One of the most medieval, charming and touristic European cities is Witches. It literally enchants because you can't believe it's that beautiful and that magical. Any tourist who steps on the Old Continent for the first time, if he does not live in it, takes a tour of Bruges. A day or two are enough to get to know the best of this Belgian city, but it is always advisable to go with information to take advantage of the time there.
After all it is a site that UNESCO has declared World Heritagel, so if you are thinking of getting to know Bruges, I recommend that you read this article first. It will interest you and it will be very useful. Behold the magical Witches.
Witches
Like many other cities with canals to Bruges she is called from time to time Venice of the North. It is a city that was for a long time the gateway to the Amber Road, an ancient trade route to the east, and which begins, so to speak, with the Roman occupation, continues with the Franks, and continues with the Vikings. It had a really good time between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, when many canals were built, the market for wool and fabrics grew and the wealth of many of its citizens and nobles.
After the XNUMXth century Bruges began to decline, the world changed, and past glory could never fully recover. Instead, in the mid-nineteenth century, it was reborn by the hand of tourism. First came the English and French, then the rest of Europe and the world, as each visitor rediscovered the charms of this medieval city and the city itself was concerned with restoring buildings, monuments and squares. Today it attracts an average of two million tourists a year.
Witches and their medieval charms
The city has managed to keep many of its original medieval structures, otherwise it would not be a World Heritage Site. The medieval heart is the square dominated by the XNUMXth century bell tower, with its 48-bell carillon that is the treasure of Bruges and offers free concerts at certain times. The building of the Town hall it's another medieval glory. In the center of the square we see the statue of Jan Breydel and Pieter De Coninck, popular heroes of the XNUMXth century, leaders of the resistance against the French, on one side the city Hall neo-gothic style, beyond that of the Provincial Court and here and there the four gates of the medieval wall that are still standing.
In terms of churches, the Church of Our Lady with its spire of more than 120 meters high, all made of bricks, and with a beautiful sculpture of the Virgin and Child, a work believed to belong to Michelangelo. It is followed by Basilica of the Sacred Blood with the relic of blood that is believed to have been brought during the Second Crusade by Thierry of Alsace and that today mobilizes hundreds of pilgrims in a marvelous medieval court procession.
There is also the San Salvador Cathedral, Old Hospital of San Juan, headquarters of the Hanseatic League, Rozenhoedkaai (the Muelle del Rosario), and of course, the Beguinage. It is the Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde, a site that is the only beguinage in Bruges, old and well preserved, still in religious hands (today in those of the Order of Saint Benedictine). It works like a museum and has a beautiful garden.
The Flemish masters of painting, Hans Memling, Jan Van Eyck and other artists can be admired in several of the tourist places that we have just named, but they are also in their museums, in their permanent collections and also in the temporary exhibitions that are usually organized in them. For example, until June of this year is the sample "The Witches of Brueghel": more than 40 images of witches and sorceresses made by the Dutch and Flemish masters.
Activities in Bruges
Beyond what we can see in the streets and museums, there are many things we can do in Bruges. Obvious, the first thing is stroll through the canals: there are boat trips that depart from five piers. Each tour lasts half an hour and takes you through the most special places in the city. These tours operate between March and November, every day, between 10 in the morning and 6 in the afternoon, although keep in mind that the last boat leaves at 5:30 pm.
How much do these boat rides cost? They cost 8 euros per adult but if you have the Brugge City Card it is free. To take advantage of! Another thing we can do is get closer to get to know the Minnewater, a jetty that was the main one in the connection between Bruges and Ghent. Minnewater means aundine guide and it is a popular and romantic destination, ideal for visiting as a couple. It is always open. Another site that is always open is the rozenhoedkaai which I named above, the Muelle del Rosario, magical and super photographed for its incredible beauty.
In fact, if you go for a walk, you will come across beautiful streets, bridges, banks and corners, one more beautiful than the other. My advice is to go with the camera always ready, the memory card with space and a spare battery. You may explore Bruges on foot, by bicycle, by horse carriage, by tourist bus or by flying in a hot air balloon. Which one do you like the most? The local tourist office offers several alternatives for each one: visits with a tour guide, photography tours, a tour focused on its World Heritage status, another through its streets and other options.
There are Segway rides, four tours per day at different times, every day except Wednesdays, at 35 euros per hour or 50 for two hours. You can also rent a bike, alone or by joining a group with a guide, a cheaper option. The bike - carriages They are another option: half an hour for 24 euros per car for two people. The minibuses leave the square every half hour, they go around 50 minutes and have an audio guide. They cost 20 euros and are free with the Brugge City Card. Horse-drawn carriage rides leave from the same point, half an hour through the streets of the city with a coachman giving explanations. They are every day from 9 am to 6 pm. Finally, do you like the idea of ballooning over Bruges?
The excursions of Bruges Ballooning They are in the morning and include breakfast and a glass of champagne, and if they are in the afternoon an aperitif. The rides are three hours, a whole hour in the air. They are expensive, 180 euros per adult and if you have the Bruges City Card you enjoy a discount and pay 135 euros. And finally, I have been left in the inkwell of an experience in witches that is not medieval but from the XNUMXth century: Flanders Fields Battlefield.
It is a full day tour that takes you to get to know the battlefields of the First World War in Ypers, the German cemetery in Langemark, the Commonwealth soldiers' cemetery, the town of Ypers, the crater hills of Flanders from 1916 and 1917, trenches, remains of the Great War, memorials and other interests of the First War . It is an all-inclusive tour with lunch with beer, entrance to the museum, travel insurance and more. The trip begins at 8:45 am and ends at 5:30 pm. Every day except Monday.