Around Bruges
See information on this page for links on the surrounding towns and attractions.
Click the following links for further information:
Brussels
Today the name Brussels (in Dutch: Brussel) stands for an agglomeration of 19 communes forming one of the three Regions of the federal Belgian state; the capital of the Kingdom of Belgium; the headquarters of the French and Flemish Communities.
Antwerp
(in Dutch: Antwerpen), daughter of the River Scheldt and second largest city of Belgium is located at about 1 hour drive and 1 and a half ourby train from Bruges. The 500.000 inhabitants call it the ’Metropolis’ (Antwerpians are known in Belgium for not being too modest).
Ghent
(in Dutch : Gent) is the fourth largest city of Belgium with about 250.000 inhabitants. It is not as big as Antwerp but bigger than Bruges.
Damme
Damme’s history is closely connected to that of Bruges. It thrived during the heydays of Bruges and suffered too when the sea canal silted up.
Ypres
(in Dutch: Ieper) was one of the main martyr towns of the First World War. A few months after the German invasion of Belgium on 4 August 1914 the front came to a standstill near the small, mediaeval town.
Lissewege
Time in Lissewege seems to move just that tad slower. With its picturesque canal, whitewashed polder houses and extensive fields and meadows this polder village is a classic example of how every Flemish village once looked: lively, charming and a touch nostalgic.
