01 January 08

Features

THE LOW DOWN

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On arriving in the historic centre of Bruges, you might be forgiven for thinking you’ve accidentally strayed onto a film set. Stroll along the romantic canals of this Unesco-listed city and you take a step back in time – making it the perfect place to escape. In fact, Colin Farrell, Brendon Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes were here recently for the filming of a new movie, imaginatively entitled In Bruges.

With this in mind, the central Markt is great for a spot of people watching. Duck under the heat lamps in one of the many cafés and watch the world go by while sipping on a local beer. Nearby is the Halve Man brewery – active since 1856, this Bruges institution offers guided tours of its museum and modern-day beer-making process, and has its own pub and restaurant (26 Walplein).

Towering high above the Markt is the Belfry, with 366 steps leading up to some outstanding views of Bruges and its environs. Behind is the Church of our Lady, whose organ is the star of a series of delightful concerts with soprano voices throughout the winter. Next door is the Groeninge Museum, with unmissable works from the Bruges-born Flemish Primitives, and over six centuries of art.

A great-value museum ticket will get you into five sites around town for just €15. It includes St Johns Hospital, where you can learn about the city through original ledgers, artefacts and paintings. The fine-tipped tools used for early cataract operations are particularly eyecatching. And to discover more about Bruges when it was the “cradle” of lace, browse the delicate exhibits at the Kantcentrum, or lace museum (16 Dijver).

With all its snug, doily-clad windows and its famed tearooms and bars, Bruges has cosiness down to a tee. Pop into Le Pain Quotidien (21 Philipstockstraat) for rustic soups and salads, or Cambrinus for over 400 beers and hearty Flemish grub served up amid the stained-glass windows. For something truly indulgent, head to the De Proeverie tearooms (6 Katelijestraat), across the road from their chocolate workshop. Only in Bruges can you can drink melted chocolate in front of a log fire while listening to classical music!

If all this sounds like heaven, head to Choco- Story, and learn about its roots in exotic Aztec rituals. Plus there’s a host of events taking place this winter, where you can discover more about the “brown gold”. Try Choc Around the Clock, a nocturnal journey through the city with tastings, or pay a visit to the huge chocolate market organised by the Bruges Chocolate Guild (9–10 February), and indulge to your heart’s content.

All of this will certainly whet your appetite for the restaurants, which compete to offer the cutest setting. Great atmosphere is on the menu at De Stove (4 Kleine Sint-Amandsstraat), which has hearty homemade recipes of duck breast, steak and North Sea fish, backed up by a good choice of French wines. For three-Michelin-star luxury, De Karmeliet offers extravagant treats like ravioli of glazed pig’s head and pheasant roasted in a wine leaf with black truffle.

Finally, for those who want to soothe away the stresses of winter, you can sit back and relax at Senses (www.senses-wellness.be), offering a range of spa options, from facials to hot-stone massages – their motto is “on earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it”, which sounds more like another of Bruges’ pampering treatments.

NUMBER 11
Tucked down a quiet side street, this gem includes a suite with a real log fire and garden.
Doubles from €125, including breakfast.
www.number11.be

RELAIS OUD HUIS AMSTERDAM
This elegant hotel in the centre of Bruges is the perfect place to watch the moonlight flicker on the water.
Doubles from €155,breakfast €18.www.oha.be