In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Day one is the centre: the Belfry, a canal boat, the Basilica of the Holy Blood and the Begijnhof (one-day route). Day two is museums: the Groeningemuseum and Sint-Janshospitaal on a €49 Musea Brugge Card (72 hours), plus the Gruuthusemuseum or BRUSK, then a brewery tour. Day three is a day trip: Ghent (22 to 27 minutes by train), Damme (5 km by canal) or Ypres (about 1 hour 30 minutes). The card starts at your first visit, so keep the museum days together. Or book a tour: the boat, chocolate and walking tourad (from €39, 4.8 stars from 5,125 reviews) takes day one’s walk off your hands, and the Flanders Fields minibus tourad (from €111, 4.9 stars from 1,446 reviews) covers day three with lunch.
⚠️ Closing days. Monday: Groeningemuseum, Sint-Janshospitaal and BRUSK closed. Wednesday: Gruuthusemuseum closed. The Groeningemuseum closes for four years on 11 January 2027.
Which sites are open on which day
| Day | Closed |
|---|---|
| Monday | Groeningemuseum, Sint-Janshospitaal, BRUSK, Volkskundemuseum, windmill |
| Tuesday | Volkskundemuseum in winter |
| Wednesday | Gruuthusemuseum |
| Sunday | Church of Our Lady museum opens at 13:30 |
The Belfry, Stadhuis and Basilica open every day. The Volkskundemuseum is shut on Tuesdays from 3 November to 31 March, and the Sint-Janshuismolen windmill opens to visitors only on the second Sunday of each month in winter.
What three days cost
| Entry | Adult price | On the €49 card? |
|---|---|---|
| Belfry | €15 on winter weekdays, €16 at weekends and in summer | Yes |
| Groeningemuseum | €15 | Yes, until it closes on 11 January 2027 |
| Gruuthusemuseum | €15 (€19 with the Church of Our Lady museum) | Yes |
| Sint-Janshospitaal | €15 | Yes |
| Church of Our Lady museum | €10 | Yes |
| BRUSK | €20 | Yes |
| Canal boat | €15 | No |
| De Halve Maan tour | €16 | No |
Four of the €15 sites together cost €60 or €61 against €49 for the card, and with BRUSK in the mix it pays off sooner; see Bruges museums. The card gives one entry to each open site, so it will not cover a second visit to the Belfry.
Tours that fit this itinerary
A guide joins the sights together and removes the closed-day planning. These cover the first and third days.
Boat, chocolate and walking tour
From €39 · 4.8 stars from 5,125 reviews · 2.5 hours · small group
Bruges: Boat, Chocolate and Guided Walking Tourad is a small-group walk and boat ride with a local certified guide and a chocolate tasting. It suits the first morning, before the museums.
Flanders Fields minibus tour with lunch
From €111 · 4.9 stars from 1,446 reviews · 9 hours
From Bruges: Great War Flanders Fields Minibus Tour with Lunchad is a full-day tour of the Ypres Salient that visits First World War sites, including the Menin Gate, and, according to its listing, no museums.
Flanders Fields full-day trip with the museum
From €78 · 4.8 stars from 115 reviews · 10 hours
From Bruges: Flanders Fields Remembrance Full-Day Tripad is a guided day trip to Ypres that visits the In Flanders Fields Museum.
Ghent walking tour with an optional boat trip
From €19 · 3.9 stars from 159 reviews · 2 to 2.5 hours
Ghent Walking Tour with Optional Boat Tripad covers the historic centre by land and by water. You travel to Ghent yourself by the 22-to-28-minute train.
Day one: the centre
Follow the one-day route: the Belfry, a canal boat, lunch, the relic at the Basilica from 14:00, then the Begijnhof. Book the Belfry time slot online.
The statue of Jan van Eyck on Jan van Eyckplein, where the canal boat route starts. Photo: Marc Ryckaert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
The Koningsbrug over the Spiegelrei canal. Photo: Marc Ryckaert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Day two: museums and beer
- Morning: the Groeningemuseum (Flemish primitives to Magritte; closes 11 January 2027) and the Gruuthusemuseum (not Wednesday).
- Afternoon: Sint-Janshospitaal (Memling) and the Church of Our Lady museum (Michelangelo), both on Mariastraat.
- Late afternoon: the De Halve Maan tour or chocolate shops.
- Evening: dinner at a restaurant that takes bookings or a beer bar.
Most Musea Brugge sites open 09:30 to 17:00 from 3 November to 31 March, so the museums fill the day and the brewery tour comes after. BRUSK is closed on Mondays like the Groeningemuseum, so a Monday is the day to walk the free sights instead (free things to do).
The Gentpoort, one of four medieval city gates left in Bruges. Photo: Marc Ryckaert, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Day three: a day trip
| Trip | Time from Bruges | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ghent | 22 to 27 minutes by train, about four an hour | Gravensteen castle (€15) and the Ghent Altarpiece |
| Ostend | 13 to 14 minutes by train | The North Sea beach and the coast tram |
| Damme | 5 km by bike | A canal-side village and a book market |
| Ypres | About 1 hour 30 minutes, with a change at Kortrijk | The In Flanders Fields Museum (€12) and the Last Post at 20:00 |
Damme’s Lamme Goedzak boat does not sail in winter, so the way there is by bike; the Damme guide has the sailing season. Ypres is the longest trip: the museum is open 10:00 to 17:30 and closed on Mondays from 16 November to 31 March, and the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate is every evening at 20:00, which makes it a long day. All four are on the day trips from Bruges page.
Two days instead of three
Keep day one and day two and drop the day trip. If the Groeningemuseum is on your list, do it before it closes on 11 January 2027; afterwards the collection moves to BRUSK, where Musea Brugge’s exhibition ‘The Groeninge Collection: The Art of Looking’ opens on 12 March 2027. On a Monday, when the Groeningemuseum, Sint-Janshospitaal and BRUSK are shut, swap day two for the free sights on the ramparts and the Gruuthusemuseum.
Evenings
- Beer. De Garre is open Monday and Tuesday 12:00 to 19:00 and Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 to 23:00, and takes no reservations; it is closed on 8, 25 and 31 December 2026 and from 4 to 26 January 2027 (De Garre). ‘t Brugs Beertje is open from 16:00 to midnight on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and to 01:00 on Friday and Saturday, and is closed on Wednesdays (‘t Brugs Beertje). See the beer bars guide.
- Winter Glow. The Christmas markets on the Markt and Simon Stevinplein run from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, and the ice rink at Koning Albert I-park costs €9; see the Christmas market guide.
- January. Visit Bruges says some operators and museums close for a few weeks after the Christmas holidays, and Choco-Story shuts from 4 to 8 January 2027, so check each opening day before you build a January weekend.
Where to stay
An extra night costs the accommodation tax of €4.20 per person per night. See where to stay in Bruges. January to March is the cheapest season, according to Visit Bruges. For a place to eat each evening, see where to eat in Bruges, and for how to move between the sights, getting around Bruges.
Common questions
How many days do you need in Bruges?
Two days cover the centre and the main museums. A third day adds a trip to Ghent, Damme or Ypres.
Is the Musea Brugge Card worth it for a weekend?
It costs €49 for 72 hours and pays off from four of the €15 sites. It starts at your first visit, so keep the museum days together, and plan around the Monday and Wednesday closures.
Which day trip is best from Bruges?
Ghent is 22 to 27 minutes by train and Ostend about 14. Damme is a 5 km canal ride, and Ypres takes about an hour and a half with a change at Kortrijk.
Which weekdays are best for museums?
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and the weekend, when every main Musea Brugge site is open. Monday closes the Groeningemuseum, Sint-Janshospitaal and BRUSK; Wednesday closes the Gruuthusemuseum.
What should I book?
The Belfry time slot and the De Halve Maan tour, online. Canal boats are bought on the quay, and small restaurants such as Den Amand take bookings by phone only.
What happens to the Groeninge collection when the museum closes?
The Groeningemuseum closes on 11 January 2027 for four years. From 12 March 2027 BRUSK, the Musea Brugge gallery at the same address, shows 'The Groeninge Collection: The Art of Looking', and Musea Brugge gives the end date of 30 June 2031 as subject to change.
