One day in Bruges, Belgium

Bruges is a charming city in the north of Belgium, and its name comes from the old dutch word brugga, which means bridges. And yes, you’ll cross many bridges while you’re here admiring all the beauty around.

I went there while I was staying at Amsterdam. You can grab a train of the Thalys line at the Amsterdam Centraal and be in Bruges in less than three hours. Make sure you try the fantastic belgian chocolates. They make them with a high cocoa percentage and that makes them really strong and delicious. Also try the waffles covered with chocolate, they’re thick and amazing. Basically try anything with chocolate.

waffles covered with chocolate, they’re thick and amazing. Basically try anything with chocolate.

There are a lot of spots to capture beautiful shots. One of my favorites was shooting the Jan van Eyck square from the last bridge in this canal.

While you’re in Belgium, you have to try their beer. In Bruges, you have to try their chocolate beer and also their fantastic beef & beer stew. One thing I was warned beforehand is that service is slow because of the huge amount of tourists. Here’s one tip to eat fast that usually works: find a good restaurant in Google Maps that’s about to close in, for example, half hour. They’ll surely serve you, because they’re a good restaurant, and they’ll do it fast, because they want to close. However, the waiter told they were closed when I got there. I told him I wanted the beef & beer stew and he took me to a restaurant they were friends with in the same block, went inside and came back with a guy that invited me to sit and asked me what I wanted to drink. The waiter that took me there greeted me politely and left. After less than 5 mins I had a fantastic beef & beer stew along with the delicious belgian beer that I had requested.

Another cute spot is the Minnewater lake, shown here in the first picture below. Basically, I didn’t do much in Bruges except trying to capture some locals in streets off the touristic path. This city is absolutely lovely so no matter where you go, there’s always something beautiful to capture.

While I was there, the weather went from sunny to partially clouded to fully clouded and dark as shown in the picture in the center below and started clearing towards the afternoon. Luckily it didn’t rain but you should probably bring a raincoat just in case.

Last photo and my favorite I guess, is the Rozenhoedkaai. Postcard photo? Yes. Although it’s undeniable gorgeous. This is said to be the most photographed spot in Brugge and it’s for a good reason. Be aware though that this in a very centric location with lots of tourists coming and going and there are also boats packed with tourists coming and going in the canal. So setup a tripod, frame the shot you want, relax and wait for the opportunity. It’s definitely worth it.