Brugges Excursions

[sunndog1]

Has anyone done" Brugges On Your Own" or the "Bruges Sightseeing Tour"?  Traveling with older parents are looking for easiest walking options .  The Bruges on your own drops visitors off about 20 min walk away from town. .   Wanted to know if the Sightseeing Tour does the same?    Also, if on Brugges on your own, is it difficult to get the bus back at the end of the free time ? I appreciate any info you can share.   Thank you :)

[John Bull]

Large buses aren't permitted into the cobbled centre of Bruges (only exception is coaches bringing passengers & their luggage to or taking them away from their city centre hotel).

That is why ships' "Bruges on your own" transfers drop & collect their passengers at  Bargeplein, just off the ring road.

Yes, a pleasant & level 20 minute walk over "the little red bridge" & thro Minnewater Park to the Grote Markt

https://maps.app.goo.gl/poZnTUJ92qcviFMj8

Same applies to the independently-operated Zeebrugge port to Bruges shuttlebuses, though whereas ships' "Bruges on your own" normally require you to return on the same bus at a set time, I believe the independent operator operates a true "shuttle" service. 

 https://www.getyourguide.com/zeebrugge-l95294/return-cruise-shuttle-service-zeebrugge-to-bruges-t75029/?ranking_uuid=b90410f1-5362-4d64-a24b-1cf23b723c7d

.There was a little local bus which provided a service between the bus-stops on Bargeplein & the centre, but I don't know its frequency or even whether it's still running.

 

I can think of nowhere worth seeing on a tour bus which doesn't go into the centre

 

Ships offer a payable (but inexpensive) shuttle to Blankenberge train station for the inexpensive (probably still under €10 hourly direct train, but the walk from Bruges station to the centre is about the same..

 

Probably your best bet is a pre-booked taxi from the port to the Grote Markt / Belfort Tower.

A little expensive for such a short journey (about 6 - 7 miles), but if you book early enough some taxis carry up to 8 passengers, making it excellent value.

Sorry, I'm way out-of-date on likely taxi operators. Unless someone else comes up with suggestions you'll need to ask that nice Mr Google

 

JB 🙂

[sunndog1]

Thank you very much for your reply.  You definitely helped answer the questions I had.  

So , you believe the "Bruges on your Own" tour probably has a set bus attached to the passengers?   I am trying to avoid chaos for the older passengers where we are not in long ques for a shuttle  service back.  

 

Definitely liked the pre-booked taxi idea you had too .. 🙂    Thank you again for the info.   

[ontheweb]

Jealous, we never made it to Bruges. The stop there last summer on our cruise was cancelled due to extremely low tides. We had booked on Bruges on Our Own excursion, and did a lot of research. Since it was supposed to be on Monday, I googled for museum availability as many European museums close on Mondays. I found many open art museums (DW is a retired art teacher) plus was intrigued by a museum dedicated to french fries.

 

It was actually not the first time we had missed this port. Back in I believe in 2004, we had a river cruise that included Bruges chartered out from under us after we had made final payment.

[John Bull]

15 hours ago, sunndog1 said:

Thank you very much for your reply.  You definitely helped answer the questions I had.  

So , you believe the "Bruges on your Own" tour probably has a set bus attached to the passengers?   I am trying to avoid chaos for the older passengers where we are not in long ques for a shuttle  service back.  

 

Definitely liked the pre-booked taxi idea you had too .. 🙂    Thank you again for the info.   

 

 

We've not used bus transfers from Zeebrugge to Bruges, in fact we've only visited once by cruise ship - but I know Bruges quite well because I used to drive tour coaches. (Just before the bus stops is a huge coach park).

The independent shuttle operator has a good reputation for efficiency but a small minority of reviews bemoan overcrowding chaos - luck of the draw I guess.

But if you choose to use a bus, ship's over-priced "Bruges on your Own" would be a safer bet - a guarantee of no long lines or jostling .

The walk to the centre is all flat & initially thro a park, and the historic centre starts about halfway to the Grote Markt / Belfort Tower, ie about 10 mins from the bus stop.

 

JB 🙂