Bruges versus Brussels

Even though Bruges is a smaller city, there is more to do and it is stunningly beautiful. Thus it deserves more time than Brussels. As Rick writes in his guidebook, on the whole Brussels is kind of a "grimy" city. If you happen to be passing by it deserves about a half a day; the Grand Place, the Art museum, and the "Piss" statute are worth a visit. But I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

Bruges by a long shot!! It was so much prettier than Brussels. Even though it is small, you will have so much to do there. I suggest renting a bike and exploring the city that way. Brussels can be seen in a half day. Some of the sites were very overrated (ie Manakin a pis).

I'll voice a different opinion I guess! I really enjoyed both Brussels and Bruges and feel that each deserve (at least) one full day. We were in Belgium for 4 days and went to Bruges for a full day trip and we never ran out of stuff to do in Brussels. there are lots of quirky museums (musical instruments, comic strips, etc). I did not find Brussels "grimy" but just a real, working, large city that had no more grime than say, Lisbon or Rome (both of which I also liked). Yes there are gypsies and the like, but I wasn't bothered by it. I also liked Bruges, so I think in the end either way you will be fine.They are very different. Bruges is a bit like Amsterdam with the canals and boat rides, there are some gorgeous little (and big) churches and the big squares are really beautiful - scenery-wise Bruges wins (except for the Grand Place which took my breath away each time). Bruges is clearly better for art, but Brussels has more in the way of different cultures and neighborhoods and things like that. They are both wonderful for chocolate ;) I love Rick's books but if you are reading his guidebook for Belgium, he gives a heavy weight to Bruges over Brussels - that's his opinion, but it's just his opinion, and I don't really agree.But perhaps most of all, and this is not even relevant to which city is better or more interesting, is that I don't even know if there's a difference between going from Bruges to Brussels in the evening of Day 2 or in the morning of day 3. staying there til morning won't give you more time in Bruges to sight-see, because it's not like there is a lot to do at night, but it would take useful morning time away from Brussels (or Bruges for that matter) in transport time, so why not at least give yourselves the full day there and go the night before, get settled, and have a full day in Brussels too? The train is only an hour, so going Day 2 evening after your full day should be a fair compromise and let you maximize both cities?

I completely agree with what Kate said. We wish we had spent less time in Brussels and more time in Bruges. I also highly recommend getting a bike in Bruges. We did a very enjoyable countryside tour with Quasimundo called Border by Bike.

http://www.quasimundo.com/html/tours.html

By all means don't miss Brugge.

Definitely spend the majority of your time in Brugge (and all of its awesome chocolate shops). But also make sure you see the Grand Place in Brussels both during the day and at night. It's quite a different sight when you see it at both times.

Agree with the majority here. Bruges wins hands-down. Brussels is OK for a few hours, but don't skimp on Bruges for it.

I did Amsterdam, Bruges, & Brussels last summer (2007)
Spent 5 days in Ams (and surrounding countryside) and 3 days in Bruges, and 1 day in Brussels. I would go back to Ams and Bruges in a minute but would not go back to Brussels - that city is not my cup of tea.

Thanks everybody. Your opinions helped solidify my gut feeling - 2 days in Bruges, 1 in Brussels.

In April we spent three nights in Brussels. At the end of Day 1 we pretty much said "been there, done that", so we took the train to Bruge and spent Day 2 there. Bruge is very picturesque, glad we did it but would not plan on ever going out of our way to do it again. Even though you can pretty much see Brussels in a day, I'd go for two days again sometime in the future -- the chocolate shops are fabulous and we enjoyed walking the streets. Our next stop was Amsterdam -- it was wonderful and we had nowhere near enough time to do all the things we wanted to in the three days we had, so we will definitely make that a return destination. (We happened to hit it at tulip time so most of one day was spent visiting and travelling to and from the flower garden).

BRUGES.....Husband and I spent 7 days in Amsterdam this past spring, and 1 day in Bruges, and wish we'd spent at least 3 in Bruges.
The chocolate is, of course, to die for, but what I loved was being able to watch the ladies making bobbin lace. The little lace museum is right there also and it is mind-boggling, what those gals do.
Take the horse-and-buggy ride for the fun of it--you get to see some back streets.
The story of why the swans are there is interesting also.

I'd go back to Amsterdam and Bruges tomorrow if my laundry was done up!

Bruges, no question. Lovely canals for bike rides, boat rides and a lovely town. Personally, I did not care for Brussels and I think a half day to experience food/beer on the Grand Place is more than enough. We spent a day and a half and were regretting not spending the other day in Bruges.

If you're a Colin Farrell fan, or just a film person, be sure to stop at the Tourist office and ask for the map of "In Bruges"...the film described by "shoot first , sightsee later"...a comedy with guns and ice cream...When we were there the past weekend that's what i used for my must-see list...even though the movie hasn't yet opened in France......Anyhow, Bruges might seem a bit like Amsterdam to you..but it's much more compact and lovely...Brussels...only if there's really a focul point for you...it's a CITY!!..have supper, go see the little pee-pee fountain and head to Paris. I know that the Musee de Beaux Arts is having a special expo of Belgian art from the collection of Queen Elizabeth 2...Guess what i wanted to say was...there are more swans in Burges

If you're a Colin Farrell fan, or just a film person, be sure to stop at the Tourist office and ask for the map of "In Bruges"...the film described by "shoot first , sightsee later"...a comedy with guns and ice cream...When we were there the past weekend that's what i used for my must-see list...even though the movie hasn't yet opened in France......Anyhow, Bruges might seem a bit like Amsterdam to you..but it's much more compact and lovely...Brussels...only if there's really a focul point for you...it's a CITY!!..have supper, go see the little pee-pee fountain and head to Paris. I know that the Musee de Beaux Arts is having a special expo of Belgian art from the collection of Queen Elizabeth 2...Guess what i wanted to say was...there are more swans in Burges