Bruges Walking Routes: Two Loops on Foot

Walking in Bruges

The old centre is compact, so two loops cover most of it in a day. Traffic is limited but not banned: the core is car-free with one-way streets, so look both ways. Cobblestones are slippery when wet, cyclists share the lanes and have priority in marked lanes, and the canal edges have no fences.

The classic loop

This loop is about 2.5 km and takes 2.5 to 3 hours with stops.

  1. Start on the Markt, below the Belfry.
  2. Walk to the Burg.
  3. Go through Blinde-Ezelstraat to the Vismarkt, the fish market, which is open Wednesday to Saturday from 08:00 to 13:30.
  4. Follow the Groenerei to the Rozenhoedkaai.
  5. Continue along the Dijver to the Bonifacius Bridge.
  6. Visit the Church of Our Lady, then the Sint-Janshospitaal.
  7. Pass Walplein, where the De Halve Maan brewery stands.
  8. Finish at the Begijnhof and Minnewater.

The quiet north-east loop

This loop is about 3 km and takes about 2 hours, and it is calmer than the first.

  1. Begin at Jan van Eyckplein and the Poortersloge.
  2. Walk the Spiegelrei and Spinolarei quays.
  3. Enter the Sint-Anna quarter and the Adornes Estate with its Jerusalem Chapel, which is open Monday to Saturday only. Photography is not allowed inside.
  4. Pass the Lace Centre at Balstraat 16; check its opening hours.
  5. Visit the Volkskundemuseum at Balstraat 43.
  6. Walk the Kruisvest ramparts and past the windmills.
  7. End at the Kruispoort.

Markets

The Wednesday food and flower market is on the Markt from 08:00 to 14:00. The Saturday general market is on ’t Zand from 08:00 to 13:30. The fish market on the Vismarkt runs from Wednesday to Saturday, 08:00 to 13:30. See the Visit Bruges market page .

Practical tips

Wear shoes with grip, because the paving is old and uneven. The centre is busiest from about 11:00 to 17:00, so start the first loop at 08:00 or begin the second late in the afternoon. Keep your voice low in the Begijnhof, where silence is requested. Take care along the quays: the edges of the Rozenhoedkaai, Dijver, Groenerei and Spiegelrei are unfenced, so do not step back while taking photos.

Guided walks

If you prefer a guide, visitbruges.be lists accredited guided tours. The Brugse Gidsenbond and Hello Bruges are the guide associations that Musea Brugge refers groups to. City Tours Belgium offers a guided walk with a boat ride that lasts about 2.5 hours and costs EUR 40, including a praline, by appointment. See the guided tours page on Visit Bruges .

Compare Bruges walking tours on GetYourGuide .

Read more: Sightseeing in Bruges .