fun. Many Canadians I met in Belgium were also interested in Ypres/Flanders where the Canadian Army was involved during WW1. The Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres is quite moving.

Our plan is to visit Bruges from Ghent for the late afternoon and evening for the same sort of chocolate and walking. The chocolate shop websites that I have looked at say they close by 5 or 6 pm. The crowds are supposed to be less in the evening and early morning, so your plan to stay overnight would hopefully get some of that quieter time for the walking.

Many Belgians limit their visit of Bruges to a daytrip (of course, we can drink Belgian beer and eat Belgian chocolate or waffles every day, so these aren’t part of our specific activities in Bruges).

24 hours in Bruges without museum visit is enough. There are no school holidays in mid-March, and if you were to choose a weekday, you wouldn’t find any Belgian family day-trippers, only foreign tourists (with the exception of any Belgian school groups on a school trip).

The crowds can be significantly affected by whether or not cruise ships dock in Zeebrugge.

maybe a canal tour in the evening

No canal tours in Bruges in the evening. Last boarding at 5.30pm

For me, Bruges is a great place just to be and slow down, soaking up the local charm. The mornings and evenings are magic, the day trippers are gone. We got some bikes and had a glorious trip along the canals and picturesque farmlands. Buzzing thru it for half a day just seems to be a contradiction. We stayed in a little house on a canal with beautiful gardens. I know everyone travels differently , just my opinion. Have a great trip!

To answer the question as asked, 24 hrs is not too short to "sightsee" Bruges but it certainly merits more time if you're able.

Could not agree with Pat more……walk the streets and soak it in……looking out your B&B rooftop at dusk and early morning just settles your soul.

If you were planning to spend time in museums, you’d want more than an overnight. At least you’re spending the night in Bruges, as opposed to doing just a quickie visit for part of a day.

To enhance your time there, be sure to get some fries. Actually, most meals in a restaurant will probably include fries, or you can get some take-away for a snack. Mayonnaise or another sauce (Samaurai is extra spicy) can be requested to go with them, Also, while the French name of the city is Bruges, it’s located in the Flemish (Dutch-speaking) part of Belgium, where the name’s Brugge, not that anyone will hold you to that. When we stayed for 2 nights, I kept saying “merci” to the women who owned and ran the B&B, and at one point, she said (somewhat sternly), “We’re not French, you know!”

While I agree that your proposal is fine, if you will not visit any museums in Brussels either, you could omit Brussels and go right to Bruges. I don't find Grand Place alone worth the effort of checking your bags. Opinion.

Worth noting: You can start sightseeing right at Brussels Centraal train station. Bruges, Gent, and Antwerp require a 15-minute walk, or a bus/tram ride to get to the scenic area.

Can you do what you've listed in 24 hours in Brugge? Sure, but unless you're really not interested much of the history of the city, it's sort of a shame to miss so much of it. While we enjoyed just rambling about taking in the external architecture, what was behind some of those exteriors wove a more interesting story.

In any case, spring weather is changeable so you might want to have some of those interiors on your sightseeing list in case of a cold and rainy day.

LOL, believe it or not, our canal cruise wasn't a highlight, and we didn't buy any chocolate (but did enjoy some beer, a few "walking" waffles, and fresh frites.) But we're all different. :O)

Worth the time, don’t skip it! Having visited both, I’d personally cut out Brussels and spend all my time in Bruges but maybe that’s just me. It’s one of my favorite cities in the world :)

Thank you everyone for your input. Right now we are thinking of going from Paris to Bruges and not visiting Brussels as I realize we can not do it all. We are still figuring out dates but we are thinking of two nights in Bruges would give us a more relaxing time there.
We probably will not visit Flanders Fields although it would be very interesting to see the area . The poem In Flanders Fields was written by a Canadian military physician and is recited every November 11th across Canada. We are planing n to visit the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery as my uncle is buried there. Thank you again!