6-Day Bruges Itinerary
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Six days is the 5-day plan (city, Ghent, Ypres, coast) plus a sixth day biking to Damme, the shortest and easiest add-on here. With less time, drop back to the 5-day itinerary ; with more, the 7-day plan adds a final free day.
Day 1: The Markt and the Belfry
Morning
The Belfry (around €14), then the Burg for the Basilica of the Holy Blood.
Afternoon
The Church of Our Lady (around €8) and a canal boat tour (around €13).
Evening
Dinner near the Markt.
Day 2: Canals and the Begijnhof
Morning
The Begijnhof and Minnewater, then the Groeningemuseum (around €12).
Afternoon
De Halve Maan brewery tour (around €14).
Evening
An early night ahead of the Ghent day trip.
Day 3: Day trip to Ghent
Morning
Train to Ghent (around €9-14, roughly 25-30 minutes) for St Bavo’s Cathedral.
Afternoon
Gravensteen castle and the Graslei.
Evening
Dinner back in Bruges.
Day 4: Ypres and Flanders Fields
Morning
Train or bus to Ypres, roughly 1-1.5 hours, for the In Flanders Fields Museum (around €11).
Afternoon
Tyne Cot and the Menin Gate.
Evening
Back to Bruges, or stay for the 20:00 Last Post.
Day 5: The Belgian coast and the Kusttram
Morning
Train to Ostend (around 15 minutes), then a Kusttram day pass (around €7.50) along the coast.
Afternoon
Explore whichever coastal town looks interesting; the tram makes hopping off easy.
Evening
Train back to Bruges for dinner.
Day 6: Damme by bike
Morning
Rent a bike (around €12 for the day) and ride the towpath north to Damme, a small historic town under an hour away.
Afternoon
Explore Damme’s quiet streets and canal, then ride back at an easy pace.
Evening
A relaxed final dinner in Bruges. One concrete tip: start the Damme ride by mid-morning rather than after lunch, since the towpath has little shade and the afternoon sun makes the return leg noticeably harder.
Read more: our 7-day Bruges itinerary adds one more unstructured day to this same plan, and the full Bruges guide covers everything above in more depth.