Bruges half day or full day?

Will be on Qm2 in may with a port call at zeebrugge.

I am trying to decide between the 2 Bruges on your own options-

The half day one starts at 11:30am and is estimated to be 4.5 hrs.

Full day one starts at 9:30am and is estimated 7 hrs.

Has anyone on this board done either of these?

Since bus from port to bruges parking takes about 20 mins and walk from drop off to center of Bruges is estimated at another 20-30 mins, we figure the first one gives us about 3 hrs in bruges, and the full day one, about 5 hrs.

Is there enough to do in bruges for full day? Is half day too short?

FYI we are 63 yrs old and reasonably fit.

me i am thinking full day, because, it say on the website that the excursion is about 4 hour and half, so i assume it must include the transport

while the full excursion on your own is 7 hour wich will give me more leeway in my opinion

the thing i Wonder is, do they drop you off at a specific time and take you back to the ship from that same place of drop of? because there isn't much detail about it. in my case, i will call cunard to ask them unless someone already provide an awnser

I am pretty sure dropoff in bruges is same place as pickup for return to ship.

There is a large parking lot at bruges train station, so that seems likely spot.

I would go for the full day, it's a beautiful city.

You might want to look at taking the train. There is a shuttle bus to the station at Blankenburg. Trains are every hour and it's about a 10 minute ride.

I would definitely suggest the full day one. With the half day option you'll be clock watching most of the time and that takes away the fun.

My DH and I were there last year, walked around and did a canal boat tour. Just lovely. Plenty of places to sit and rest if you need to.

Great chocolate shopping!!

We have been to Bruges… not on a ship's tour, traveling on our own.

We were there a full-day in-between two nights at a hotel.

It was charming to walk around at a leisurely pace. There was some nice shopping--not a lot of shops, but a few I thought were interesting and worthwhile.

We ate frites (not particularly special to us). We went up the tower. We toured the chocolate museum. We ate waffles (delicious). We skipped the boat canal tour.

All of this--I feel-- could have been compressed into half-day, if I hadn't been interested in the shops.

We learned that Bruges, by the way, has been restored to look Medieval. The tower is historic, but since the 1950s it was been required that work on any buildings duplicate that period, no matter when they were actually built. This created a lovely draw for tourists. You feel like you have stepped back in time.

We were happy to have visited Bruges. But, truthfully, after a leisurely day there, we were ready to move on to a new location.

There is a large parking lot at bruges train station, so that seems likely spot.

No, it's over the road from Bruges train station. We've taken the train from Blankenberge to Bruges and back but we passed the coach drop-off point on the way back to the train station.

The shuttle from the port takes you to Blankenberge. (be careful of spelling as Blankenburg is in Germany).

No, it's over the road from Bruges train station. We've taken the train from Blankenberge to Bruges and back but we passed the coach drop-off point on the way back to the train station.

 

The shuttle from the port takes you to Blankenberge. (be careful of spelling as Blankenburg is in Germany).

thanks for the info. it will definately be the full day because half a day i feel i would be on the clock, something i do not like

We think it's a wonderful town and you will be glad that you have the longer stay there. Take a canal boat ride which is lovely, walk all through the medieval parts, go in the basilica, have mussels and frites or dover sole in a side street where it is less expensive than the main square. Shop for chocolate. Enjoy!

Its very easy to take he train yourself in to Bruges, much nicer than being herded around. Make sure you take the canal tour, its one of the highlights of the town. Depending on the day of your visit, there is a weekly food market, delicious and at the weekends you are likely to stumble across the flea market. Away from the main shopping area are some gorgeous back streets with quirky shops and some fantastic places to grab a meal. There are so many chocolate shops that you re spoilt for choice, but personally we always go for Leonidas as they have the best ganache. It's a lovely unhurried place to visit, I am always happy to return

Hi Hawaii!

I cannot but repeat what others said before: Take a full day to visit Brugge/Bruges, since it has a lot to offer. For me, it is the prettiest and most romantic town in Belgium (its centre is part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, since it has kept its medieval architecture). Brugge has a long and rich history with some standstill, however, since, amongst other things, it did not take part in industrialisation.

I recommend to put solid shoes, since the centre ground is mostly made of cobblestones and, by all means, take a boat tour on the canals!

If you want to do some shopping, Belgian lace would be a good idea, but probably not as cheap as the one made in Kong Kong, since it (can be) handmade.

For lunch, you might like to try a typical Flemish dish (you will be in West Flanders) called 'Waterzooi'. It's a stew, no haute cuisine, but very tasty, and is alternatively prepared with veal, poultry or seafood.

Bon voyage and enjoy!

You have had great advice here and I would also recommend the train, you can always get a cab back to the ship. Although it is quite expensive unless there are a few of you. I always think that Bruges is what Amsterdam would like to be, there are pretty buildings, nice food and beer and canals. It has much more charm and elegance than Amsterdam though.

Cab would be a good idea if i wasnt travelling solo

Yeah, having walked in rome 10 km a day average, i know first hand what cobblestone does if you dont have the proper shoes

And if the ship tour doesn't go there, don't miss the peaceful Beguin Convent (Begijnhof), beautiful houses and gardens, close to a charming little swan lake and less touristic than the city center. (A few minutes walk but worth it!)

Envoyé de mon iPad à l'aide de Forums

And if the ship tour doesn't go there, don't miss the peaceful Beguin Convent (Begijnhof), beautiful houses and gardens, close to a charming little swan lake and less touristic than the city center. (A few minutes walk but worth it!)

 

Yes, absolutely, and maybe I should add that these beguinhofe originated about 800 years ago and stayed on throughout the Middle Ages until our modern times. They provided housing and protection for single women without relatives or other social relationships. Their way of living was religious but should not be confused with lifes of nons in a convent. This way of living was very 'modern' when one considers the times when they were established.

The few times we have been to Brugge, we have spent a whole day there and, very conveniently, the meeting point for the return is outside a brewery with some fine Belgian beers on offer

We did a half day ships tour and it was not enough time. The buses all park in the bus park which is at least a 30 min walk to main part of town, we never did make it to the Marketplace due to mobility problems my wife has. We did the canal ride, a chocolate shop and lunch, by that time we had get back to the bus park. Too much time watching the clock, do the whole day and enjoy.

Ron

Thanks for all your advice. We will definitely do the all day tour!

Bruges is a wonderful place -- but you can walk your legs off getting around everything :) Of course, Bruges is also famous for it's places of liquid refreshment.

Barry

If you are considering the Bruges on your owntour I would sugest that you take the shuttle to Blankenberg and then the train to Bruges. We went into Bruges at the end of last year using the shuttle bus and train, I think that the cost was around 6-7 euros each return. The walk from the train station to the city center took less than 10 minutes along a pleasant path way. The city was very interesting with lots to see and do. If you do it this way you are not restricted to the times of the coaches for the tours. Personally I think that the half day tour is too short to see everything but the full day may be a little to long as I am not particularly keen on spending my holiday in shops and I did see everything that I wanted to see in less time that the full day tour takes.

And Blankenberg itself, although not wildly exciting, is a pleasant enough place in itself (if the weather is good) to wander around for a couple of hours. They even have some reasonable Belgian beers at the Train Station!! :) Plus there are chocolate and fudge shops :)

Barry

If you are considering the Bruges on your owntour I would sugest that you take the shuttle to Blankenberg and then the train to Bruges. We went into Bruges at the end of last year using the shuttle bus and train, I think that the cost was around 6-7 euros each return. The walk from the train station to the city center took less than 10 minutes along a pleasant path way. The city was very interesting with lots to see and do. If you do it this way you are not restricted to the times of the coaches for the tours. Personally I think that the half day tour is too short to see everything but the full day may be a little to long as I am not particularly keen on spending my holiday in shops and I did see everything that I wanted to see in less time that the full day tour takes.

To be fair, I would say that the walk from Blankenberge station to the city centre is more than 10 minutes.

You might not be restricted to the times of the coaches but you are restricted by the times of the trains as they only run every hour. So if you miss one, you have an hour to wait for another. It is especially important to make a note of this when travelling back to the ship.

Hi Hawaii,

I'd go along with what several other posters have commented: ditch the thought of the ship's tour, and do your own thing. Get the shuttle the Blankenberge and get the train from there. There's simple and easy to use ticket machines on the station, the journey is about 15 mins and costs next to nothing. A bit of Googling and you can find the train times before you go.

We've done it several times and it's a doddle.

Google maps tells me the station is about a mile from the centre of town. Took us about 20 mins a a very leisurely pace.

And a full day is nowhere near enough for this beautiful city!!

Regards,

Mr H.

There is still one more thing that just came to my mind. If you are tired walking on cobblestones, there are horse carriages as well, which are lovely to look at, they fit so well into the medieval picture .... :)