Kempinski Hotel Dukes Palace Bruges

The Kempinski Hotel Dukes Palace Bruges in the most luxurious of all the hotels in Bruges and is found in the middle of town amongst the historic cobblestone alleys and close to main points of interest and conveniences. The renowned marketplace is only 500 meters away. Also close by are historic chapels and churches as well as the historic belfry tower originally built in the 14th century.  Real adventurers can appreciate hunting and horseback riding in the surrounding countryside, and there is even a golf course about twelve km away. The airport is about 40 minutes from the Kempinski Hotel Dukes Palace Bruges. Each of the 93 guestrooms at the Kempinski Hotel Dukes Palace Bruges is elegantly appointed with period furnishings and artwork. Amenities consist of satellite plasma Television, Internet, air conditioning, videos, desk, bathrobes and spacious marble tiled baths. The building itself is a 15th century palace originally lived in by the numerous Dukes of Burgundy.

Jazz Brugge

Jazz Brugge attracts jazz performers from all over Europe to perform at Bruges’ own jazz festival held at the city’s Concertgebouw and Groeningemuseum.  The festival runs from Thursday 30 September to Sunday 3 October.

There is nothing like relaxing on a sunny summer afternoon listening to music – concerts take place outside in the daytime as well as in the evenings. Highlights of this year’s programme include the Rita Marcotulli Trio, the Barry Guy New Orchestra and the Anders Bergcrantz Quintet.

Tickets cost between €25 and €30 or you can buy a four day pass covering the whole festival for €75.  You can find more information be visiting the festival website here.

Click on the link to find plenty of great deals on Hotels in Bruges and to find out more about this great festival.

The Cactus Festival

Every year Bruges hosts a music festival in it’s beautiful Minnewater Park.  The festival attracts a wide range of internationally renowned talent and is famous for it’s relaxed, intimate atmosphere.  The festival runs fro three days on the 9,10 and 11 July this year and artists such as Elvis Costello, Tori Amos, David Gray and I am Kloot will be playing this year.

Click on the link to find plenty of great deals on Hotels in Bruges and to find out more about this great festival.

Hotels in Bruges: Your guide to finding the best deals

There are plenty of Hotels in Bruges and finding the right room at a price to suit your budget has never been easier. Bruges Hotels Guide is a comprehensive guide to the city of Bruges and offers a price comparison service powered by Hotels Combined.Com.  Simply click on the reservation window on the home page or browse the list of hotels conveniently sorted by stars.  Once you’ve selected the hotel you like the look of click on the links and you will be taken to the reservation page.

Type in the dates you are visiting Bruges and click “get rates” and our powerful search engine will do the rest, providing you with a list of prices from the major travel websites in a matter of seconds. Then it’s down to you to click on the price you like the best and you will be taken to the reservation page of the website offering that deal.  Finding great prices on hotels in bruges could not be simpler!

The Procession of the Holy Blood

Bruge’s main festival is the spectacular Procession of the Holy Blood. This procession dates from 1150, when the Count of Flanders appeared with a stained cloth, allegedly used to wipe Christ’s wounds. This is now one of the city’s holiest relics and is normally kept in the cathedral.

The procession takes place on Ascension day which is 40 days after Easter Sunday. The Holy Blood is paraded around the city and the day also includes a number of short tableaux which are performed in the Markt. These plays are usually of biblical scenes and were traditionally put on by the city’s craft guilds.

You can buy tickets for the procession from the tourist office and these are on sale from 1st March.  A link to the procession’s website is here.

We can also help you find the best prices on hotels in Bruges as well as having a comprehensive guide to what’s going on in the city.

The History of Bruges

Bruges has a long and fascinating history and this is largely reflected in it’s architecture.

The city first grew to prominence during the middle ages as an important trading centre for wool. Later, trade with Genoa bought spices and banking and Bruges became the financial centre of the Low Countries.

However, there were turbulent times as well with the Flemish revolting against their French overlords culminating in victory at the Battle of the Golden Spurs.

Bruges became an important cultural and artistic centre as well and William Caxton printed the first book in English in the city.

However, in the 1500s the cities access to the sea silted up and Antwerp overtook Bruges as the financial centre of the region. The city slowly declined and sank into obscurity before being rediscovered in the nineteenth century as a tourist destination.

Since then the city has become a popular tourist destination with it’s fairy tale architecture, rich cultural heritage and relaxed, pleasant atmosphere.

The are many hotels in Bruges that cater for all tastes and budgets and the city makes a great destination for a week end break.

Eating and Drinking in Bruges

Belgium is famous for it’s cuisine, in fact it has more Michelin rated restaurants per capita than France. Bruges is a great place to find good typical Belgian food at prices to suit every pocket.

Karbonaden is a typical dish made from cubes of beef marinated in beer and cooked with herbs and onions or you can try waterzooi, a traditional fish (or chicken) soup like stew cooked with cream and vegetables.

You can’t visit Bruges not not try mussels served in a big pot with a side order of chips (freitjes) and mayonnaise. Belgian chips are like no other and if you don’t want a full meal but just want some chips to keep you going there are plenty of frituur vans on where you can order a cone of chips with a helping of mayonnaise.

For dessert try Speculoos which are hard and spicy and are a speciality of Flanders. Brugge Kletskoppen (lace biscuits) are made to look like the local lace and are a speciality of Bruges .

For breakfast or any time of the day, try a freshly cooked wafel from one of the many street cafes serving directly on to the street.

Don’t forget to click here if you’re looking for hotels in Bruges.

The Markt

In today’s post we’ll write a little bit about the Markt, the historic commercial centre of Bruges and now a large pedestrianised square in the heart of the city. The Belfort and Cloth Hall are the most famous monuments to be found here.

Also of note is the Provincial Court stands on the North side of the square. The Provincial Court is flanked, on the right, by the red brick Post Office and, on the left, by the provincial governor’s residence.On the South side of the square are some medieval looking houses, that actually date from the nineteenth century.

The Markt also has several bars and restaurants serving typical Belgian beer and food and is a great place to enjoy traditional Belgian Moules with beer or breakfast on hot waffles.

Finally, in the centre of the Markt stand statues of Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck who led the Flemish to victory against the French King in the Battle of Golden Spurs in 1302. The battle takes its name from the large numbers of spurs taken from the bodies of fallen French knights.

We’ll help you find the best deals on  hotels in Bruges and information about the city  so please follow our posts.

Bruges Hotels Guide

Welcome to Bruges Hotels Guide new blog about the beautiful city of Bruges.   This blog aims to bring you all that’s new in this fairytale city.  We’ll keep you updated about events in the city and great information about some of the city’s most famous (and some not so famous) sights.

For now, here are some photos of this wonderful city.  These images were taken by a talented photographer called Wolfang Staudt.