Three days in Bruges

We liked Gallery Yasmine B&B in Bruges, last fall.

As for what to do & see in Bruges:
1 - take a canal boat tour.
2 - visit a museum or two (Groeninge and Memling).
3- tour the De Haalve Man brewery.
4 - visit 't Brugs Beertje, with 300 beers.
5 - eat as much delicious chocolate as possible.
6 - visit a frituur cart and taste the wonderful French (actually Belgian) fries.
7 - sample Belgian waffles.
8 - find a Belgian bakery (we wandered to find one outside the main tourist areas) to taste delicious Belgian pastries.
9 - climb the bell tower.
10 - take a day trip with Quasimodo Tours to Flanders Field.
11 - sit beside a canal with beverage of choice and watch the world go by.

I can recommend three reasonably priced yet elegant hotels in Brugge:
(1) Hotel De Tuilerieen www.hoteltuilerieen.com
(2) Hotel Dukes' Palace www.hoteldukespalace.com
(3) Hotel Navarra www.hotelnavarra.com/en/index.html

I doubt if it will take 3 days to see and do all there is of interest in Brugge. For the most part, you'll just walk around and look at medieval gothic buildings in a sort of fairytale setting, take a canal ride, and perhaps visit the chocolate, lace, and diamond museums. There are also restaurants and tourist shops.

We picked up the train right at the airport and changed in Antwerp, which was great as it is always rated one of the most beautiful trains stations in the world (it was pretty cool). We didn't change in Brussels to or from AMS. We also bought the tickets right at Schiphol, with no reservations. For accommodations we stayed at Dieltiens B&B, which is a few blocks from the main square. http://www.bedandbreakfastbruges.be/ It is very reasonable and run by a wonderful couple. I believe it is in Rick's book, so you can probably find more info in it.

The other suggestions listed are spot on! Have a wonderful time and eat lots of chocolates.

jb

Good suggestions so far. I loved the centrally located Hotel Groenighe in Brugge. Stop at the Neuhaus chocolate store.

As I've told others planning more than a day in Bruges:

If you are going to spend that much time in Bruges, you have to spend a day on the coastal tram...take the train 30-40 minutes to Knokke (the eastern terminus). Tram is inexpensive, and an on/off all-day deal....cute little towns, some with boardwalks. I had lunch in a restaurant that is at the end of a pier about 200 yards into the sea. Plus if it interests you, I enjoyed touring the German fortification from WWI-II -- AtlantikWall in Oostende.

And I second the motion from Zoe....Hotel Groeninghe!

Rent a bike and try going down a one way street the wrong way in the middle of the day. Or a bike ride to Damme. Just remember that those romantic visions of biking down a cobblestone street lose their luster quickly on a hard seat.

Seriously, biking in Brugge was one of the special things we did.

As one other reply noted, Bruges alone is not a three-day visit. At least visit the Ghent Altarpiece or the museums in Antwerp or Brussels on the other days. Although Osteende and the coast are very close, this is a summer high season excursion.

Be sure to estimate the train time before flying to Amsterdam. How about open jaw with BRU? The local (last) train may have tiny overhead luggage racks on a double decker commuter car with stairways ...

rose,

For a hotel in Bruges, I'd highly recommend Hotel Adornes. It's in a great location along scenic canals, the rooms are very comfortable and as I recall they offer free bikes for guests. As Warren suggested, the ride along the canals to Damme is wonderful (about 30 minutes as I recall). I enjoyed a Triple (or two) there before riding back to Bruges.

I would heartily second Ken's recommendation for the Hotel Adornes. My husband and I also enjoyed a wonderful stay there. They do (or did a couple years ago) offer free use of their bikes with the rental and we took the same rides as Ken did. Truly loved our 10 day stay in Bruges. Yes, we found plenty to amuse us (a lot of that pretty low key) during our stay.