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Many people have asked if it’s expensive to visit Bruges and it can get pricey at some restaurants but a lot of the attractions are free, so it really depends on how you want to spend your time in this beautiful city. If you’re wondering how much things cost in Bruges, we broke it down for you by category so you can have an idea of how much you’ll be spending and where you can save.

TRANSPORTATION

Train from Brussels: $37 for standard roundtrip ticket
Train from Amsterdam: $80 - $200 roundtrip ticket
Taxi from train station to hotel: $24 roundtrip (+ $4.50 tip)

Transportation to Bruges will depend on where you are coming from but in our case, we took a train from Amsterdam. We decided to take a combination of the high-speed Thalys train and Belgium’s local train which totaled $209 for each roundtrip ticket. This is definitely on the high-end and you can find a cheaper way to travel to Bruges by taking the local trains starting at $80 per roundtrip ticket.

It also helps to purchase the tickets in advance. The closer to the date of travel, the higher the prices. We made the mistake of purchasing our tickets a few days before our travel to Bruges, so the prices were significantly higher on the Thalys train.

If you are traveling from Brussels, it will be around $37 for a standard roundtrip ticket on the local trains.

At Brugge station, you can catch a taxi right outside the station and one way was about $12.

Once you’re in the city, you can walk everywhere and there’s no need for additional transportation.

ACCOMMODATION

4-Star and 5-Star Hotels: $150 - $350 per night
3-Star Hotels: $100 - $150 per night
Airbnb: $100 - $150

Accommodations will also depend on what time of year you visit and where you’re comfortable staying. It can be as low as $100 per night and up to $350 per night. We visited Bruges the first week of November and stayed at Crown Plaza Brugge. It was a wonderful hotel in the heart of the city and it was a very convenient location for us. We went with convenience and a higher-end hotel that cost $272 per night.

DINING

Breakfast: $15 per person
Lunch: $20 per person
Dinner: $25 per person
Desserts: $4 per person
Food for One Day: $64 per person

Eating out in Bruges was definitely on the expensive side and we did a lot of it while we were in Bruges. We had some of the best food here. We stayed in Bruges a little over 2 days and spent an average of $64 each on food and drinks.

Tipping is not common in Bruges but if you received excellent service, 10% of the bill will be a generous tip.

They also do not serve tap water at restaurants in Bruges, so you will have to order a bottle of still or sparkling water.

We break down our dining costs in more detail in the Top 8 Bruges Restaurants post but here are a few places we ate at with the prices:

Breakfast at That’s Toast!: €26.25 (~$29 USD) for two toasts with toppings, coffee, and tea

Waffle at Chez Albert: €3.50 (~$4 USD)

Dinner at Brasserie Cambrinus: €40 (~$44 USD) for two meals

Lunch at Plaza Cafe: €34.00 (~$37 USD) for one shared appetizer and entree

ATTRACTIONS

A lot of the main attractions in Bruges are free or cost less than $15 so you won’t have to worry about spending too much money sightseeing.

Canal Boat Tour
€12 (~$13 USD)

One thing everyone must do in Bruges is a canal boat tour. There are five areas where you can board the boats and it’s about a half-hour trip that gives you a little history of the city and sights of the quaint city at a different angle. The cost is anywhere from €10 - €12.

Harp Concert by Luc Vanlaere Harpist
FREE + donation

Harpist composer, Luc Vanlaere gives a free harp concert Tuesday through Saturday three times a day all year round. The concert lasts about 40 minutes and is free but donations are welcome. Make sure to bring cash for donations.

Belfry Tower
FREE or €12 (~$13 USD)

You can marvel at the Belfry Tower (or Belfort van Brugge in Dutch) for free or if you’re feeling full of energy, you can pay €12 to climb 366 steps to the top of the tower. We did not climb the tower and just admired the UNESCO building.

Markt Square
FREE

Markt Square is also free and a great place to people watch and listen to the melodies coming from the Belfry Tower. There are many restaurants around Markt Square but we advise against eating at any of them as they don’t really have impressive reviews. There are several markets held at various times during the week so you may want to try some street food here.

You can also ride on horse-drawn carriages from the square if you would like a tour of the city. This will cost around €50.

Church of Our Lady
FREE or €5 (~$5.50 USD)

This church dates back to the 13th century and you can enter the front part of the building for free. It is most well-known for holding Michelangelo’s Madonna & Child statue. To see this famous statue, you will have to pay an entrance fee of €5.

We did not pay the entrance fee to see the statue because they were doing some construction around the piece at the time of our visit. But we have heard it’s worth paying the fee to see the statue that was saved from WWII.

De Halve Maan Brewery Tour
€12 (~$13 USD)

Even if you don’t drink beer, this is a great tour to take in Bruges. You learn a lot of history about the city and how De Halve Maan Brewery survived the beer industry for so long. At the end of the tour, you’ll get to enjoy a complimentary glass of unfiltered tap beer which was actually quite good.

Beguinage of Bruges
FREE

The Beguinge was founded in 1245 and was a sanctuary for unmarried or widowed women. Nowadays the Sisters of the religious St. Benedict Order live here and because it’s an actual residency, visitors must keep their voices low when exploring the premises. It’s a peaceful area and at certain times, you can watch the sisters singing in the church.

SOUVENIRS

There are a lot of little shops in Bruges that you’ll be tempted to stop by some of the stores including loads and loads of chocolate shops. Bruges is also known for its history and origin of lace making so you can find some beautiful lace in the city.

The Chocolate Line
€23 (~$25 USD)

The Chocolate Line is known for its world-famous artisanal chocolate by Dominique Persoone so out of all the chocolate shops in Bruges, we decided to buy some souvenirs here. It’s super expensive but worth it for the best chocolate in the world. Candy bought one piece of chocolate that cost $4 and Crystal bought a little box of chocolates and a two chocolate sticks for $25.

You can probably spend way more on souvenirs in Bruges but we both do minimal shopping when it comes to souvenirs.

TOTAL COST

One Day in Bruges $112

The average cost of spending one day in Bruges totals about $112 (excluding transportation and accommodation). It’s more expensive than other cities we’ve visited, but it won’t break your bank. We also ate at restaurants that were more on the expensive side, so you can save more money by eating at cheaper locations or grabbing a light snack.

TIPS

• When departing or arriving in Bruges, Station Brugge has some great options for quick and low-cost meals. The food looked delicious and they even had microwaves to heat up your purchased foods like pasta.

• If you are booking Thalys Train Tickets online for Bruges, book as early as possible. Just like airlines, the rates go up if you buy closer to the departure date.

• If you happen to be in town on a Wednesday morning, the Wednesday Market at The Markt has plenty of booths with freshly baked bread, cheese, olives, and hot rotisserie chicken at great prices.