Things to do in Bruges

An overnight stay is the secret — Bruges empties of day-trippers after 6 p.m. and the floodlit canals become genuinely magical. Two days lets you do the Markt and Burg squares, the Groeningemuseum (early Flemish painting), a canal boat ride and a walk to Damme through windmills.

The Belfry of Bruges on the Markt — 366 steps climb past the bell mechanism and out onto a panorama over the medieval rooftops and the canals. Combine with the Basilica of the Holy Blood on the Burg square, which holds the supposed phial of Christ's blood brought back from a crusade.

The Sint-Anna quarter east of the centre — the local-feeling side of town with the windmills along the Kruisvest ramparts, the Folklore Museum and quieter canals. Sint-Gillis north for everyday Bruges where the postcards stop. Avoid Walplein and Wollestraat at lunchtime; they're a tour-bus loop.

Belgian fries from Chez Vincent at the Markt — twice-fried, served in a paper cone with mayo or andalouse. Waterzooi (creamy chicken stew). A flight at De Halve Maan brewery (the only working brewery still inside the city walls — they pipe beer underground to a bottling plant). Belgian chocolate from Dumon.

Walk everywhere. The historic centre fits inside a 1.5 km egg-shaped ring of canals and the streets are largely pedestrianised. The train station is a 20-minute walk south. Buses cover the suburbs but you won't need them. Rent a bike to cycle the polders out to Damme along the canal.

The Begijnhof, a walled enclave of 13th-century whitewashed houses around a central lawn studded with daffodils in spring. The Benedictine nuns who took over from the original beguines still live there. Step inside the gatehouse and the tourist soundtrack drops away — a five-minute meditation in the busiest part of town.