Many years ago I visited the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop in Rothenburg Germany. I was pleased to see on the shop's website that there is now a shop or two shops in Bruges Belgium. The photo of the shop makes it appear to be in town however the map shows the locations as both being quite far south of town along a major road. We will be without a car when we travel to Bruges this fall and I wonder if the best way to reach the shop from the center of Bruges is by taxi. Thank you for any information you can provide.

Scootoir, we took a train from Amsterdam to Brugge, and then a local bus into the market square area, and distinctly remember walking past a Kathe Wolfhart store (we, too, have been to the one in Rothenburg, and I joked about how the store was becoming a "chain.") The ride on the bus from the train station is just a few minutes; we actually contemplated walking back to the train station, but I was carrying a large bag of chocolate items and didn't want them to melt (or be eaten!).

Hi Scootoir,

I'm sorry, but I don't have the specific information you need --

But I will just suggest that you email the stores and ask them which tram/bus stop is nearest to them. The email address for each store is on the website.

Alternately, just ask your hotel staff how to get there by tram/bus! I'm sure they can have the answer for you very quickly.

s

>and I joked about how the store was becoming a "chain.")

No joke, the store already is a chain:

http://www.wohlfahrt.com/5-0-fachgeschaefte

Lavandula

That is encouraging fourfortravel. Here's hoping it's nearby and the hotel can direct us or email will help.

The chain appears to have crossed the pond to Minnesota http://www.christmasfromgermany.com/articles.asp?id=136

Fourfortravel--how long ago were you in Bruges?

We were in Bruges in April 2011.

Oh, no! A Kathe Wolfahrt in Minnesota is getting a little close to my mother's beloved Bronner's, "The largest Christmas store in the world" in Frankenmuth, Michigan!

After checking the addresses of the two stores on google maps I found that one location is in the old town of Bruges near Minnewater. The route planners on the Kathe Wohlfahrt website maybe wrong. I'll be looking for a nearby pub to park DH with a fine Belgian beer while I shop.

Several Christmas markets in North America will include Kathe Wohlfahrt shops this season--Philadelphia, Chicago, Vancouver, Bethlehem PA, and Arlington TX.

http://www.christmasfromgermany.com/articles.asp?id=135

To me, the shop was the highlight of Philadelphia's Christmas Village last year.

http://www.philachristmas.com/25-0-History.html

Walplein (where one of the stores is) is in the very centre. It's on the same street of De Halve Maan brewery. And The Chocolate Corner is very near, too ...
Check google maps streetview for Walplein 12 Brugge (Käthe Wohlfahrt store) and Walplein 26 (Halve Maan).

I see that their other store in Brugge is on Breidelstraat. This is in one of the side-streets from the market square in the direction of Burg. There's a Delvaux store on the corner, you can't miss. Plenty of cafés around to park DH.

Google streetview is excellent, this is getting better and better--saw The Chocolate Corner. My last trip to Bruges was in 1983 and I am really looking forward to the return.