Bruges, Unfiltered

Drop your bags at your hotel and take a few minutes to get your bearings in the city centre before heading out on foot.

Start where Bruges starts — the great medieval market square that has been the city's beating civic heart for centuries. Take it in from ground level, reading the guild facades and the sheer scale of it before the day's crowds fully arrive.

366 steps up the 13th-century Belfry earns you one of the finest rooftop views in all of Flanders — a patchwork of red tiles, canal ribbons and church spires stretching to the flat horizon. The carillon bells ring on the hour, so time your descent accordingly.

A proper Bruges brasserie lunch — settle in for mussels, waterzooi or a local stew paired with one of the many Belgian beers on the list. The kind of place that takes midday seriously.

The brick tower of the Church of Our Lady is one of the tallest in the world built entirely in that material. Inside, Michelangelo's white marble Madonna and Child sits quietly in a side chapel — a work that left Italy during the artist's own lifetime and never went back.

The Gruuthuse Palace, directly beside the Church of Our Lady, charts 500 years of Bruges's domestic and civic life through furniture, tapestries, weaponry and silverware. A private oratory overlooks the church interior — one of the more quietly remarkable architectural moments in the city.

Tucked down a narrow alley off Breidelstraat, De Garre is one of Belgium's most celebrated beer cafés. Order their own house tripel — strong, smooth and served with a small wedge of cheese — and take your time with it. This is not a place to rush.

A small evening restaurant on Hooistraat where everything is cooked over a wood fire — steak, fish and vegetables grilled to order, with fried camembert to start. The kitchen runs Monday to Friday, so plan accordingly. It's intimate, unhurried and thoroughly satisfying.

Bruges's finest art museum holds one of the greatest collections of Flemish Primitive painting in the world — Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling, Gerard David. Arrive early when the rooms are quiet and the light in the paintings seems to do something extraordinary.

Bruges has been synonymous with handmade lace since the 16th century, and the Kantcentrum keeps that tradition visible and alive. Watch lacemakers at work, trace the history of the craft and browse a collection that ranges from delicate antique pieces to contemporary interpretations.

A reliable and well-regarded address in the city centre for a proper sit-down Belgian lunch. Good for classic preparations done with care — the kind of meal that sets you up well for an afternoon on foot.

One of the oldest surviving hospital buildings in Europe, now a museum centred on Hans Memling's extraordinary altarpieces, which were commissioned for the hospital chapel and have never left it. The medieval wards themselves are part of the experience — vast, vaulted and full of atmosphere.

Follow the Bruges-Ostend Canal at a wandering pace — the towpath offers a different tempo entirely from the cobbled centre. Cyclists drift past, willows trail in the water, and the backs of the old city's buildings reveal themselves from an angle most visitors never see.

On Steenstraat, Oda's rooftop terrace is open Thursday through Monday from noon. Order a cocktail or a glass of sake alongside one of their poke bowls — Big Fish, Tako or Blue Ocean — and watch the light change over the city's skyline. A genuinely good way to mark the end of the trip.

Round off the trip with dinner at Malpertuus — a good choice for a considered final meal in the city, with the kind of menu that rewards taking your time over it. A fitting close to two days well spent in Bruges.