We spent 3 nights in Bruges in July as a little 'baby moon' before we adjust to becoming a family of 5. When I shared my Instagram stories, it seemed a lot of you were headed there yourselves and asked about any recommendations to do with children whilst there, so here it is...
Firstly, what a beautiful city. I remember visiting when I was in secondary school, but no doubt at the time had any interest in the architecture or appreciation for what a beautiful place this was back then. It reminds me a little of Paris, but far cleaner. The buildings are beautiful and there is so much historic culture there, that is seen all around in the idyllic stone style houses & buildings. We are looking to go back in December, because I know what a magical setting it will be at Christmas time.
Accommodation
We stayed at the Hotel Portinari which was in an ideal location. It's a 4 star hotel, which offers a clean, boutique feel, friendly staff, umbrellas to rent & large rooms. We stayed in their 2nd to largest room to accommodate the 4 of us. It had a king bed, with an additional pull down double for the kids, a large modern bathroom (that was very nice) with separate toilet & a large terrace area. There was loads of wardrobe space if you're staying for a longer trip, but as we were only there for 3 days & I have about 2 items of clothing that fit me at the moment being 8 months pregnant, we packed light anyway. The only thing that let this hotel down for me slightly, was I didn't find the bed the most comfortable. That being said, that could totally be down to my pregnancy, rather than the bed itself.
The hotel offers breakfast which needs to be pre ordered the day before (which we didn't have, but looked nice) & umbrellas for rent should you need them for just 2 euros for 48 hours.
Food & Drinks
Whilst we didn't eat at the hotel itself, right next door is a breakfast & lunch spot called The Nomad Kitchen & Bar which we really liked. I struggled to get an oat iced latte in Bruges and this was one of the few places I managed it. The menu is modern, offering typical brunch options like smashed avocado, eggs, southern fried chicken, fresh orange juice & little sharing (or not sharing) mezze boards. The food was really yummy & is a really nice place to sit & people watch. Bruges is not cheap to eat out in we found, so brunch for 4 may set you back around 70-80 euros, but that's pretty standard everywhere we found. I Don't believe this place is open in the evenings, so if you want to try it, make sure you go for breakfast, brunch or lunch.
One of our other favorite spots was a bar called Bourgogne Des Flandres This place is right on the canal so you can sit and wave to those who go by on the little tour boats (which I also recommend) I don't need to tell you, the variety of beers you will get in Bruges is very large and this place had them all, from dark ale types to fruity flavors (I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know much about beer, but if that's your thing, I'm sure you won't be disappointed is what I'm trying to say!) What I liked the best (seeing as I couldn't enjoy the bevs) was the snacks offered. Fresh soft pretzels, cured sausages with the most amazing mustard ever, little pots of cheese cubes & platters if you want something bigger to share. We found coming here for lunch time was nice, as eating out 3 times a day in Bruges may bankrupt you, this worked well as more of a 'picky bits' lunch.
Waffles- Yes, of course, you have to eat waffles when you're there- and I made sure I tried a few to give you the best spots! To be honest, I didn't have a bad one, but the best one was a waffle on a stick from a fresh waffle shop called Go Fre . They were fresh made to order, drizzled with either dark, milk or white chocolate & topped with nuts, smarties, marshmallows, crispy balls - basically, whatever you want, and they were utterly delicious. Just make sure you take a napkin or two!
We tried 2 restaurants in the main square & both were good. Sam was very much into his Flemish stew (if you don't want to eat rabbit, make sure you clarify its beef as it can be either) & said the best one he had was at De Carre where I ordered a pork schnitzel and the kids had mussles and all in all was very good.
If morning pastries are what you're after then I can't recommend Aux Merveilleux de Fred enough. This place makes the most delicious, light pastries, great coffee and a really lovely place to sit and admire the enormous chandelier that centers the cafe. They also sell delicious brioche sandwiches, so the perfect place to pick up a lunch or snack whilst you're exploring the city, if you don't want to sit down and eat. Make sure you try one of their brioche chocolate chip bun rolls too. They're huge, so great to share and are utterly scrummy!
Things to do
I would say the City is a great place to visit with kids, perhaps slightly older ones (or very very littles). But children will certainly enjoy the chocolate & sweetie shops that seem to be on every corner, the all year round Christmas shops (yes, that's right & if you love Christmas as much as I do, I hope you'll find these as magical as I did) and the many waffle stands. There are horse & carriage rides (not for me as I feel too sorry for the horses) boat tour guides, which I highly recommend as this was really fun and a great way to explore the city and learn about the history & beautifully clean and spacious outdoor parks (these are sandy flooring just as a heads up) - as a place, it's actually very well catered for children, although do expect lots of walking (or riding bikes if you take / hire them)
One of the days was a bit drizzly & the kids fancied something different, so we found a family pool centre called LAGO pool. This place was fabulous & puts any family pool I've been to in the UK to shame! I didn't go in (pregnancy excuses ha!) but I saw the facilities & this places has it all. Indoor & outdoor pools, slides, inflatable courses, soft play, baby pools & an olympic sized swimming pool- honestly, I wish I had this close to where I live, I'd be there all the time.
In all honesty, I wouldn't bother with the Chocolate Factory. Mine found it a bit boring (I did too) and unless you're happy to spend 50 euros a head to make a bit of chocolate then there's not really much to do or see. They said it took 1.5 hrs to do the tour, I think we were out in 30 mins - oops.
Lastly, if you're staying in an apartment or Airbnb and are in Bruges on a Wednesday, make sure you check out the local market (I don't know if this is on every Wednesday, but try and find out if it's on when you're there as it's brilliant) It's huge & sells everything.
Another thing that surprised me was how good the shopping was. There are so many beautiful independent children clothing shops down the back streets, along with bigger brands like Nike & Cos - So if you fancy a bit of shopping, you shouldn't be disappointed there.
Hopefully this has given you a little inso for any upcoming trips you have to Bruges, or if you're planning to go a list of places to visit :)
Harriet x