From the beginning of the planning for our interrailing trip, Bruges was high on the list of places that I wanted to visit. I had seen photos of it and it looked like a somewhere straight out of a fairytale. The city itself is beautiful. The buildings are very quaint and medieval-looking and the small cobbled streets remove it from the post modern aesthetics of many places around the world.

We were only there for two nights so it was a short stay, but enough time to have an explore around the city. We got there around midday, and so we checked into the Lybeer Traveller’s Hostel and then headed out for a mooch around. As usual, we were both hungry so we set off on a mission to find somewhere to eat.  I noticed that Bruges can be quite pricey in terms of food, so if you’re on a budget possibly try shopping at a supermarket and cooking your own food. We did this on the second night as the supermarket was closed the first night when we went to it.

After a little wander, we came across a small canal boat tour and so we bought a ticket and boarded the bout for a little canal ride around the city. It was very cute indeed!

Following this we explored a little more before heading back to the hostel for the night!

On the second day we began by walking to Minnewater Park. It is a lot smaller than I thought it would be, but it was still beautiful nonetheless. We carried on walking around the city, passing the Ten Wijngaerde which is the only preserved Beguinage – or in layman’s terms, convent – in Bruges.

We ended up back in the centre of Bruges in less than an hour, showing just how small and accessible the city really is. The Belfry tower is located in the centre, and for a fee of €8 you can walk up the 366 stairs to the top. If you like putting yourself through these things like we do, then I would definitely recommend doing it, the view over Bruges from the top is worth the burning legs! I would say that if you’re not a fan of heights or small spaces then maybe give this a miss as the staircase gets pretty narrow the further you go up which can make it very difficult trying to navigate past people!

Our time in Bruges was short but sweet and I enjoyed exploring the beautiful city for a couple of days. With a bit more time and a bit of a bigger budget I think there are plenty more things to do and see in this quaint little part of Belgium!