Bruges

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Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game

Tourist-swamped Bruges is a jewel of Gothic architecture, Flemish Masters and two football teams: Club and Cercle. They share a stadium, the Jan Breydel, renovated for Euro 2000, in the Sint-Andries area south-west of the compact, walkable city centre. The difference between the two clubs was clearly shown in the Belgian Cup semi-final of 2015, an 8-3 aggregate win for old European warhorses Club. Club are not only the pride of Bruges, but of Flanders, particularly when Francophone Anderlecht are involved. Not that long ago, the rivals shared a domestic duopoly. Club at last won the title again in 2016 – after a decade out of the limelight.

Throughout Belgium, Cercle are often the neutrals’ favourite, famed for their team spirit and honest endeavour. In Bruges itself, support for the two teams is divided 50-50, but any cross-town rivalry pales next to the mutual hatred of RSCA – the chance of Flanders getting one over on the fat cats from Brussels is more important than the local derby. Football was first played in Bruges at the English College in Sint-Andries, site of today’s Jan Breydelstadion, the former Olympiastadion. Both clubs were founded in the 1890s, Cercle’s players being mainly upper-class Dutch and Englishmen, later local, academic Catholics. Bruges is a small town. Players of both sides mix socially, and the local football community is pleasingly tight-knit and friendly. Locals are equally welcoming, no mean feat considering how their little gem of a town is simply mobbed by tourists day after day. As long as the visitor doesn’t make the mistake of trying to speak French, they’ll be fine.

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Getting Around

Arriving in town, local transport and timings

Jan Breydelstadion transport/Peterjon Cresswell

No major budget or national carrier currently uses Ostend-Bruges International Airport, 25km (16 miles) from Bruges. Brussels Airport is 111km (69 miles) away. A direct train runs every hour from platform 1 at the airport rail terminal to Bruges station (single €20), journey time 1hr 30mins. Tickets for Eurostar passengers from London St Pancras are sold as direct to Bruges, even though the journey requires a change at Brussels-Midi. Average journey time is 2hrs, advance singles from around €70. From the Eurostar terminal at Brussels-Midi, a frequent train runs to Bruges, 1hr journey time. A regular single ticket is €14. Bruges station is 2km south of the town centre, about a 15-minute walk away. De Lijn buses await in the forecourt. A single ticket from the machine by the stop or the driver is €3, valid for 1hr. A day pass is €7, €9 on board, 3-day pass €14. Validate your ticket for each journey in the yellow machine. Taxi Snel can be called on +32 50 36 36 49 or +32 50 33 44 55.

Where to Drink

The best pubs and bars for football fans

Previous Next Beer is the reason many come to Bruges. Main squares are lined with busy terraces, filled with tourists sat over multi-coloured beers. On Vrijdagmarkt and ‘t Zand opposite, the Lindenhof, De Zandloper, the Bras Café and Ma Rica Rokk are lively day and night. For football-watching, try late-opening Muttley’s or head up to the Eiermarkt near Markt where De Pub is one of the best spots to see the game. Also here is the Belgian chain, the Bar des Amis and The Place, both party-focused. With Belgian bars everywhere, Irish pubs are thin on the ground – on Burg, Delaney’s shows sport on five big screens, stages live music and serves fine food.

Previous Next Just over the water nearby, Pub ’t Volkshuis is a handy corner spot to catch the game while just behind at the fish market, the Hollandse Vismijn has been serving classic Belgian beer and Flemish food for eons. Also handy for watching the match, The Monk on Vlemingstraat doubles up as a pool bar while nearby Le Trappiste on Kuiperstraat specialises in monastic brews. Over on Hoogstraat, Charlie Rockets is both a hostel and a lively bar open to all, set in an old cinema.

Where to stay

The best hotels for the stadium and city centre

Hostellerie Pannenhuis/Peterjon Cresswell

Previous Next The Bruges Tourist Office has a hotel database and room-booking service. Hotels abound in this tourist-friendly town, although some insist on a two-night stay over the weekend, when rates shoot up. Convenient for the Jan Breydelstadion, the three-star Hostellerie Pannenhuis is a lovely, rustic, stand-alone house and garden, with a restaurant, halfway between the station and the stadium. As you approach the city centre from the station, on your left the mid-range Hotel Albert I is convenient and comfortable while alongside, the Spanish chain NH Brugge fills a 17th-century monastery with 149 smart guestrooms. Late Sunday check-out offered with direct booking. Towards focal ’t Zand on Vrijdagmarkt, the four-star Parkhotel provides a relaxing stay, breakfast served in the Greenery and parking below ground.

Previous Next Across’t Zand, a lovely little place tucked away round the corner is convivial, 37-room ’t Putje while the Hotel Portinari has a range of rooms in the luxury boutique category. Alongside, the three-star lace hotel features the Brasserie Leffe. Behind, popular Hostel 28 on Dweerstraat has various types of affordable private rooms with or without their own bathroom while a few doors down, the two-star Hotel Bla Bla was modernised in 2016. Further back from the main square, three-star Salvators greets guests with humour, while the nearby Hotel de Castillion is a sturdy four-star just across this pretty square dominated by St Salvador’s Church. Elsewhere in the historic quarter, just in from canalside Moerstraat, the Hotel Prinsenhof provides a solid, homely stay at four-star rates while alongside, in its own grounds, the Hotel Dukes’ Palace is all five-star plus luxury in a 15th-century pile, converted into 110 contemporary rooms and suites, with a spa and high-end restaurant to boot.

Grand Hotel Casselbergh/Peterjon Cresswell