Belgium · MUSEUMS IN BRUGES
The 7 best museums in Bruges you can book today, with what each costs, how long it runs and who it suits. Number one is top for a reason; start there.
At Choco-Story Brugge, follow an audio-guided route through chocolate’s Maya and Aztec origins, European rise, raw ingredients, and production methods. Interactive displays suit families, and the visit ends with a live praline demonstration and tastings. Allow about 1.5 hours at Wijnzakstraat 2.
“What a lovely museum. Really fascinating learning about the history of chocolate.”
At Choco-Story Bruges, you follow cocoa from Mayan drink to Belgian praline across four floors in a 15th-century building. Use the self-guided audio device, inspect more than 1,000 chocolate-making objects, and finish with a live demonstration and samples. It takes about 90 minutes and is offered in English.
“An over-crowded museum and not at all the experience that I and my family had expected. The ”chocolate-tasting” was just three bins of low-quality chocolate and self-service, not very pedagogic and not very hygienic. Overall not worth the price.”
At Choco-Story Bruges, an instructor shows you how to shape and decorate chocolate lollipops and mendiants using several chocolate types, toppings, and stencils. You then explore the museum’s 4,000-year chocolate story with an audio guide in 11 languages. The workshop suits adults and children age 7 and older.
“Museum is well set out and chocolate making workshop was well led. It kept a 10yr old very busy and he learned a fair bit!”
Use the 72-hour Musea Brugge Card to enter 11 museums and historic sites, including the Belfry, Groeninge Museum, Gruuthuse Museum, St John’s Hospital, City Hall, and the Church of Our Lady. Scan your digital voucher at each entrance, reserve a Belfry time slot, and explore Bruges at your own pace.
“The museums in Bruges are top quality, varied, not too overwhelming and mostly in historic locations. All were worth visiting, and having the museum card encouraged us to keep going. We even went to an amazing free harp concert by Luc Vanlaere”
You explore Bruges Beer Experience on the second floor of the Old Town museum, using an iPad Mini audio guide in 10 languages. Learn about brewing, Trappist beers, food pairing, and women in beer. Children up to 12 have a bear-themed tour. Add a beer tasting downstairs for €6.
“tutto ottimo, soprattutto per la presenza di un'audioguida in italiano non così scontata in Belgio. Per il resto se nel reparto bar ci fosse una più ampia scelta di cibo sarebbe molto apprezzato da chi predilige bere a stomaco pieno”
Visit the Salvador Dalí: Marquis de Púbol exhibition inside Bruges’ Belfry at Markt 7. You’ll see original sculptures, graphic works, and a colorful Dalínian interior designed by Barron Saint Mythelfinger. Allow 15 minutes to 2 hours. The $12.03 ticket is self-guided, with no escort, transport, food, or audioguide included.
“The entrance was easy to use, however not the best exhibit of Dali . It's centrally located (right in the main clock tower in town)”
Spend a full day exploring Bruges’ 12th-century St John’s Hospital, home to Hans Memling’s major works, historic hospital objects, contemporary art by Berlinde De Bruyckere and Patricia Piccinini, and an authentic 17th-century pharmacy with herb garden. The ticket includes skip-the-line entry and access for one day.
Pick a city, a canal or a cellar.
