Bruges, Belgium is only 3 hours from where we live in Canterbury (including 30 minutes of waiting at Folkestone for the Eurotunnel). Being this close to Bruges means that driving is a no-brainer for us and taking a car on the Eurotunnel is a quick and easy process, just as long as you have no delays at Folkestone. We drove to Bruges two weeks ago and despite a minor delay at Folkestone, it was a very pleasant experience. It was very relaxing as you could literally just throw your bags in the car and get on the road. Now that we’ve ticked off a 2018 travel goal and driven to Bruges from Canterbury, I thought it’d be interesting to discuss the reasons why I think driving is the best way to get to Bruges from the South of the UK.
1. There’s no airport near Bruges.
If you’re thinking about visiting Bruges, it’s important to note that the city doesn’t have its own airport. The nearest is Brussels and over an hour away by public transport, so you would either need to catch a train or hire a car to get between the cities. If you are planning to visit both cities though, flying could be a great option, as you could fly into Brussels and visit Bruges for a day trip via public transport.
2. Bruges isn’t very far from Calais.
It takes an hour and a half to drive from Calais to Bruges. It’s pretty much one straight road the whole way, so in no time at all you’ll be across the border into Belgium and then shortly after in Bruges city centre.
3. There are no baggage restrictions or liquid limitations.
If you want to purchase food, alcohol or souvenirs whilst you’re away, it can be difficult to fit everything into your luggage before you fly home. A benefit of driving is the fact that you can bring home lots of Belgian chocolate, bottles of local beer or souvenirs. Bruges is great for shopping and you can enjoy the boutiques and independent stores, not having to worry about whether or not you’re going to be able to bring all of your purchases home within your luggage.
4. There are some interesting places to stop on the way to Bruges from Calais.
Dunkirque in France and Belgium’s Nieuwpoort and Ostend are located between Calais and Bruges. I’ve written an article about what we got up to on our road trip to Bruges, so if you want to find out more about places to stop on the way there and back, have a read of this post.
5. It’s cheap to park overnight in Bruges.
We only paid €12 to park the car overnight in an underground car park in Bruges, about 10 minutes walk from where we were staying. The city is totally geared up for people visiting by car and some city centre hotels even have their own parking facilities.
Final thoughts
I’d highly recommend visiting Bruges by car. It means that you can purchase lots of Belgian chocolate, local drinks and souvenirs, knowing that you will have room for them in your vehicle. If you live far away from the crossing, it’s obviously not the most viable option, but for anyone that lives in the home counties or South of the UK, driving is so convenient.
Have you ever been to Bruges? How did you travel there?
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
I love the idea of a European road trip, but I think I'm too much of a coward to drive overseas! I think the wrong side of the road and the not knowing what I'm doing would stress me out too much for a holiday!