We're just back from a long weekend in Bruges, Belgium. The best way to reach this UNESCO protected town is with no doubt by train. From Paris it took us around 2H30 mn and you can easily book your tickets on
SNCB network. I will not here detail how beautiful and charming bruges is. You will find that on so many other blogs or websites. But it is indeed very true and a stop there when visiting Europe is a must.
You will find dozens of boutique hotels, luxury ones or bead & breakfast. We did stay at
Bedandbruges , a lovely B&B ran by Louise and Francis Hardy. Should you go there, stay in "La tour" which is a medieval tower completely restored in 2009. You will enjoy the entire place for you ( 2 people ) at a bargain of 95 € per night breakfast included. The owners do also offer to swap their personal home and that could be an option for large families and a week stay.
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| "La tour" at Bedandbruges |
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| Peaceful Bruges |
This B&B is situated slightly off the touristic heart of the city and you will need a 10mn walk to join the most visited monuments. Which for us was a plus as we could stay out of the crowd. Another possibility is to rent a bike at around 10€/day as this is the perfect way to discover the city and its surroundings. We would even suggest you to bike along the canal from Bruges to Damme ( 7km away, a lovely medieval village ) and then to Sluis ( Holland, 18km from bruges ). You will need around 3H back and forth. We'd suggest to stop for lunch at Damme which offer various excellent options. We personally ate at "Restaurant ZuidKant" whom the chef has been working quite some time with the famous Thierry Marx chef in Cordeillan-bages.
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| "ZuidKant" restaurant terrace |
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| Langoustines marinées, crème d'avocat et fines herbes |
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| Cappuccino et ravioli de Homard, parmesan et huile de basilic |
One of the best and most creative cuisine we've experienced lately. By far above most of the 1 or 2 star michelin restaurants we were lucky to taste in France those past years. Count on 50€/person with 1 glass of wine. Another option when in Damme is to eat at "De Bonheur" which has been indicated to us by several locals. The next day we went to have lunch at the
Refter which is ran by the son of the nextdoor 3 star michelin
"De Karmeliet". Should you have the choice, eat in the patio. We ate twice there for around 40€/person. Excellent products in general, succulent fish. I personally recommend the fish soup which beats easily many of the ones i could taste in sunny southern France.
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| La carte, Refter Bistro |
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| Soupe de poisson et sa rouille |
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| Velouté d'asperges, crème de brocolis |
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| The kitchen , Refter Bistro |
We also had excellent dinner at
Rock Fort ( likely to be rated soon 1 star michelin ). Really amazing quality and very good and affordable wine list. But quite disappointed by the atmosphere ( we were at the bar, not in the main dining area ) and more problematic by the time we had to wait between each plate ( around 30mn ).
All in all we spent a wonderful time and discovered new flavors and tastes, met passionate and friendly people. Without a doubt, the belgian gastronomy is about to play a major role and taking over its French neighbour ( if not already the case ).
Enjoy bruges !
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