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The articles
Each one a single question, answered in full.
Following the ring of the ramparts on foot or by bike past the four city gates
A guide to the four surviving medieval gates of Bruges and the ramparts walk that links them.
The Jerusalem Church and the Adornes estate, a private chapel modeled on a pilgrimage
A Genoese merchant family built Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre in a Bruges back street. Their descendants still own it today.
Walking the ramparts past the windmills, and which one you can go inside
A walk past four windmills on the Bruges ramparts, with guidance on which ones can be visited inside.
Finding the quietest canal walk in Bruges behind the Burg
How to find and walk the Groenerei, the hushed green canal just steps from the Burg in Bruges.
Walking the old merchants' quarter from Jan van Eyckplein to the Poortersloge
A short walk from the Markt to Jan van Eyckplein and the Poortersloge, through Bruges's old trading district.
The Lake of Love, the swans on the canals and the legends Bruges tells about them
Why the Minnewater is a reservoir, not a lake, and what the Lake of Love legend really explains.
Visiting the Beguinage quietly, and why the gate closes in the evening
Why the Beguinage asks for quiet, who still lives there, and how to visit the gate, the lawn and the church respectfully.
How the canal boats work, from the landing stages to what happens when it rains
Where to board, how tickets work, what the season and the weather change, and what the ride is actually like.
What the cathedral treasury and the tapestries in St. Salvator's hold
A guide to St. Salvator's Cathedral in Bruges: its tower, tapestries, paintings, and the treasury behind them.
Why a medieval hospital is where Memling's greatest paintings hang
Inside the medieval wards of St. John's Hospital, where six Memling paintings hang where they were meant to be seen.
Seeing Michelangelo's Madonna and Child in the Church of Our Lady
How to find and look at Michelangelo's Madonna and Child inside the Church of Our Lady in Bruges.
Why the Gruuthuse has a private window into the Church of Our Lady
How a fifteenth-century chapel lets the Gruuthuse look straight down into the Church of Our Lady next door.
What to see first in the Groeningemuseum when you only have a morning
A practical order for the Groeningemuseum's small, crowded rooms when a morning is all the time available.
Photographing the Rozenhoedkaai before the crowds and after the lights come on
How to catch Bruges's most photographed canal corner in quiet morning light and again after dark.
Watching the Holy Blood procession on Ascension Day, from a seat or from the pavement
How to watch the Holy Blood procession in Bruges, from the pavement or a booked seat, and what changes on the day.
What happens when the relic of the Holy Blood is shown, and how to visit respectfully
What the Holy Blood relic is, when it is shown, and how to visit the basilica without disrupting worship.
Walking round the Burg, from the gilded Old Civil Registry to the lost cathedral under the hotel
A walking guide to the Burg, from the gilded Old Civil Registry to the vanished cathedral beneath the hotel.
What the gables, the statue and the carriages on the Markt tell you about the city
How to read the Markt's gables, statue and carriages, and what a thousand years of trade left behind on the square.
Cycling to Damme along the canal is the best half day out from Bruges
How to ride from Bruges to Damme along the Damse Vaart, what to see in the small town that was once Bruges's port, and how to come back by paddle steamer.
Driving to Bruges means parking at the edge and walking in
Why Bruges discourages cars in its old town, which car parks and park-and-ride sites to use, the free bus from the station car park, and rules for driving inside.
Getting from Brussels Airport to Bruges by train, and what to do with your bags
How the train from Brussels Airport to Bruges works, how long it takes, the one change you may need, and how to handle luggage on arrival.
Seeing Bruges in a single day without spending it in queues
A walking plan for one day in Bruges that puts the famous squares early and late, the museums in the middle, and keeps lines and crowds to a minimum.
The Belfry climb is worth booking, and here is how to time it with the bells
What climbing the Belfry of Bruges involves, why a time slot matters, how to be near the carillon when it plays, and who should skip the stairs.
Where to see Van Eyck and Memling in Bruges in one unhurried day
A route through the Groeningemuseum, the Church of Our Lady and St. John's Hospital to see the paintings made in fifteenth-century Bruges, and what to look for.
Next on the list
Questions queued for the journal, written one at a time.