Unforgettable Bruges Day Trip from Paris: Canal Cruise Magic

It was delightful to visit Bruges. A long bus ride but worth the ride once there. The guide was helpful and informative.

It’s far but OH SO WORTH IT! Brugge is my favorite place I’ve ever been in Europe. I’m so glad we went. Getting a ticket to do the river cruise there was so fun and romantic. The bus makes a stop on the way and a stop coming back, so you can grab snacks. It’s super helpful. We also had 2 hours to ourselves in Brugge. So fun! It’s literally like walking into a fairytale. We grabbed food at The Olive. So yummy! Multiple shops with waffles and chocolate. I bought lace at the oldest lace shop. I’d go back here in a heartbeat! Gooooo!

The Bruges experience was fantastic. The history and architecture were truly fascinating. The canal boat ride was very enjoyable as well. Lots of wonderful historical sites as well as many interesting and fun shops and lots of good options for dining.

Our tour was excellent! Our tour guide was knowledgeable and witty. Bruges was BEAUTIFUL! The boat tour was great, the chocolate was amazing and I loved the waffles. I highly recommend this tour!

The Tour Guide and Boat Captain were amazing. The Tour Guide was very personable and knowledgeable. The Boat Captain was funny and gave more information about the town.

The total back-and-forth almost eight hours from Paris is worthwhile. Bruges is a medieval jewel. It’s uniquely stunning. If you choose the option that includes the boat ride, which is really nice, be aware that you might have to stand in line for about 40 minutes (depending on the time and day) to get on the boat. Forty minutes is a long time considering that you don’t have much time to spend in the city.

As experienced by a US citizen. Well organized meet and greet staff at the Pullman Hotel, Bercy. Though no place to sit or keep warm while waiting. The bus: similar to airplane seats but tight legroom, no headrests, no usb charging, no screen back of headrests. There isn't a restroom on board and no eating or drinking. But manageable for 4 hour trip as a 30 minute stop midway is for restrooms and quick dining options at a fueling station. The bus also has big plate glass windows for viewing the countryside. You might want to make sure your cell carrier, and ATM/debit card, operates in whatever country you visit. Once at Bruges: depending upon which package you paid for, go off on your own, or spend 90 mins total with an ear bud guided tour, then a canal cruise. This was in April on Good Friday and the city center was very crowded with horse drawn carriages speeding by. You'd hear hooves approaching and have to jump out of the way. Many many souvenir shops, beer and chocolate interests, and restaurants to choose from. Beware of the cash only businesses if you don't have euros handy. Ask about payment first before dining! Besides all the usual tourist obstacles, it's worth the visit. Since it's in the northern part of Europe it closely associates with the Dutch, German and the orginal Flanders people, thus it's a Flemish region. Architecture is unique with the stair step sides of the building reaching to the sky. The cobble stone roads are in good shape. But Bruges is about the canals and bridges. In fact Bruges translates to bridges. We did the full paid package of the audio guided tour then canal cruise. The tour was nice but there wasn't any opportunities to ask the guide questions or clarification. While we didn't technically have to wait in line for a cruise ticket, we still waited at least 30 mins to get on a boat. The cruise guide was very good but when you cruise for 30 mins and capitan is repeating the information about what we're seeing in 3 different languages, I felt i missed alot. Though how amazing is it to be able to navigate a boat, point out sites, and switch between 3 different languages? Be sure to duck fully under one bridge in particular. Lots of good photo opportunities on the cruise. Then we had free time, to explore, eat, and visit sites including impressive churches and museums. Also be aware that ketchup or other condiments will be charged at 1 or 2 euros. In addition, to use a public restroom be sure to have a euro. But grab a free city map on your way out of the non drinking water bathroom. We felt pressured with getting back to the bus by 4:00 thus not really having the time to explore or relax much in the beautiful 15th century city. I almost envied the other passages, who had only paid for the bus transportation, with their free time. For us this trip might have been much better if an overnight stay with a midday departure the next day could be offered. Then I believe visitors could really get a good feel for sweet Bruges' history and uniqueness. But for a one day excursion, to get a taste of Belgium, and Bruges in particular, this trip was worth it. Oh! And it's open boarders in that area of Europe with driving in a bus, so no passports needed. If we had flown, then passport would have been necessary. Plus to give a gratuity was a challenge if you don't have euros on hand. But tipping isn't the norm in Europe so usually is not an issue. Sure ATMs are available but the service fee and conversion rate makes it really expensive to obtain local in-hand currency. We took 50 euros out at an ATM and it cost us $72.50 in US dollars. Yikes. Four hours there, 5 hours back with a bit longer stop and evening traffic returning to Paris. I'm glad we got the opportunity to see a part of another country in-between visiting Paris for a week.

Bruges was beautiful. Excellent guide!! She educated us on history and was very entertaining on the way- it was 4 hours each way. She guided us throughout the trip and provided free time to explore this beautiful and charming town! She gave us the best recommendations for lunch and chocolate shops! Boat ride was a must!

Bruge is beautiful and worth a visit for sure! But it is a 4 hour trip from Paris to get there. We got there at 12 and had to be back on the bus at 4, Not enough time to enjoy the picturesque town. Wish the time to get back was at later time. It took us 5 hours to get back to Paris because of all the traffic. It would have been better to leave at around 6 and avoid the rush hour traffic. Not worth it

Highly recommended! We had a guided tour for about an hour in Brugge and then time to eat and shop and it was great for a day trip.