Getting Orientated

Getting Orientated

Brugge (Bruges)

Brugge is compact, like a small island amid the winding waterways, and the twists and turns may lead you to unexpected pleasures. Brugge's historic center is encircled by a ring road that loosely follows the line of the city's medieval ramparts. In fact, the ancient gates—Smedenpoort, Ezelpoort, Kruispoort, and Gentpoort—still stand along this road. Most of Brugge's sights lie inside the ring road. The town center is technically divided up into parishes or kwartiers around the local churches: Sint-Gillis, Sint-Anna, Sint-Magdalena, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, Sint-Salvators, and Sint-Jacobs. In practice, however, the center is so compact that locals rarely use these parish names. Instead, they usually refer to an area by its major landmark. Only the names of the quieter, residential neighborhoods of Sint-Gillis and Sint-Anna are commonly used. Just outside the ring road are the suburban neighborhoods of Sint-Kruis, Sint-Michiels, Sint-Andries, and Sint-Pieters.

North Sea Coast

The cold North Sea wrote the history of Flanders's wealth and politics, linking its ports, protecting its people, and providing crucial natural resources. Today, the North Sea coast is still irresistible to invaders—of a more peaceful kind. Along the northwest coast, simple settlements are strung between summer resorts and seaside business centers with names like Oostende, Koksijde, and Knokke-Heist. Tourists come for the region's fresh air, quiet beaches, and quaint, colorful villages.