The many maps of Bruges
Added 23/01/2023 in What's New?
To help you make the most of your time, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite maps of Bruges. A great place to plan your site-seeing is the VisitBruges’ website.
If you’re looking for a theme, we have the following suggestions:
Movie and TV Maps
Bruges has hosted Hollywood stars including Audrey Hepburn (in The Nun’s Story (1959) and George Clooney ( in The Monument’s Men (2014)).
The cult gangster movie, “In Bruges” has the strapline, “Shoot First, Sightsee Later” with the fairytale medieval city playing a starring role. You can find a comprehensive “In Bruges” location map here.
“PK” is a Bollywood fantasy comedy by Rajkumar Hirani and you can find the location map here.
You can see a full list of TV shows and films here.
Historic Bruges: the egg, its windmills and the sea
Our President, Ian Sugarman is standing beside a historic map of Bruges displayed in the Stadhuis. This wonderful map demonstrates why Bruges is known as The Egg, as it is ringed by a canal. The map shows the windmills that also edged the perimeter and some of these are still in existence if you walk between Kruispoort, at the end of Langestraat, along the Canal Ghent -Bruges towards Dampoort, a walk we highly recommend.
At the Stadhuis, there is another map showing Zeebrugge, and it was the loss of access to the sea which was pivotal to the history of Bruges leading to a decline of political and commercial influence.
Walk off the Chocolate
We’ve found this blog whose stated ambition is to find the best chocolate shops in Bruges. We can vouch for Dumon but would also add Depla which is a little hidden but well worth seeking out.
Seek out the perfect beer
You may have seen the poster on the London underground comparing Bruges’ tube with London’s. Bruges boasts a pipe where beer brewed within the city is piped out to the bottling plant outside the city, an ingenious way of keeping lorries out. See the brewing in action or experience paired dining menus with a huge array of local beers. Here’s a map to inspire you. Check out the Bourgogne des Flanders with it’s canal-side terrace and beer mixology sessions.