We'd like to explore Brugge on our own (rather than a cruise ship shore excursion). Besides souvenir shops and restaurants, is there anything open on Sunday?

Yes - the major museums and the old hospital (Memling) usually are (though I think the hospital is undergoing some sort of refit at the moment and may not be open in its entirety).

That said, Bruges is great for just strolling and enjoying the views of the old buildings, squares and canals etc - so you don't need much to be open for it to be worth a visit.

Depends on the time of the year. We have done day trips to Brugge three different times, twice on a Sunday. In May there were a lot of things open, in January it was far more limited, very few cafes open, only tourist shops,but the town is beautiful to stroll around in. In Jan. we took a taxi out of the central town and drove past the windmills (modern ones, not like Holland). A good day trip no matter what time of year.

Actually we'll be there in early August. And strolling about is always good, especially if there are cafes open.

We were there on a Sunday in May and everything seemed open (museums, restaurants, cafes, chocolate shops, etc). I highly recommend a 30 minute boat cruise. We really loved our canal cruise. Brugge was the highlight of our 2 weeks in Belgium.

It sounds as if you will be on a cruise with one of the ports being Zeebruges. I am finding that the excursions offered by our cruise in September have LOTS of walking. I notice the excursion that takes people into Bruges is for those who have already been there before. I was wondering if you had done any further research to know if being dropped off from the boat is a good thing to do. Thank you. Jan