In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Belfry (Belfort) on the Markt is 83 metres tall with 366 steps and no lift. An adult ticket is €15 on weekdays from 3 November to 31 March and €16 at weekends, from 1 April to 2 November and from 26 to 31 December. Buy it from Musea Brugge with a time slot: the ticket expires if you arrive late. Or book a tour: the boat, chocolate and walking tourad (from €39, 4.8 stars from 5,125 reviews) adds a guide, a chocolate tasting and a canal boat in about 2.5 hours, but it does not include the climb, so book the Belfry separately.
⚠️ Gusts and storms close the tower. Musea Brugge closes the Belfry in strong wind and lets you rebook a ticket you have already bought at no extra cost. The last entry is one hour before closing, and no group visits are possible.
Prices
Prices are from Musea Brugge.
| Period | Adult | Under 18 | Under 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekends, all year | €16 | €14 | Free |
| 1 April to 2 November | €16 | €14 | Free |
| 3 November to 31 March, weekdays | €15 | €13 | Free |
| 26 to 31 December | €16 | €14 | Free |
The Musea Brugge Card (€49 for 72 hours) includes the Belfry once, but you still reserve a time slot for it. An online ticket cannot be changed, exchanged or cancelled once you have it, except when Musea Brugge has to close.
Opening hours
| Period | Monday to Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April to 2 November | 09:00 to 20:00 | 09:00 to 20:00 | 09:00 to 20:00 |
| 3 November to 31 March | 10:00 to 18:00 | 09:00 to 20:00 | 09:00 to 18:00 |
| 26 to 30 December | 09:00 to 20:00 | 09:00 to 20:00 | 09:00 to 20:00 |
On 24 and 31 December it is open from 09:00 to 16:00, and on 25 December and 1 January it is closed. On Ascension Day it closes at 12:30.
Tours worth paying for
No tour includes the climb, so the useful tours are the ones that put the Belfry in context and fill the rest of the day. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices.
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 led by a local certified guide on foot and by boat, with a chocolate tasting. Its highlights list the Basilica of the Holy Blood and the Gruuthusemuseum. The canal boat alone costs €15 on the quay, so the tour’s price is mostly for the guide and the chocolate.
Guided tour with a chocolate stop
From €25 · 4.4 stars from 4,941 reviews · 1.5 to 3 hours
Bruges: Guided Tour, Chocolate Stop, Boat & Beer Optionsad is a guided walk of the historic centre. The boat ride and a beer tasting of four Belgian beers are options, so the €25 “from” price is for the walk alone.
Musea Brugge Card
From €49 · 4.6 stars from 381 reviews · 3 days
Bruges: Musea Brugge Cardad is the same 72-hour card Musea Brugge sells at €49, and it covers the Belfry. Buying direct costs the same; use GetYourGuide only if you want it in the same booking as a tour.
Carillon bells in the upper levels of the Belfry. Photo: Falk2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The climb
You go up and down the same spiral staircase, and the steps get narrower and steeper towards the top. Musea Brugge warns that climbing all 366 is quite an effort and recommends it only when you are in good condition. On the way up you pass the treasury, where the city kept its stamps, seals and funds in the Middle Ages, and one floor above it the carillon. The tower is open only by stairs, so it is not accessible to wheelchair users, and the steep stairs suit visitors with a visual impairment or an assistance dog less well.
The pegged drum of the carillon, behind glass in the Belfry. Photo: Falk2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
At the top, the observation deck looks over the roofs of the old town. Musea Brugge says that on a clear day you can see all the way to the sea.
St Saviour’s Cathedral and the old-town roofs from the top of the Belfry. Photo: William Warby, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Why the tower is there
The Belfry stands on top of one wing of the Halls on the Markt. Visit Bruges says a wooden city hall and tower probably stood here by the early 13th century, that a stone version is thought to date from 1240, and that a fire in 1280 partly destroyed it. The tower kept growing through the 14th and 15th centuries. It held the city charters, the seal and the coffers in its treasury, and guards in the tower watched the city and its surroundings. Bruges’ most important clock, the triumphal clock, sounds only a few times a year, on special occasions (Visit Bruges). Since 1999 the Belfry, with 55 other surviving belfries in Belgium and France, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Burg and the town hall from the Belfry. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Carillon concerts
The city carillonneur plays the 47 bells on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 to 12:00, and Musea Brugge also streams it live on Facebook. In summer there are special concerts. If the carillon is too loud at the top, Musea Brugge gives out free hearing protection in adult and child sizes; return it afterwards.
Getting there
The entrance is at Markt 7. The nearest car park is Centrum-‘t Zand, and Brugge station is a 20-minute walk. There is bike parking and a museum shop at the tower. Combine the climb with the canal cruise, the Basilica of the Holy Blood on the Burg and the Church of Our Lady. The free things to do in Bruges page lists what else sits within five minutes of the Markt, and the museums guide shows whether the card pays off.
Common questions
How much are Belfry of Bruges tickets?
An adult ticket is €15 from 3 November to 31 March on weekdays, and €16 at weekends, from 1 April to 2 November and from 26 to 31 December. Under-18s pay €13 or €14, and children under 7 are free.
Do I need to book Belfry tickets in advance?
Musea Brugge calls the Belfry a busy location and recommends booking online. Each ticket has a time slot, and the ticket expires if you arrive late.
Is there a lift in the Belfry?
No. A single spiral staircase of 366 steps serves both directions, and the steps get narrower and steeper towards the top. Wheelchair users cannot visit.
When does the Belfry carillon play?
The city carillonneur plays on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 to 12:00. The carillon has 47 bells.
Does the Belfry close in bad weather?
It can close in gusts or storms. If you hold a ticket, Musea Brugge lets you reschedule at no extra cost.
Is the Belfry included in the Musea Brugge Card?
Yes, once, within the card's 72 hours. The Belfry is one of 12 sites on the €49 card, and Musea Brugge recommends reserving a time slot for it anyway.
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