Bruges-Ghent | Belgium - One Day Trip

So, here goes the gist of our one day trip to Bruges and Ghent.... Yes, we covered both in just one day on foot. As in on foot in each of the cities :P! But yeah, in hindsight I feel we should have spent one night and given one full day to each of the cities for complete justice and to have been completely satisfied with our sightseeing. But nevertheless we can only satisfy ourselves counting on the pennies saved I guess :)!

So we had done this trip in the month of October (as soon as we had set foot in Europe I must say :P)....it was a very good month considering the day light lasting up-to 7-30 pm in the night... And without having to tug along heavy winter jackets. I guess that played half the role in giving us the required energy to cover both the places in one day with our 5 yr old.

We had chosen an early Flix bus to Ghent from Hague (our place of stay) which arrived around 10-30 am types at Dampoort. We got down at Dampoort station (right behind our bus stop) and took the IC train from there to Bruges. It was my idea to cover the farthest place first so that we can be back in time in Ghent to catch our bus home and don't have to rush.

We arrived in Bruges central by 11-15 am (Bruges is just about 30 min by train from Ghent) and then started our sightseeing for the day. As we walked out of the station we were completely mersmerized to see ourselves land in a complete medieval set up. I have been to Europe before and had never witnessed so far such breathtaking red bricks laid architectural splendor captivating your eyes wherever you choose to walk. For the lack of better words to describe the experience let me put it this way that our entire walking tour of Bruges (right from the time we stepped in to the end) was just so picturesque and captivating that it was very difficult to call it a day.

Even for those who are more interested in scenic beauty and not in architecture I guess Bruges is one city which is a must visit just for the truly medieval experience. No wonder Bruges is known as the 'Crown Jewel' of Belgium and its historic city center lists in UNESCO world heritage sites.

As we walked straight from the central station along the medieval city walls we could see the top of the tower of Church of Our Lady.

As we walked towards the Church of Our Lady of Bruges, we passed through these canals and bridges.

From the bridge you can see the 11th century Sint Janshospitaal (Museum) one of the oldest hospitals of Europe which used to be the healthcare facility provider for pilgrims then and had operated for almost 700 years. Today, it is a museum to one of popular Netherlandish painters Hans Memling's art work.

As you walk along..... the path leads you to this narrow alleyway leading you to the Church of Our Lady of Bruges.

This Roman Catholic Gothic style church dates back to the year 1270 when it was built. It comprises of the second highest brickwork tower in the world (379 ft) with Baroque style side structure. It is said that the tower was hit by warplanes in 1938 and still stood tall although a bit askew supposedly.

Apart from housing the tombs of some of the famous dukes and duchesses the church is known to house the white marble sculpture of the 'Madonna and Child' by Michelangelo. It's the only sculpture to have been taken out of Italy in 1500s when Michelangelo was alive. The sculpture is under tight protection and security after having been looted twice by foreign invasions earlier. However, we could not see the sculpture as the interiors of the church was under refurbishment and they had closed down lot of places inside from public visit. The story also goes that there are crypts housing coffins and paintings underneath every inch of the floor of the church making it all the more difficult for renovation.

Also it seems the last congregation of the Knights  happened in as recently at 2012 when all the nobility from all over Europe walked in procession from Gruuthuse palace to Church of Our Lady. 

The Gruuthuse palace (now a museum) was the resident to the rich family of the lords of Bruges who monopolized over the sale of gruut meaning barley/wheat used for beer brewing in the middle ages. The palace dates back to 1620s and parts of the palace dates back to even 1460s. The palace has been converted to museum since 1890s. The lords of the palace had direct access to the Church of Our Lady once supposedly. 

Just around the corner as you come out after visiting the Church of Our Lady is Sint Jacobskerk. This church dedicated to Saint James is said to be built in 1240s and later expanded in 1450s and the Baroque architecture to the church was introduced in 18th century. Although we didn't go inside the church but the sheer beauty of the Gothic cum Baroque architectural exterior was a marvel to see.

A short walk among the alleyways the sides of which are adorned with the crimson red brickwork reinstating the medieval era feeling.... Leads you to the Bruge's square. The medieval marketplace of Bruges since as early as 958!!

Apart from the current day restaurants and cafe's (converted from the then guild houses) you get to see the 19th century (comparatively new to other monuments!!)  Neo-Gothic Provincial Palace (currently operating as Provincial court)  tucked away in one corner beside the prominent Bruges City Hall.

Just adjacent to the City Hall building was a lane leading to the castle square of Bruges which somehow we missed. The above snap captures just a snippet of the lane with a building in white which is part of the first Count's castle. The lane leads to Basilica of the Holy Blood, one of the oldest buildings dating back to 12th century which also we missed seeing somehow. The church is famous for storing a few drops of Christ's blood which was supposedly given to one of the Counts during the Crusades in Jeruzalem.....and now every year there is a Holy Blood procession that takes place here.This procession is listed in UNESCO World Heritage of cultural intangible.

At the centre of the square are the statues of Jan Breydel (head of butchers) and Pieter De Coninck (head of weavers), the two freedom heroes who fought against French in 14th century. The statues of these heroes known as 'the Lion of Flanders' are standing at the square since 1880s.

As we face the imposing Belfry of Bruges (built in 13th century, symbol of freedom and wealth) in the square , at the corner is Cranenburg house where in emperor Maximilian of Austria was kept in captivation in 1480s. Also in the earlier times the counts, lords and ladies used to watch various events and festivities in the market square through the windows of this house.

We happened to take this lane beside the Belfry and that's how we missed the lane to the castle square:|

Our last stoppage before we bid adieu to Bruges was this enthralling and picture perfect Rozenhoedkaai (Quay of the Rosary). The then salt port of medieval era it's the point where the Groenerei and Dijver canals meet making it the most romantic spot. Hard pressed for time as we had even Ghent to cover we ended our Bruges trip here at the most photographed place of Bruges which has time and again broke the world records in photography :)!

We walked back to Central station, although we lost our way a bit and couldn't make out which alleyway to take the shortcut. Also the place had started getting crowded towards the evening as there was some art and craft exhibit day organised on that weekend so we got all the more lost. We somehow walked ourselves out of the central tourist area to a main road and took a round about way (around a park) to the central station asking for help on the way.

Our complete walking tour depicted in the map below at the end of the post.

Ghent

We took the IC train back to Ghent and got down at Ghent Sint Pieter's station at around 5 pm. We had read that it would be easier for sight seeing from this station rather than the Dampoort station as there are quite a few trams and buses from this station. As we were trying to find out which tram we should take to the City Centre we met an elderly couple who were also going towards the same place.

The couple not only helped us with our tickets booking from a ticket booth outside which only accepted coins but also guided us as to how to make our way seeing all the monuments at the city centre and get back to Dampoort at the end. Not sure if they will ever remember us but we will surely remember that couple as an integral part of our memory of  the Ghent trip :)!

So, we took tram 1 to city centre from where we walked down about 10 min to Saint Michael's Bridge. Although we had not planned.... it just so happened that we landed in Ghent just before twilight which is said to be the most fairytale types romantic time in the day to set foot on that bridge and take in the 360 degree view of the enchanting monuments around.

The stone arches of the Neo-Gothic bridge is from 20th century and it's the only point from where all the three famous towers ( St.  Nicholas church, St. Bavo cathedral and Belfry) of Ghent can be captured in one single snap.

A view of Saint Michael's Bridge & St. Michael's Church from the river Leie....its even more breathtaking once it gets lighted after the twilight sets in. The Saint Michael's church is said to be existing since 1400s (with the chapel dating back to 1100s) and is said to be incomplete in construction. The original design had envisaged a spire of 134 Mts which was never built.

From the St. Michael's Bridge we walked down to view the canals leading to the quay called Graslei (street of herbs and vegetables) at the mouth Scheldt river. The banks of the quay are occupied by monuments dating back to the middle ages and the quay in itself dates back to 5th century A.D.

A 5 minute walk from Graslei leads you to Gravensteen (Castle of the Counts) , a 12th century castle built of limestone. The castle was closed by the time we reached there but even the exterior of the medieval fortress was worth a visit.

After viewing the castle before the dusk set in we walked back to the Korenlei quay (street of wheat) which is just opposite to the Graslei quay. This is where we halted for an early dinner at one of the restaurants right on the river side. We explored the Ghent special dishes of waterzooi of chicken accompanied with veggies and potatoes and stew of pork with fries.We were too hungry to remember to take any snaps of the food....I only remember devouring the creamy shrimp cheese starter with bread sticks which tasted so delicious that I almost filled myself with those before the arrival of the main course!!

After filling ourselves on dinner we walked back to the St. Michael's bridge and walked towards St. Nicholas Church at Korenmarkt (Wheat Market). This Scheldt Gothic style 13th century church built of Tournai area blue-gray stone is considered to be a natural lantern due to the disposition of the tower which is placed above the nave.

As you keep walking straight in that line the next monument is the Belfry (91 mts, tallest in Belgium) constructed in 1300s and features in UNESCO World Heritage list of Belfries of Belgium and France. It is said that the Belfry on top of which is perched a dragon, the mascot of Ghent, served as a watchtower in earlier times and guarded the citizens of Ghent as a warning signal. 

As you walk down further straight you come across the St. Bavo Cathedral. This 89 mtr tall Gothic style cathedral was consecrated in 942 and built in 1200s. Apart from the many arts housed by this cathedral the most famous one is the world known  'The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' by Van Eyck. Also, Charles V, the holy Roman Emperor was baptized in this church but at the time of his burial the church was still under construction. 

And just beside the Belfry is the erstwhile post office, a Neo-Gothic styled monument of the 20th century.

The last monument that we saw before calling it a day was the Town Hall of Ghent. The monument dating back to 16th century is a beautiful mix of two styles. As one side of the monument depicts late ornate Gothic style another side depicts a contrasting Renaissance style facade. This building on today's date is visited by many a bridegrooms and brides to marry ....what a marvelous site to marry in!!

And with this, we marked the end of our day long walking tour of Bruges and Ghent, a trip truly worth repeating again and again. After asking along for help with directions to few people we discovered that as you walk straight in the road from the Town Hall after about a brisk walk of 30-40 minutes you reach Dampoort station.We caught the 9-30 pm Flix bus back to Hague from Dampoort, exhausted, but still wanting to see more of both Ghent and Bruges. Hoping that one day we get a chance to re-visit these places again :)!

A short panaromic video of Ghent as it looks in the night!

A snapshot of the walking tour map is as below: