A Day & A Half In Bruges | Europe Roadtrip Stop 2

I know this is only stop 2 of our road trip (and there are plenty more countries coming up) but hands down I think Bruges was the best place we visited on our trip. As soon as we got there I absolutely loved it and I actually said to Elliot as soon as we got there that I think this will be my favourite place we visit, and wow, my first instinct wasn't wrong. After our beach walk in Dunkirk, we drove the hour over the border and into Bruges and parked the van up at the campsite. 

A Day & A Half In Bruges | Europe Roadtrip Stop 2

We took the bus into the city center, which was super easy to use (we love public transport that you can pay via contactless) and just wandered to our heart's content. The buildings all look like ones you'd find in a Disney film and it helped that the weather was absolutely glorious too. After we'd explored a lot of the city on foot we stopped by one of the bars in the square for some refreshment. 

Now, one particularly great thing to report about Belgium is their fruit beer. Ciders aren't really a thing over there but their fruit beers are a far better substitute. Hoegaarden Rosé is my new favourite beer and I am still trying to get over the fact that no pubs around here serve it. It's literally a beer for the girlies. It's pink, it tastes of raspberries, and if you served it in a martini glass you could palm it off as a cocktail. 

The restaurant prices in Bruges are all quite pricey (that we saw anyway) with mains being about €20. However, a lot of the restaurants by the main tourist spots had set menus, and considering a lot of them were 3 courses for €25, they're actually worth checking out. 

We had dinner in a restaurant in one of the squares and all three courses were delicious. I had a cheese croquette to start, then the local beef stew, and then apple tart to finish. To be honest, I was expecting the food to be a bit average considering it was one of the more affordable options in the city but it might even have been one of the best meals of the trip. I mean, it was the only 3-course meal we had but when you're essentially only paying €5 more for a starter and a dessert it's a bit of a no-brainer in my opinion. 

The following day we had our full day in Bruges and the weather was just as glorious. We got an early-ish bus into the city again and then headed straight for a boat tour. It was a really pleasant way to see a lot more of the city and I always love hearing the funny little stories about certain houses or buildings. We paid €12 each for a 30-minute boat ride which, again, doesn't seem too unreasonable. 

Now, not only is the beer great in Bruges but the shopping is too. There's a whole array of standard high street shops (H&M, Mango etc), independent boutique shops as well as lots of home decor shops. It truly was an easy way to spend an afternoon. The homeware shops, in particular, were really nice and nothing like what we have here. Imagine if you crossed Flying Tiger with Ikea and Zara Home. Affordable, scandi style pieces but at really affordable prices! Next time I'll be taking a holdall and absolutely filling it with mugs, vases and dried flowers.

In case I hadn't already made it clear, I really did enjoy my time in Bruges and would love to visit again. I'm thinking a Christmas market trip might be pretty cool, so there's one for the travel list. Bruges was clean, the transport was easy to use, the food was great (if a bit pricey on the whole) and the shops were fab. If you haven't been, I'd definitely recommend adding it to your travel bucket list!