3-Day Bruges Itinerary
Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use.
Three days is the sweet spot for a first Bruges trip: the 2-day core plus a day trip to Ghent, the other great Flemish art city, roughly 25-30 minutes away by train. With less time, drop back to the 2-day plan ; with more, the 4-day itinerary adds a solemn day at Ypres and Flanders Fields.
Day 1: The Markt and the Belfry
Morning
Climb the Belfry (around €14, roughly 366 steps) on the Markt, then walk to the Burg for the Basilica of the Holy Blood and the Gothic Stadhuis.
Afternoon
Visit the Church of Our Lady (around €8) for Michelangelo’s “Madonna and Child,” then a canal boat tour (around €13) past the Rozenhoedkaai.
Evening
Dinner from a frietkot or a brasserie near the Markt, then an evening canal walk once the day-trip crowds have thinned.
Day 2: Canals and the Begijnhof
Morning
The walled Begijnhof and Minnewater, both free, are quietest early. The Groeningemuseum (around €12) follows, for Flemish Primitives including Van Eyck and Bosch.
Afternoon
Tour De Halve Maan brewery (around €14 with a tasting), famous for its roughly 3km underground beer pipeline, opened in 2016.
Evening
A quieter dinner and an early night, since tomorrow starts with a train.
Day 3: Day trip to Ghent
Morning
Take the train to Ghent (around €9-14 one-way, roughly 25-30 minutes). Visit St Bavo’s Cathedral for the Ghent Altarpiece and walk the Graslei harbour front.
Afternoon
Gravensteen castle and the Patershol neighbourhood round out the afternoon before the train back.
Evening
Back in Bruges by early evening. One concrete tip: buy your Ghent return ticket before boarding rather than on the train, since fares bought onboard carry a surcharge on Belgian rail.
Read more: our 4-day Bruges itinerary swaps this same core plus a second day trip, this time to Ypres, and the full Bruges guide covers logistics for the whole trip.