Bruges
Travel Advice for Seniors: Bruges
We traveled to Bruges on a river cruise tour that included a ten-day trip through Netherlands during Tulip Time. Some of the stops on a river cruise can be at small towns that don’t have a lot of attractions, but Bruges was not that stop!
Bruges is a UNESCO Heritage Site and its famous Belfry of Bruges with forty-seven bells is included on the World Heritage Site of Belfries of Belgium and France. It is a beautiful medieval city with cobbled streets and romantic canals.
While there is a lot to see here, it is great fun to wander the streets and get lost in their beauty and maybe find a truffle shop or two! Belgium is well-known for their chocolate and also for their beer. There are five different breweries in Bruges and the world’s first beer pipeline, devised by De Halve Maan (Half Moon Brewery), a 500-year-old brewery in the heart of Bruges, is still operational. Brewery tours are an option, but we chose a nice lunch with a beer tasting at a local brewery and then hit the truffle shops!
Our first stop was at the Church of our Lady, a Roman Catholic church dating mainly from the 13th – 15th centuries. Of special importance is Michelangelo’s masterpiece Madonna and Child, which is located here.
We visited the Gruuthuse Museum which recounts 500 years of Bruges history and is located in the former City Palace. It features many artifacts of applied art including stained glass and wooden sculpture.
Beguinage Courtyard and Gardens were next up, another World Heritage Site. The Beguinage was a thirteenth century community for unmarried women to live on their own. It is a pretty courtyard surrounded by white houses.
Also, not to be missed in Bruges is the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The ancient Basilica is the repository of a vial said to contain a cloth with blood of Jesus Christ that was wiped from his face after he died, brought to the city by Thierry of Alsace after the 12th century Second Crusade. Every year on Ascension Day, the Procession of the Holy Blood and the relic itself pass through the historic city center of Bruges.
One day in Bruges seemed to be a fair amount of time to see the main highlights, but one could easily spend two days seeing the second-tier highlights…and more beer and chocolate!
Where we stayed: Onboard a river vessel.
How we got there: Sailed from Antwerp.This was part of a ten-day river cruise at Tulip Season, beginning in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and cruising through Belgium and ending in Amsterdam.
General Accessibility Information: Major tourist sites, newer hotels, transportation and most cities are accessible. Older buildings and some historic sites may be less accessible. Call in advance to verify and make specialty arrangements. See our sections on specialty apps and accessible travel for more on accessibility assistance.
