Bruges, Belgium’s beautiful tourist bubble, presumably needs no introduction. An endless stream of tourists from all over the world come here in any season, and that for a good reason. The entire old city, named as a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the perfect pop-up page from a fairy-tale book.
I am not going to rave about the Bruges’ beautifully preserved houses along its picturesque canals, cobbled streets, and around the photogenic market square, but warn you about the tourists. The city does pulse with tourists, especially with day trippers. The tourists are literally everywhere, on the many boats that crowd the canals, flocking in the streets, overflowing on the riverside cafe terraces…To put it short: a medieval town this popular is inevitably tourist-infested. Nonetheless, if you are keen to make up your own mind, take my advice:
To capture Bruges at its best, make sure to arrive late in the afternoon, stay overnight, and leave as early as possible before the busloads of tourists arrive. That said, it was still busy even in the evening hours, but nothing in comparison to the crowds when day trippers arrived the next morning and the boats started to leave one after the other every minute.
Right before sunset, though, the light was changing all the time, and I thoroughly enjoyed the blue/golden hour strolling through Bruges with its cobbled lanes, well-presented restaurants and chocolate shops, manicured gardens, historic towers and churches, romantic bridges, waterfronts, and swans.
Here are some of my favorite photos taken in Bruges in September 2015.
