WORDS: ADAM BUSHBY
After a 41-year absence, Aston Villa returned to Europe’s elite under Unai Emery in 2024-25 and they’re back at it again this season, with Club Brugge among their opponents. The last meeting in Bruges ended rather well for Villa, too: a 3-1 win in March 2025.
Away from the football, Bruges is almost absurdly picturesque. The historic centre is a living medieval fairy tale of Gothic buildings, winding canals and cobbled streets, but it is also one of Belgium’s great beer cities. Bruges has one of Europe’s most compact, walkable and prettiest city centres and the central squares — the Grote Markt and the Burg — are vibrant hubs packed with tourists, horse-drawn carriages, set to the echoing bells of the 13th-century Belfry.
Forget the rowdy nightlife: Bruges does drinking properly, in candlelit cellars and atmospheric brown cafés where hundreds of Belgian beers sit alongside local favourites. The best accompaniment is usually something simple — cubes of cheese, slices of salami or a plate of hot frites, ideally with mayonnaise.
The Jan Breydel Stadium — a ground Club share with Cercle — is around 2.2 miles from the centre, or roughly a 35-minute walk from Bruges railway station, so there’s plenty of time to explore before heading to the ground.
1. 't Brugs Beertje
Kemelstraat 5, 8000 Brugge
https://brugsbeertje.be/en/home
BEST FOR BEER LOVERS
Opening its doors in 1983, t’Brugs Beertje is the essential beer café. Small, cosy and located in the heart of Bruges’ shopping centre, t’Brugs Beertje is packed with around 300 Belgian beers, five of which are on draft. Old advertising posters adorn the walls and only classical music fills the air.
The pub is a 50-minute walk from Jan Breydelstadion so it is advised to use public transport — walk for about five minutes to the nearby Brugge 't Zand square and jump on the number 30 toward Sint-Andries.
2. De Garre
De Garre 1, 8000 Brugge
https://www.visitbruges.be/en/eat-and-sleep/food-bars-cafes/de-garre
HIDDEN GEM
Tucked down a tiny alley between the Markt and Burg, De Garre is the epitome of the hidden gem. Aptly, the name garre means ‘crack’ or ‘crevice’ in West Flemish. It may be tricky to find but its worth it if you do. Its house tripel is 11% and is served with a side of cubed cheese; sensibly, it comes with a three-per-person limit. This cosy pub will keep you occupied for a few hours until you decide to take the short walk to your next stop around the Grote Markt.
3. Café Vlissinghe
Blekersstraat 2, 800 Brugge
https://www.visitbruges.be/en/eat-and-sleep/food-bars-cafes/cafe-vlissinghe
HISTORIC
Tracing its roots back to 1515, Café Vlissinghe is claimed to be Bruges’ oldest pub. Tucked away in the Saint-Anne quarter, it is the kind of place that rewards lingering: low light, dark wood panelling, heavy beams and an old-fashioned stove giving the room the feel of somewhere largely untouched by the passing centuries.
Old portraits and engravings cover the walls, including one of the pub’s first owners, “Old Teunis”, and his wife, who legend says both lived to 100 and died on the same day. Above the entrance to the dining room, an oil painting hints at the building’s maritime past and its connection to Vlissingen in the Netherlands. There’s a sunny courtyard out back, too, should you prefer your beer with a little more daylight. Either way, this is a pub made for slowing down.
4. De Kelk
Langestraat 69, 8000 Brugge
https://www.dekelk.be/
LIVE MUSIC
With its warm glow spilling out onto Langestraat, De Kelk is difficult to walk past. The bar has 16 rotating taps serving Belgian and international craft beers, but what makes it stand out is what happens through the back door. The owners run concerts in a small, soundproofed room decorated with work by Bruges street artist Sammy Slabbinck, bringing in indie rock bands from Bruges, Ghent and further afield.
It gives De Kelk a slightly different energy from the city’s traditional brown cafés: still intimate, still proudly Belgian, but with a soundtrack.
