Flanders Hotel Brugge - Hampshire Classic ★★★★

The historic centre of Bruges is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. When you walk through the city, you imagine yourself in an open air museum. Because there is so much to see and do, you need to make choices. A few tips:

Museum
Groeningemuseum gives a rich and fascinating overview of six centuries of Flemish and Belgian art. Works exhibited include those by Jan van Eyck and Marcel Broodthaers. In the Middle Ages, Het Huis van Gruuthuske belonged to the Van Brugghe-van der Aa family. The family had a monopoly on the sale of “gruut”, a herb mix from which beer was made. Gruuthusemuseum is now located in the house and has an interesting collection of art and antiques. At chocolate museum Choco-Story on Sint-Janssstraat, you learn all about chocolate. This starts with the history of the basic material: the cocoa bean. Epicurean Bruges even has its own Frietmuseum. This museum is located in the Saalhalle, one of the oldest buildings in Bruges, and explains the birth and history of friet (chips). And you get to taste them at the end of the tour.

Places of interest
Het Prinselijk Begijnhof Ten Wijngaard with whitewashed façades, tranquil abbey garden and Begijnhofmuseum, was established in 1245. The Sisters of the Order of St.-Benedictus reside there now. Warning: the access gate to the Begijnhof closes at 6:30 p.m. without fail. In Onthaalkerk Onze-Lieve-Vrouw, you can admire many works of art including Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child and the mausoleums of Karel de Stoute and Maria van Bourgondië.

Children
De Toverplaneet is a beautiful, large indoor playground in a former vegetable warehouse, with playground equipment of some 10 metres high. Another fun indoor playground is Speeldorp Brugge, with bouncy castles, obstacle courses, ball pit and slides. Het Boudewijn Seapark has fun attractions such as a water slide, roller coaster and bumper cars. There are also live shows with dolphins, seals and sea lions taking the leading role.