Romantic canals, medieval buildings and opulent squares: this is the social media image of Bruges. But does the city live up to the photos?
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00:00The city of Bruges dates back to the 9th century, but it experienced its heyday in the late
00:05Middle Ages.
00:07This was due to the Flemish nobility and the city's access to the sea.
00:11As a result, Bruges became one of the largest and most important trading centres in Europe,
00:15especially for textiles, but eventually nobles and merchants left and sea access dried up.
00:22The city became impoverished and the Industrial Revolution largely bypassed it.
00:26What remained, however, were the medieval structures and the canals.
00:30Because of these, Bruges is known as the Venice of the North.
00:34It attracts millions of tourists every year, who put the city of around 120,000 inhabitants
00:40in the spotlight on social media.
00:41We'll show you the best places and see if they live up to the hype.
00:47Reality check number one, Rosenhut Kai, the Rosary Quay, perhaps the most famous photo
00:52spot.
00:54Our tip?
00:55Explore it by boat.
00:56A boat trip through the canals of Bruges is a great way to start the day.
01:04The trip costs around 15 euros for adults and starts at 10am and takes place throughout
01:10the day.
01:11However, check the schedule in winter, as times may change.
01:15The boat makes several stops during the route.
01:18The most important sights are explained on the approximately 30-minute trip.
01:22Brilliant.
01:23Absolutely brilliant.
01:24Yeah.
01:25Well worth the money.
01:26Very informative, because a lot of these buildings here we wouldn't have known about, so it was
01:29really good.
01:30But for the typical online photo, you'll have to go ashore.
01:34It's not quite as empty and exclusive as it looks on social media.
01:39There's a lot of hustle and bustle on the quay, and everyone wants to get the best photo.
01:47Our conclusion?
01:48The view is still worth it, and the boat tour is really fun.
01:54Especially when the weather is nice.
02:01Reality check number two.
02:02The market square in Bruges.
02:05The colourful houses on the square are real eye-catchers.
02:12And they once had an important function.
02:16These are 18th century guild houses.
02:21And the one right behind the statue, Le Pannier d'Or, the golden basket, that was the guild
02:28house of the roofers.
02:31So they took tiles and baskets on top of the houses to cover the roofs.
02:35And the two reddish-brown ones to the right, these were the guild houses of the fishmongers.
02:44Today these houses, in the middle of the lively market square, hold restaurants.
02:49And the square is very popular with tourists.
02:55The architecture, I mean, this is just gorgeous.
02:57Coming from the States, you don't see architecture like this at all.
03:00In terms of popularity, it passed our reality check.
03:03But to get photos like the ones you see posted online, you'll need to be a bit lucky with
03:07the light and manage to block out the other visitors.
03:11What would a trip to Bruges be without waffles?
03:14Do the typical Belgian waffles taste as good as they look on social media platforms?
03:19Here in Otto's Waffle Atelier, they bake very special ones.
03:24Our waffles are made in the form of lace, which is very known in Bruges.
03:29We have the waffle rind that's custom-made, especially for that.
03:32It's also made with gluten-free oat flour, so all our waffles here are gluten-free.
03:37And they're also dairy-free.
03:39They also try to work with lots of organic and local products.
03:43So how does it taste?
03:45Delicious.
03:47And a perfect spot for pictures.
03:49The waffle store is right next to a beautiful canal.
03:53Our conclusion?
03:54Even though Bruges has much more to offer than just waffles, we think they are simply
03:58part of a trip to the city, and they taste great too.
04:08Bruges impresses visitors from all over the world.
04:11It delivers what it promises on social networks, even if you need a bit of luck with the weather.
04:16And if it gets too busy for you, there are also quieter areas of the city.