The Grown-Up Guide to Bruges

Some hotels are simply where you sleep. Hotel De Orangerie became part of the reason we loved the trip.

The hotel sits beside one of Bruges’ canals in a restored historic building, right in the centre yet tucked away from the feeling of a large city hotel. From the moment we arrived, the team were exceptionally kind and attentive. A welcome drink and a small bite were waiting for us at the bar, and the staff shared the sort of local recommendations that make a short stay immediately feel easier.

Our room was gloriously romantic: an enormous velvet bed, good coffee, a wonderful bath and - most importantly - a real fireplace. Not an electric imitation with optimistic orange lighting. A proper fire. I spent approximately an hour in the bath, emerging only when I had become entirely wrinkled, and then sat beside the fire wondering why more birthday weekends do not involve this level of commitment to comfort. Not every room necessarily has a fireplace, so contact the hotel directly if that detail matters to you - it absolutely mattered to me.

Breakfast deserves its own paragraph. It was served in a dramatic room with floral wallpaper, beautiful crockery and a gleaming red vintage slicing machine - wonderfully extra without losing the warmth of a small hotel. The food was excellent, the coffee was good, and the whole experience encouraged exactly the kind of slow morning we want on holiday. We nearly always book breakfast with a hotel stay - neither of us is interested in beginning a day of sightseeing before coffee has been served and breakfast has been approached at a civilised pace.

Hotel De Orangerie is ideal for a birthday, anniversary or romantic weekend when the hotel should feel like part of the experience, not merely somewhere to store a suitcase. I would return without hesitation and would once again request a room with a fireplace.

Bruges is compact enough to tempt you into planning every hour. Resist. The pleasure of the city is in the space between its official attractions: small streets, crooked façades, courtyards, canals and cafés that look as though you should stop for one drink and then quietly lose the rest of the afternoon.

Most of the historic centre is easily explored on foot. Wear comfortable shoes - the cobbled streets are beautiful but not particularly sympathetic to ambitious footwear.

A canal cruise may sound like the obvious tourist activity, but it is obvious for a reason. Bruges looks entirely different from the water. You pass buildings, gardens and tucked-away corners that are difficult to notice while walking, and the guides bring the city to life with an enthusiasm that is difficult not to enjoy.

Take the cruise near the beginning of your visit - it helps you understand the layout of the city and gives you ideas for where to wander afterwards. Check current seasonal information through Visit Bruges before you go.

De Vlaamsche Pot was our favourite meal of the trip. The interior is hilariously, gloriously extra - checked tablecloths, old-fashioned decoration and the feeling that a particularly theatrical Flemish grandmother has been given complete creative control. Then the food arrives and the joke becomes a genuinely excellent dinner: we ordered Flemish beef stew with fries, brought to the table in a pan and spooned out for us. It was rich, comforting and exactly the kind of food the setting promises. Go hungry, embrace the interior and order the stew.

It would be irresponsible to visit Belgium and approach fries as a side dish. Have them properly, preferably with mayonnaise, and accept that this may become one of the most photographed moments of the weekend.

Belgian beer deserves its own appointment. We enjoyed Straffe Hendrik, which is excellent and sufficiently strong to remind you that Belgian percentages should be treated with respect. Our Google Maps list also contains breweries and hidden bars that caught our attention while planning - those saved pins are ideas for a future visit, not places we personally tested on this trip.

The Chocolate Line is the Bruges shop of chocolatier Dominique Persoone, known for inventive combinations and flavours that move far beyond a standard box of pralines. I intended to buy a sensible amount of chocolate. I left having spent an amount best described as financially irresponsible. I then ate it.

Two nights and three days felt exactly right for us: enough time for the hotel, a canal cruise, long meals and plenty of wandering without turning the weekend into a race.

The historic centre is compact and best explored on foot. If you arrive by train, Hotel De Orangerie states that the station is approximately a thirty-minute walk away; buses and taxis are also available. If you arrive by car, reserve parking in advance - the hotel has limited parking and public car park Pandreitje is nearby. Prices and arrangements can change, so always check with the hotel and Visit Bruges before travelling.

Before leaving home, we would book: your preferred room at Hotel De Orangerie (ask specifically about a fireplace), hotel parking if travelling by car, dinner at De Vlaamsche Pot, hotel breakfast if it isn’t included in your rate, and current seasonal availability of the canal boats.

Bring layers, a compact umbrella and comfortable shoes. Most importantly, leave some empty space in your bag for chocolate - I did not observe that final piece of advice myself and still somehow managed to bring an unreasonable amount home.

This trip is especially lovely for couples, birthdays, anniversaries and anyone who believes the hotel should be part of the experience. Book it if you want a beautiful hotel with character, proper breakfast and good coffee, romantic walks without a rigid schedule, Belgian beer, excellent food and excessive chocolate, and a room you actively look forward to returning to.

Consider another destination if you want major nightlife, a huge shopping city, a weekend packed with famous attractions, or a modern resort with extensive facilities. The pleasure of Bruges lies in its atmosphere.

Bruges did not need a week to win me over. Two nights were enough for canal views, excellent food, dangerously good chocolate and the kind of hotel room that makes going back outside feel entirely optional.

Hotel De Orangerie was the detail that turned an already beautiful birthday trip into something genuinely memorable. The staff were wonderfully attentive, breakfast felt like an occasion, and our room - with its enormous velvet bed, bath and real fireplace - was almost indecently romantic.

Would I return? Absolutely. I would book the same hotel, ask for a room with a fireplace, reserve dinner at De Vlaamsche Pot and once again promise myself that I would show restraint at The Chocolate Line. I would once again fail at that final part.

In short: order the Flemish beef stew, proper Belgian fries and a strong local beer, request a fireplace room and reserve parking in advance if you’re driving. Almost everything is walkable, and the overall feeling is romantic, indulgent and extremely easy to love.