In Bruges, enjoy pubs, chocolate and fries

  • By Rick Steves
  • Thursday, August 29, 2013 2:26pm
  • Life

The medieval Belgian town of Bruges attracts hordes of day-trippers — but don’t let that keep you away.

While the ultimate sight is the quaint town itself, the city also entertains with an infectious passion for good living. It hides some sweet surprises.

The Flemish who live in this part of Belgium call this city “Brugge,” but the French half of the country (and English speakers) call it “Bruges.”

Either way, the name comes from the Viking word for “wharf.” In other words, it’s been a trading center for a long time.

About a thousand years ago, the city grew wealthy as the most important textile market in northern Europe. Back then, the city’s canals provided merchants smooth transportation.

But when the harbor silted up in the 16th century, trade moved to the port at Antwerp, ending Bruges’ Golden Age.

Nowadays, the city prospers because of tourism. Plenty of visitors are attracted by the town’s fine pubs. You’ll find beer aficionados from around the world bending an elbow here. Belgian beer is barely exported, so enthusiasts must come to it.

To gain an appreciation for Belgian beer, stop by the beloved ‘t Brugs Beertje, a pub famous for stocking more than 300 of the country’s brews. If you’re not up to sampling every one, go right for the local favorite — Straffe Hendrik — literally “strong Henry.”

Some beers are brewed only seasonally, so I always ask if there’s a special offering.

Belgium is the world’s number-one exporter of chocolate, and Bruggians are born connoisseurs. Every local has a favorite chocolatier. While Godiva has name recognition, there are plenty of smaller family-run places all over town (one of the best is Confiserie De Clerck). Most are generous with their samples.

The people of Bruges buy their chocolate with a concern for freshness like others shop for pastry or bread. Yesterday’s chocolate just won’t do. Chocolate is sold by weight, usually in 100-gram increments (about 3.5 ounces). It’s fun to assemble an assortment of five or six chocolates.

French fries (called Vlaamse frites, or “Flemish fries” — they aren’t really French at all — are another Bruges indulgence. One time a local chef took me into the kitchen to witness the double frying — first to cook, then to brown — that makes Belgian fries taste so good.

Bruges is the only place I know with a museum devoted to the French (Belgian) fry. But skip the museum and instead look for a fry cart (frituur) to sample the real thing. Belgians dip their frites in mayonnaise, but ketchup is there for Americans.

When you’ve had your fill of beer, chocolate and fries, walk it off with a visit to the Groeninge Museum. This world-class collection focuses on Flemish painting, from Memling to Magritte.

You’ll gaze at 15th-century canals, into the eyes of reassuring Marys, and at town squares of people littered with leotards and lace. It’s an easy introduction to the subtle, technically advanced and beautiful early Flemish style.

At the end of the day, the best place to be is on Market Square, in the cobblestoned old town. Ringed by restaurant terraces, great old gabled buildings, and a bell tower, this square marks the town center, just as it did in its medieval heyday. It hosts the best live carillon concert I’ve found in Europe.

Bruges is a city of bells. Though you can hear the tunes ringing out from the tower’s bells anywhere in the heart of town, I like to listen from one of the benches in the courtyard below the carillon.

Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email rick@ricksteves.com, or write P.O. Box 2009, Edmonds, WA 98020.

© 2013 Rick Steves/Tribune Media Services, Inc.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.