hi <BR>can anybody fill me in on what to do in Brugge for a day. are there any shops there? i hear that it is famous for lace, is this true?

There is a canal there. You can take boat rides like in Venice. It's nice to walk around. They have excellent chocolate, great beers(the are red in color). Good restaurants. Good food in general. Make sure you eat the potato fritters, they were good. I didn't recall shopping as being great.

<BR>Alia, <BR> <BR>I’ll be going to Brugge for the second time in June. It’s a delightful and small city. There are several things I didn’t get to do the first time. By all means take the short (about 30 min.) canal boat ride. Two of my most memorable things I did in Brugge were: 1: a Modigliani exhibit of his sketches that I accidently ran into. I’m a Modigliani fan and have framed post cards and prints all over my home. 2. the Beguinage, a former convent originally established for women in the 13th century. It’s a beautiful and spiritual place; wonderful grounds to walk around with a view of life as it was 7 centuries ago (although many of the houses are restorals). There are chocolate and lace shops galore, a lace school and museum, a 12th century hospital, museums and lovely walks along the canals. Not all the lace is hand made there but you can find shops where the craft is still practiced. On the last trip my mother bought a First Communion dress for my niece that the sister of a shop owner made for her while we were there. <BR> <BR>I’ve put together some notes for my upcoming trip and will be happy to share with you if you email me. <BR> <BR>Adrienne <BR> <BR>

I was in Brugges the end of May last year, when I arrived it was difficult to get to hotel because of "Procession of the Holy Blood". I did find taxi to get me to hotel, procession was a find as was Brugges. Shopping was not a highlight. Lace and chocolates.There is lace museum. Brugges was highlight and not to be missed!

What are your tastes? If you love very beautfiul, very old little towns that offer great walking and the feeling of stepping back in time - then you will like Brugges. If you like shopping in lots of goofy little souvenier shoppes - then you will like Brugge, too. We were there for three nites and did not find it to be too long. The Groeninge Museum (less than $6 a person) offers incredible, 14th century paintings by Flemish masters -- even if you do not think you're 'a museum person,' you should go here....Seeing these canvases, close-up, is just a revelation. Walk, or cab to the edge of the old town for a look at one of the entrance gates. Look up, all around you, to see the dates on the buildings...many 1600s and some earlier.

hi <BR>thanx a lot for those of you who responded. this is very useful information. adrienne, thanx for the invitation and i will take you up on that.

Actually, there is quite a bit of high end shopping in Brugge now, beyond the lace-chocolate-beer shops. You have to know which streets to go down. What kind of shopping are you interested in? <BR>Belgians like to denigrate Brugge as nothing more than a tourist trap, but in the last 9 months or so, I've noted a considerable upswing in non-tourist oriented stores and services. It's still a quite vibrant place to live as well as visit. <BR>Btilke (Brussels)

I just returned from Belgium and Paris two nights ago. I went to Brussels, Brugge, and Ghent. I would have spent another week in Brugge I liked it that much! Wonderful warm city. I agree with the others - take the canal trip -it's about 30 minutes, costs $4 and was well worth it. I also bought one of the museum passes and went to all four museums (one includes the Belfrey tower). I thought there was great art in this small city. Also - the MOST wonderful hot chocolate of my life (no joke here folks - I actually took pictures that's how amazed I was and no, this wasn't my first trip abroad or anything). The shop is called "La Merenda" and is run by a husband and wife team who are absolutely delightful. I would strongly recommend it. Also, the pastries were excellent as well. <BR>I bought a couple of lace things there but nothing that big. Also, one of the very cool things that I ran into (only because I was lost) was this glassblower in Brugge. He is the only glassblower there and he let me watch him blow glass, make this oil lamp and explained a lot. It really was very cool - he was wonderful and his prices were rather reasonable (I bought some "Christmas balls" with feathers in the glass ornament). Enjoy yourself. If you need/want more information, please feel free to email me. I really enjoyed this place quite a bit.

We have spent several weeks over the past years in Brugge and enjoyed it very much. Yes there are "goofy sovenir" shops but they are everywhere in Europe. Brugge has so much more to offer than that. The canal trips are great. We normally rent an apartment for a week while there at a reasonable price. It is just a magical place to visit - it is what you make it. We have some special out of the way places we return to each time. Any specifics, please email directly.

A tip on Bruges for French speakers. In this part of Belgium, the locals will actually prefer speaking English with you than French. This is not the place to practice your French - the Flamands can be fairly sensitive on this issue. <BR>As for lace, it's full of lovely lace shops. Also good shopping and a charming bell tower on the central square. A boat ride on the canal is a must, as is trying waterzooi, a Belgian chicken/cream stew, if you've never had it. Or even if you have. <BR> <BR>

A couple of caveats on buying lace--if it's cheap, it's probably made in China. Make sure to check that a piece you're buying is really Belgian lace. There are so many lace stores that you could do nothing but comparison shop, but of course, there's much more to Brugge than lace and chocolate, wonderful as they are. <BR>If possible, avoid visiting Brugge on week-ends. The tourist season is gearing up and Brugge can be unbelievably crowded Fridays through Sundays. However, better to see it with the crowds than not at all. <BR>Btilke <BR>

Brugge is truly a gem. Another vote for the canal ride. Only things I bought in Brugge was a piece of lace from the shop at the lace museum and a small piece of blown glass. The lace came with a document of authenticity. This is a wonderful place to absorb a sense of history and unwind at the same time.