brugges

Depends a little bit on what you like or want to do. A couple days, maybe three would work. We rented bikes one day rode way out into the country side. Had lunch, etc. A number of typical museums and churches. Nice brewery to end the day. It is more of relaxing stop rather than a high tourist area with great sites.

I love Brugge it is like going back in time. It is a place to slow down stroll the town, observe ,walk along the canals (or take sm boat) see a museum or two, ride bikes along the canal to the counrtyside picnic. 2-3 days are just right. Enjoy.

Two nights, in my opinion, are more than enough.

A few years ago I spent two nights in Brugge: one full day and a few hours of the next were all I had for enjoying the town. I easily could have spent one more night with two full days for the town. I had a pass that was good for a few museums and other sites. I felt a little rushed with so little time.

We did it in 2 nights, 3 days. It was enough but I could have spent a few more chill days there. The Memling and Groening Museums are a must see. You have to do Der Halfe Mann Brewery Tour. Climb the tower, all 420 steps for a sweeping view.

I'm agreeing with the others, 2 full days is good. I was talking with family about going to the lace-making school. Definitely stop by, it's amazing to watch them work.

Make sure you get some frites with mayo under the great tower. You will have lots of fellow tourists. You could also have a great time half an hours down the rail line in Gent. You could spend a week browsing the chocolate shops in Brugge and Gent. ¶ Spelling of the towns is either French (Bruges, Gand), Dutch or Flemish (Brugge, Gent), or English (Bruges, Ghent).

Mike, you're a handfull of miles away from me (OK - maybe 3 handfulls)...isn't this weather GREAT?!? So, back to your question...I'm guessing that if you know you want to go there, you already know the main attractions to see from guidebooks, etc. So, are you going for the history? The fries (yum)? The beer (oh, heavens, DON'T get me started on THAT LOL!)? The architecture? Or, is your wife making you go look at lace ;-)? I'd agree with most of the others - 2 days minimum. OK - I threw in 'minimum'...It just depends on why Bruges appealed to you in the first place, I think.

I had a brief visit to Brugge this summer-day and a half-and it wasn't quite enough. It was very hot when I was there, but I would liked at least another day. Also, if I had had yet another day, I would have done WW1 tour to the battlefields. I ended up spending an inordinate amount of time in the Bier Garden. ; ) Pam

Yes, the evenings are GREAT. And I'd agree that 2 are enough. Also agree that getting on a bike a leaving the day-trippers behind is a must-do, mid-day strategy. We we're there last September and the Rozenhoedkaai straat (Rick's postcard spot) was ear to ear people from 11 to 5.

And if you walk 2 blocks from the center of town, it is practically deserted - you can walk down the centers of the streets! Very peaceful.

I want to thank all for the info,this is the start of a trip on the Rhine that ends in Basel,then to Interlaken and finally back to Venice

Mike, 2 nights, 3 days. Dorsey

You can easily see everything in two days, but it's a nice town to unwind and enjoy for a while. We were there four nights, three and a half days and did not feel like it was too much. We really enjoyed just walking around all the streets, enjoying the food and beer. (I'm not normally a beer drinker, but I really did enjoy trying all the beers. Well, not ALL of them.)

We spent 3 nights there and could have stayed longer - we loved it... We were there in July '08 and it wasn't crowded at all.

We were there for just two nights and one full day (plus a couple of hours before sunset that first night, spent wandering the old town after the crowds had gone - a big plus) and we found that to be perfect. We even had time to rent bikes and ride to Damme and back on the mid-afternoon of that full day. But we are active travellers. We don't linger much. We do a lot of sights and activities, but we don't shop much, don't eat three hour dinners or sip coffee and people-watch. It depends on how active you want to be. We didn't feel at all rushed. Bruges is small and its sights, while cute, are not any more extrordinary than 100 other places in Europe. How much you linger might depend on how many other places you have been already. We find that we cover more ground now than we used to because we no longer feel obligated to see EVERY sight there is in a location.

I would suggest making Bruges your homebase for 3 nights(if you have the time). If you see all you want to see in Bruges you can daytrip to Ghent and Brussels (both worth at least half a day). Brugge is awesome at night. I stayed there for two nights about 10 years ago and plan on returning next year for 3 nights. Have fun.

I did it with my girlfriend in 24 hours. It's pretty small. Don't take more than 2 days there's so much so close (do not miss Ghent). Recommendations: drink on the river at the Beer Wall, best gift shop on earth around the planet. Climbing the tower was meh...very crowded, windows at the top have mesh. View was pretty cool but its nicer from the ground. Walk along the rivers at night the colors are beautiful. Get lost walking through the little streets it literally feels like 1600AD.

We just got back from Bruges. Arrived on a Sunday afternoon and left on Tues. Not enough time! Weekends are very crowded. but Monday and Tues. were so much nicer. Don't miss the brewery tour and take a boat ride. We didn't do any museums(we did those in London & Paris) or climb the belltower(too cloudy), but walked everywhere. We stayed at a beautiful B&B and followed Rick's restaurant tips. Wish we had been able to rent bikes to explore the countryside. Also, would have loved to daytrip to Ghent & beyond.