Bruges

Bruges sits about 15km inland, and the Belgian coast is close. Blankenberge is about fifteen minutes away by train, and from there the coast tram runs along a continuous line of wide, flat sandy beaches lined with promenades, from the dunes near the French border to Knokke. The sea is the North Sea, though: grey-green, often windy, and at about 17°C to 18°C even in late summer. Most people paddle or take a quick dip rather than swim properly. A sunny August afternoon by the sea is a pleasant break from the old town, but the beach is a half-day outing, not a reason to come.

The real reason to eat and drink in Bruges is Belgian beer. Dark, wood-panelled beer cafés pour long lists of Trappist, abbey and local brews, each in its own glass, and the city has its own brewing tradition. Around that come the Flemish classics: mussels with frites, beef stewed in beer, waterzooi, and a chocolate-making culture that shows in shop window after shop window. Frites stands near the Markt and waffles complete the street-food side.

The weakness is the tourist centre. Restaurants on the main squares mostly serve set menus to day-trippers, and you eat better on the side streets and canalsides a few minutes away. A strong fine-dining tier exists, much of it in villages and farmhouses just outside town, but the everyday range is narrow.

Bruges is one of the most complete medieval cities in Europe. Its whole centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a ring of canals around brick guildhalls, stepped gables, almshouses and quiet squares, and the Belfry towers over the Markt. Next to it, the Burg square holds the Gothic City Hall and the Basilica of the Holy Blood, and the Begijnhof is a walled courtyard of whitewashed houses under tall trees.

The art matches the setting. The Groeninge Museum holds superb Flemish Primitives, among them Jan van Eyck, and the Memling paintings hang in the medieval St John's Hospital. The Church of Our Lady has a marble Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. The scale is modest, though. Two full days cover the main sights, and in high season the narrow streets fill with day-trippers by late morning.

Evenings in Bruges are about beer, not clubs. The pleasure is a long session in an old brown café or a vaulted cellar bar with a thick beer menu, where the talk carries on over strong Trappist ales. A few of these stay busy late, especially around the Eiermarkt and 't Zand, helped by the city's students, and there is a handful of music bars. Dancing is limited to one or two small clubs that come alive mainly at weekends.

Once the day-trippers have gone, the centre turns quiet and romantic, and most of it is asleep by midnight on weeknights. That suits a slow evening of good beer and a walk along the lit canals. It does not suit anyone looking for crowds, late clubs or a night that runs until dawn.

The country around Bruges is flat Flemish polder land: wide skies, poplar-lined canals, grazing meadows and old dykes. That makes it excellent for easy cycling. The tree-lined towpath along the canal to Damme is the classic ride, and quiet lanes carry on towards the Dutch border. On the coast, the Zwin reserve near Knokke is a salt marsh known for its birds, and stretches of dune and beach make for blustery walks. There are no hills, no real forests and nothing dramatic, so this is gentle countryside for an afternoon on a bike, not an outdoor destination.

Bruges makes an unusually good base for exploring Flanders, because Belgium is small and its trains run often. Ghent is under half an hour away, with a medieval centre as rich as Bruges's own and the Van Eyck altarpiece in its cathedral. Brussels is about an hour by train, with the Grand-Place and its great museums, and Antwerp, with Rubens, its cathedral and a fine station, is a little further.

Closer to home, the canal-side village of Damme is a bike ride away, and the seaside towns of Ostend and Knokke are a short hop. Ypres and the First World War cemeteries and memorials of the Westhoek are about an hour by car or bus. Mechelen, Leuven and, across the French border, Lille fill out a long and varied list.

Bruges is small, safe and easy to walk, which helps a lot with children, and canal boat rides and horse-drawn carriages go down well with younger ones. Climbing the Belfry, the chocolate and frites museums and feeding the swans at the Minnewater lake make good short outings. Boudewijn Seapark, an amusement park on the southern edge of town, gives a fuller day out.

The beaches at Blankenberge and along the coast are close for sandcastles, and the coast has more family attractions, among them a large theme park near De Panne. Otherwise the city's real attractions are paintings and churches, and pushchairs struggle on the cobbles and in the crowded summer streets.

Almost everything a visitor wants in Bruges lies inside the egg-shaped ring of canals, and you can cross the whole old town on foot in about half an hour. The centre is flat and largely car-free, and cycling is the local way to get about, with bikes easy to hire. The railway station is just outside the ring, a fair walk or a short bus ride from the Markt, and frequent trains link it to Ghent, Brussels, Antwerp and the coast. A car is a burden rather than a help inside the city. The one real drawback is the cobbles, which are hard on ankles, wheels and suitcases.

Shopping in Bruges means mostly edible souvenirs. Chocolate makers are everywhere, from traditional pralines to more inventive work, and specialist beer shops sell bottles and glasses from breweries across Belgium. Bobbin lace is the historic local craft, though much of what fills the shop windows around the Markt is imported. Steenstraat and Noordzandstraat form the main high street, mostly familiar chains, and a few independent fashion and interior shops sit on the quieter side streets. The Saturday market on 't Zand and the flea market along the Dijver canal are pleasant to browse, but there is no luxury or design depth to plan a trip around.

Bruges is an expensive small city. Hotels inside the canal ring are priced for a constant flow of visitors, especially at weekends and in summer, and the restaurants on the main squares charge a lot for ordinary food. Beer is fair value for its quality, the old town is free to walk, and trains for day trips are reasonably priced. Staying midweek, booking a room just outside the centre or near the station, and eating away from the Markt make a real difference.

For a city of its size, Bruges takes music seriously. Its large modern Concertgebouw is known especially for early music, chamber music and contemporary dance, and the city's long-running summer festival of early music draws performers and listeners from across Europe. The ornate nineteenth-century Stadsschouwburg puts on theatre and touring productions, the Belfry carillon plays over the rooftops, and there are summer concerts in churches and squares. There is no opera company or big theatre district, though, and live music in bars is limited. For more choice in an evening, Ghent and Brussels are close by train.

Bruges has no bathing or spa tradition of its own, and wellness here means a handful of hotel spas and day spas. What it does offer is a slow pace in the right places and at the right hours. Early mornings and evenings, when the tour groups have gone, the canals, the Begijnhof and the Minnewater park are quiet and very peaceful. The Sint-Anna and Langestraat neighbourhoods on the east side stay calm even at midday. Expect crowds rather than calm in the main streets on summer afternoons.