A visit to Bruges from Blankenberge

From the coastal town of Blankenberghe you can discover the interior and the beautiful Bruges. A stone's throw from the Flemish coast and Bruges lies Lissewege, the first village you drive through. You should get off here right away. Lissewege is also called the white village, because the houses in the old village centre have been painted white for centuries. The impressive 13th century church of Our Lady of the Visitation towers high above the polders and is in itself a reason to visit the village. The old houses along the picturesque old Vaartje are witnesses of long ago. In the Visitor Centre 'The Old Rectory' more than 120 saints keep watch in their own museum. And just outside the village centre is the largest medieval storage shed in Europe in the former Cistercian abbey Ter Doest. As an extra, during the summer months in Lissewege, visitors also get a free open-air exhibition. The route takes you to beautiful Bruges, one of the cities that is also called the Venice of the North. The medieval center is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. You cycle into the city along the Ringvaart, the canal that runs along the east of the old center. Bruges is so rich in history and culture that one day is actually not enough to explore the city. Bruges is known for its lace, but is also considered the chocolate capital: there are more than fifty chocolatiers. They make, among other things, the typical Brugsche Swaentjes. In Bruges you will find - in addition to the terraces! - many nice museums to drop in. For example, you will pass right by Brouwerij de Gouden Boom. At the place where Brouwerij de Gouden Boom was located, between the Langestraat and the Verbrand Nieuwland, a certain Jan Hugheins brewed beer as early as 1455. In 1580, the name't Hamerken first appeared as a rural house known as an inn, whose owners can be found in registers from 1588 onwards. In 2006, Brouwerij Palm sold the buildings of Brouwerij de Gouden Boom in the Langestraat in Bruges to a project development company. However, part of the former brewery and malting installations were protected as industrial heritage in 2006. The rest of the buildings made way for a new construction project with apartments, shops and a museum café. Both the protected malting building and the restored 17th century house on the Langestraat have been integrated into the new construction project. You will also cycle past Het Diamanthuis Brugge, a sister company of the Diamond Museum in this city, where diamonds are still cut and produced in the traditional way. It is one of the major exporters of quality diamonds from Belgium. The Diamanthuis Brugge designs and sells jewelry in two showrooms, the continuation of a more than 600 year old Bruges tradition. Back in Blankenberghe you can still enjoy the sunset on a terrace by the sea!