Bruges, Belgium

Bruges has the distinction of being Europe's best-preserved medieval city and Belgium's most popular tourist destination, a veritable 13th-century 'open air museum'.



 It is a small town with lots of character and charm, with postcard-perfect cobbled streets and a maze of waterways inviting exploration by foot, horse-drawn carriage or canal boat.



While it's easy to pass the time simply looking around at the beautiful buildings, visitors to Bruges can learn more about the city's long history through the many fascinating museums dedicated to everything from chocolate and frites (chips or french fries) to diamonds, art and folklore and lace.



Bruges is a foodie's dream destination, especially for chocolate lovers. It's hard to go more than a few metres without stumbling on a window display of dainty confections, and there are several factories and even a museum dedicated to chocolate-making in Bruges. The restaurants in the city are just as mouth-watering, ranging from Michelin-starred establishments to humble waffle houses.



Known for its notoriously less-than-idyllic weather, Bruges' summers are colder than most cities in Europe and its winters are chilly and wet. This doesn't stop the locals from enjoying themselves however, as most of the city's biggest events take place in the winter, including chocolate and music festivals, ice sculpture competitions and Christmas markets.

Attractions

Bruges Diamond Museum

Bruges has a long history of diamond polishing, going back to 1450 when local goldsmith Lodewijk van Berquem invented the modern technique of using diamond powder on a rotating disk. The Bruges Diamond Museum (Diamantmuseum Brugge) has a variety of exhibits on this craft, as well as mining and setting diamonds. The museum also offers live polishing demonstrations each day, and often hosts temporary exhibitions with famous stones and jewellery. The gift shop stocks rough and synthetic diamonds, as well as more reasonably-priced souvenirs.

Choco-Story Museum

Chocolate lovers can't take a holiday to Bruges without stopping at the Choco-Story Museum, which details the history of chocolate dating back to the Mayans in 250 BC, and also demonstrates how the raw ingredients of cocoa are turned into the sweet treats everyone loves. Of course each tour includes a tasting session, and plenty of time in the gift shop. It's tempting to buy right then and there, but keep in mind that Bruges has more than 40 chocolate shops throughout the city!

Groeninge Museum

Considered one of Bruges' best museums, the Groeninge Museum houses a large collection of fine art going back to the 15th century, including works by famous Flemish painters Jan van Eyck, Hieronymus Bosch, Rogier van der Weyden and Hans Memling. Though some of the works are from recent years, the museum's collections focuses exclusively on works with classical techniques, and has some beautiful pieces. for fans of classical art and those wishing to gain an insight into Belgiana nd European life in the past, this is a museum not to be missed.