The best places to shop in Bruges

Boasting the finest chocolate and beautiful lace, this Flemish fantasyland is the ideal alternative to York to find some great Christmas gifts

(Getty Images)

With its mist-hung canals weaving around narrow lanes, step-gabled houses and fire-warmed taverns, and twinkling markets peddling beer and bonhomie, Bruges is a fairytale, especially in winter.

Indeed, the shopping is fantastic. You can browse hip boutiques tucked into 500-year-old buildings, salivate in stores selling the world’s finest chocolate and visit lace-makers’ workshops dating back to the Middle Ages. So rather than Christmas shopping in York’s medieval alleyways, try this Flemish fantasyland – only a 90-minute drive from Calais – where retail therapy comes with extra magic.

Handmade in Bruges

See lace being made (Alamy)

Compact Bruges is easy to explore on foot; better still, traffic access is restricted on Saturdays and some Sundays, so you can peruse unhindered.

The key shopping streets run between Markt (the main square) and the old city gates, especially along Steenstraat and Zuidzandstraat. But every neighbourhood has its own flavour.

For an insider’s guide, download Handmade in Bruges. Its map will lead you to an array of local crafts-people – from shoemakers and calligraphers to jewellers and brewers. Watch them at work and pick up one-of-a-kind finds. Also, head to the Kantcentrum (Lace Centre) to see Bruges’ famed “bobbin lace” being made, visit Aladdin’s Cave-like Mille Fleurs to browse traditional Flemish tapestries, or unearth modern homewares at funky boutiques such as Serendipity.

Alternatively, to marvel at the finest interior décor, head to the Groeninge Museum, which is hung with Flemish masterpieces, or the Gruuthusemuseum – reopening spring 2019 after extensive renovation – for exquisite tapestries, furniture and Bruges lace.

Sweet spot

Sample pralines at Sukerbuyc (Alamy)

Aptly, chocolate-box pretty Bruges claims to be world capital of the stuff: more than 50 chocolatiers trade here, from traditionalists selling tourist favourites to newcomers getting creative with confectionery. Learn the history of cacao (and taste samples) at Choco-Story chocolate museum before hitting the shops.

There’s a good selection of emporia on Katelijnestraat – try Sukerbuyc’s secret-recipe pralines for starters. Then head to Pralinette, which sells 83 different types of hand-filled chocolates. Or try locals’ favourite Spegelaere, a family-run chocolatier that makes arguably Belgium’s best truffles. For a different edible souvenir, seek out Oud Huis Deman, which has been baking Dentelle de Bruges (lace biscuits) for the past 130 years.

Festive cheer

Get into the festive spirit in Bruges (Alamy)

In late November, Bruges becomes even more magical. Fairy lights are strung from every tree, decorations adorn every window and Christmas markets dazzle the historic centre. Laid out on the Markt and nearby Simon Stevinplein, there are stalls selling hot Glühwein and waffles to keep you fuelled for the ultimate Christmas shopping: pick up tree ornaments, woolly hats, gingerbread and all manner of trinkets.

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