Belgium · CANAL CRUISES

Canal Cruises in Bruges & Ghent: The 10 Best Sailings

10 tours  ·  from $8

A canal boat is the cheapest good half hour in either city, and the queue is the only real variable. These 10 compare the jetties, the bundled walking guides and the sailings that avoid the middle of the day.

Bruges: Walking Tour, Canal Boat Trip w/Beer Tasting Option - Starting beside the Lake of Love
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Bruges: Walking Tour, Canal Boat Trip w/Beer Tasting Option

1.Walking Tour, Canal Boat Trip w/Beer Tasting Option

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 2,759 reviews · from $41Our pick

See Bruges with a live guide in English, French, or Spanish, walking from the Lake of Love through the Beguinage, Burg Square, and Markt. Finish with a 30-minute canal cruise, then add four Belgian beers if you book the English-language option. Guides such as Maria, JK, and Peter bring history and humor to the route.

“Lovely tour with a very knowledgeable guide. Boat tour was a great opportunity to explore this amazing city too!”

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Ghent: Guided Walking Tour and Canal Boat Trip - The three towers and Ghent’s central churches
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Ghent: Guided Walking Tour and Canal Boat Trip

2.Guided Walking Tour and Canal Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 128 reviews · 2h 30m · from $32

Join an English-speaking local guide outside Ghent’s Belfry for a 150-minute tour covering St. Bavo’s Cathedral, the Mystic Lamb, guild quays, markets, Patershol, and Gravensteen. Finish with a 30-minute canal cruise using an audio guide with illustrated translations. Guides may include Ariel, Peter, Juliana, or Eros.

“Very nice tour, too bad we had rain for about an hour”

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Day trip to Bruges from Paris with canal cruise - The small minivan makes a difference
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Day trip to Bruges from Paris with canal cruise

3.Day trip to Bruges from Paris with canal cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 81 reviews · 13 hours · from $159

Travel from Paris to Bruges in a minivan with up to eight passengers, guided in English, French, or Spanish. See the Belfry, Grand Place, Burg Square, Beguinage, and Lake of Love, then enjoy free time for waffles, chocolate, beer, shopping, or museums. From April to November, a canal cruise is included. Winter visits include the Gothic Town Hall Hall when conditions allow.

“John Baptiste was such a fun and knowledgeable guide! Bruges is beautiful and I can’t wait to go there again.”

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Bruges Tour with Canal Cruise from Zeebrugge Cruise Port - Burg Square and the Basilica of the Holy Blood
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Bruges Tour with Canal Cruise from Zeebrugge Cruise Port

4.Bruges Tour with Canal Cruise from Zeebrugge Cruise Port

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 78 reviews · 5 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $82

Meet JAT outside Zeebrugge cruise port, ride by air-conditioned coach to Bruges, and explore its Belfry, Burg Square, canals, Beguinage, and Minnewater Lake with a local guide. Guides such as Veronique, Sharene, Daniel, and Charlene have led this outing. A 45-minute canal cruise and free time for waffles, shopping, and photos round out the five to six-hour visit.

“Tour started out a bit disorganized. Tour guide Veronique was awesome. We saw a lot of the town and were given a lot of information.”

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Best Bruges Shore Excursion – Small Group + Optional Canal Cruise

5.Best Bruges Shore Excursion – Small Group + Optional Canal Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 62 reviews · 5 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $663

Travel by air-conditioned bus from Zeebrugge to Bruges, then follow an English-speaking guide through Minnewater Park, the Beguinage, Church of Our Lady, Burg Square, and Market Square. Choose a 30-minute canal cruise or extra time for food and shopping. Guides such as Andy, Yves, Rita, and Patrick have earned praise for clear local insight.

“It's a must see town. I would highly recommend this tour. Our guide Rita was amazing. She was a teacher and is sp passionate about her job. We loved her.”

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Romantic Bruges: Love Between the Canals Exploration Game - Chocolate, Markt, and the Town Hall
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Romantic Bruges: Love Between the Canals Exploration Game

6.Romantic Bruges: Love Between the Canals Exploration Game

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 32 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $7Best value

Follow Marie’s lost-love story through Bruges with a smartphone-based Questo game. You’ll solve clues at 15 stops, from Markt and Rozenhoedkaai to the Beguinage and Minnewater Lake. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours, play only with your group, and pause whenever you want. It is offered in English, with no guide or attraction tickets required.

“This was a great way to explore Brugge at our own pace while still seeing all the sites and learning some history. Good for adults and kids.”

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Best Bruges Shore Excursion including Deluxe Canal Cruise - From Zeebrugge port to Bruges in 30 minutes
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Best Bruges Shore Excursion including Deluxe Canal Cruise

7.Best Bruges Shore Excursion including Deluxe Canal Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 27 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $79

Travel from Zeebrugge cruise port to Bruges for a guided walk past the Belfry, Basilica of the Holy Blood, Church of Our Lady, and Saint John’s Hospital. You’ll also take a 45-minute canal cruise and have free time for chocolate, lunch, shopping, and photos. Guides such as Veronique and Krista have received especially warm praise.

“I’ll start with the good. We enjoyed having a smaller van take us to and from Bruges. Some of the information provided during the tour was great, like the visit at the Convent. However, that’s where the enjoyment ended for us. Our tour guide was very nice, but kept getting distracted (talked about cobblestones for an extended period of time, rambled on about a statue we weren’t going to be seeing while standing next to a monument that was on the itinerary, etc). It got to the point where we just wanted to go do our own thing and see the rest on our own, so we skipped the canal…”

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Stress-Free Bruges for Cruise Passengers with opt. Canal Cruise - A quiet hour at the Beguinage
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Stress-Free Bruges for Cruise Passengers with opt. Canal Cruise

8.Stress-Free Bruges for Cruise Passengers with opt. Canal Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 5 to 6 hours (approx.) · from $327Top rated

Meet your English-speaking guide at Zeebrugge, ride an air-conditioned bus to Bruges, and spend five to six hours on foot among canals, guildhalls, the Beguinage, Basilica of the Holy Blood, and Markt. Choose an optional 30-minute canal cruise, enjoy shopping time, and return to your ship on schedule.

“Awesome town, wish we had a couple of days here!! Great excursion from Vexperio, our guide was super knowledgeable and friendly. Some of our group did the optional canal cruise and enjoyed it quite a bit for photos they could take but a lot of the information discussed was already covered by our guide, so you decide. A LOT of walking on cobblestones, which they tell you in the description so listen to it!!!”

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Bruges Uncovered: Historic Walking Tour & Canal Boat Experience - Churches that explain Bruges’ wealth
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Bruges Uncovered: Historic Walking Tour & Canal Boat Experience

9.Bruges Uncovered: Historic Walking Tour & Canal Boat Experience

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 6 reviews · from $0

Start at Bruges train station and walk through Minnewater, the Beguinage, major churches, Burg Square, and Grand Place before a canal boat ride. The route covers Bruges’ essential sights in about two and a half hours. The boat is included, but recent cancellations make it worth confirming before you book.

“Worst tour I’ve ever done. Started off the day being told the wrong time. Arrived in the morning and waited for half an hour looking around for the place only to be told later that it wasn’t running and was offered another tour at another time. Arrived then and spent a whRead more”

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Bruges Tour from Your Cruise Ship with Canal Cruse & Leisure Time - A short visit to the Basilica of the Holy Blood
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Bruges Tour from Your Cruise Ship with Canal Cruse & Leisure Time

10.Bruges Tour from Your Cruise Ship with Canal Cruse & Leisure Time

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · from $78

From Zeebrugge, ride by air-conditioned vehicle to Bruges for a guided walk through Market Square, Burg Square, the Basilica of the Holy Blood, Rozenhoedkaai, the Beguinage, and Minnewater Lake. A one-hour canal cruise and roughly two hours of free time leave room for Belgian chocolate, waffles, cafés, and local shopping before your return to the ship.

“Tour guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable. Would recommend this tour. Only downfall is only 2 -3 hours on your own.”

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