--- title: "Bruges with Friends: A Group Day, Who Books What and Where to Meet | Chocolate Suites" url: https://www.chocolatesuites.be/en/guide/bruges-with-friends description: "Organise a day in Bruges for a group of four to ten friends: a market or long breakfast, a free walking tour, a long lunch, a half-day bike loop with a group discount, then beers, a booked dinner and pool. Includes who books what, meeting points and what changes for six or eight people." lang: en --- # Bruges with friends, _organised once_ One day for four to ten friends: a walking tour, a bike loop, beers and a booked dinner. Four, six or eight-plusSee the itinerary - Example start 09:00, finish after 23:00 - 9 stops, one optional - 3 bookings, one fixed time - Tuesday to Sunday for the bikes **The short answer:** For a group of friends, plan the day around two shared activities and leave the rest loose. The free walking tour at 10:30 gives everyone the same two hours of stories and the same mental map; the half-day bike loop at 14:00 gets the group out of the crowded centre together, with a 10% discount from four bikes. Between them, a long lunch; after them, beers, a booked dinner and a pool table, all within five minutes' walk. One person books the tour, the bikes and the dinner; everyone else only has to be at the Belfry on time. Rain or a Monday swaps the bikes for an escape room. Shared activities 2 the walking tour and the bike loop Bookings for one organiser 3 tour slot, bikes, dinner Fixed times 1 the bike pick-up at 14:00 Walking 30 min between stops over the day, plus the tour ## Tour in the morning, loop in the afternoon, bars after The tour comes first because it starts from the Markt and ends there at about 12:30, leaving ninety minutes for lunch before the 14:00 bike pick-up six minutes away. The Belfry goes after the bikes in summer, when it stays open into the evening, and is optional. Everyone regroups at the Belfry; nobody has to be anywhere else at a fixed minute except the bike shop. How many of you? Choose your version here, then follow the itinerary. Times are examples. A dotted time is a booked slot that the rest of the day bends around. **Start** Oude Burg 14, three minutes from the Markt 1. Image: Horse carriages waiting on the Markt in front of the stepped gable houses (https://www.chocolatesuites.be/assets/guide-stop-markt-carriages-D52k9Zsj.webp) 09:00 #### Breakfast at a café on the Markt, or skip it for the market On a Wednesday or Saturday go straight to the market and eat as you go; on other days sit down at a café on the Markt or Steenstraat. Times, tickets and details Agree the day's two fixed times now and the rest can drift. Fixed times today 10:30 at the Belfry for the tour; 14:00 at Moerstraat 23 for the bikes Booking None About 3 minutes on foot from Oude Burg 14 2. Chance No market today? Tuesday, Thursday and Friday have no large market, and the Dijver market is weekends only from mid-March to mid-November. Replace the market hour with a longer breakfast and a walk round the Burg and the Vismarkt, which has stalls Wednesday to Saturday. The tour still starts at 10:30, so nothing else moves. 3. Image: The Markt in sunshine, with the statue and the coloured gable houses (https://www.chocolatesuites.be/assets/guide-stop-markt-CthUdDwh.webp) 09:30 #### Market morning, on the days there is one Wednesday's food market is on the Markt itself, Saturday's on 't Zand and Beursplein; an hour of grazing on cheese, waffles and fruit replaces breakfast. Times, tickets and details On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday there is no large market, so take the long breakfast and walk the Burg. Dates on Visit Bruges (https://www.visitbruges.be/en). Markt Wednesday 't Zand and Beursplein Saturday Vismarkt Wednesday to Saturday mornings Dijver craft market Weekends, mid-March to mid-November Cost Free to browse On the Markt, or about 8 minutes on foot to 't Zand 4. Image: The Burg square with the Gothic city hall, flags and people on benches (https://www.chocolatesuites.be/assets/guide-stop-burg-CepoDw58.webp) Photo: Marc Ryckaert, CC BY 4.0 10:30 #### Free walking tour from the Markt Booked slot Several companies run tip-based tours from the Markt covering the canals, the Burg and the back streets a group would not find alone, so everyone shares the same orientation before you split up later. Times, tickets and details Agree the tip per head before you set off. Length About 2 hours Cost Tip-based Booking A slot, stating group size 8 or more Message the company first to avoid being split Starts and ends on the Markt 5. Image: People eating on a sunny café terrace in Bruges (https://www.chocolatesuites.be/assets/guide-stop-terrace-Bod1dOER.webp) 12:30 #### A long lunch near the Markt The tour ends about 12:30 and the bikes are at 14:00, so this is an hour's sit-down, not a sandwich on a bench. Times, tickets and details Choose a brasserie a few streets off the Markt and ask for one table for the whole group. Lighter beers only; the loop follows. Allow About 1 hour Booking Advised for 8 or more Leave by 13:45 About 3 minutes on foot from the Markt 6. Chance Raining, or a Monday? The bikes are closed on Mondays and unpleasant in steady rain. Replace them with an escape room for the group, of which several run in the centre; book a slot for about 14:30, split into teams of up to six, and the afternoon ends about an hour earlier, which the Belfry or a longer lunch can absorb. 7. Image: A windmill on its grassy mound on the Bruges ramparts, with people sitting on the slope (https://www.chocolatesuites.be/assets/guide-stop-windmill-CQptxcPt.webp) 14:00 #### Half-day bike loop: the Brugge Unlocked route Booked slot, fixed Collect the bikes at Happy Wheels, Moerstraat 23, and ride the loop out to Minnewater and along the ramparts to the windmills, flat the whole way so the group stays together, with the route pre-loaded on each Garmin. Times, tickets and details Five or more make two bookings for the same slot. Book on our bike rental page (https://www.chocolatesuites.be/en/bike-rental). Slot 14:00 to 17:30 Price €22 a city bike Discount 10% from 4 bikes, per booking Per booking Up to 4 bikes Closed Mondays About 6 minutes on foot from the Markt to Moerstraat 23 8. Chance Not everyone rides? Send the riders off at 14:00 and give the others the Belfry, a canal boat from the Dijver or the Sint-Janshospitaal. Fix a meeting point of Rozenhoedkaai at about 17:45; the loop passes it on the way back, so the two halves rejoin without anyone waiting at the bike shop. 9. Image: The Belfry tower above the Markt (https://www.chocolatesuites.be/assets/guide-stop-belfry-DU4Owf3Y.webp) 17:45 #### The Belfry for the climbers, photos for the rest Optional From April to early November the Belfry is open into the evening, so the climbers go up after the bikes; in winter, climb in place of the bikes or skip it. Times, tickets and details The rest walk Rozenhoedkaai and the Groenerei in the late light. Slots on Musea Brugge (https://www.museabrugge.be/en/visit/locations/belfort). Steps 366, no lift Allow 45 to 60 minutes; last entry 1 hour before closing Evening opening April to early November Regroup At the Belfry, 18:30 About 8 minutes on foot from Moerstraat 23 to the Belfry 10. 18:30 #### One or two beers, chosen by mood The streets off the Markt are full of beer bars, from tiny rooms with one house beer to places that list a few hundred Belgian beers; walk in where there is a table for all of you. Times, tickets and details For an organised version, the Bourgogne des Flandres brewery on Wollestraat brews on site and runs a guided tasting. Group of 6 or more Ask for a table as you walk in, or go early Organised tasting Bourgogne des Flandres brewery Non-drinkers Coffee and soft drinks in every bar About 2 to 5 minutes on foot from the Belfry 11. 20:00 #### Dinner, booked by one person Booked Choose a restaurant that seats you at one table rather than the best-reviewed room in town. Times, tickets and details For eight or more, ask when booking whether there is a separate room or one long table. Booking Days ahead for 8 or more, by one person 10 or more Agree a menu when booking Example time 20:00 Most restaurants in the centre are within about 10 minutes on foot of the Belfry 12. 21:30 #### Pool to finish A few bars in and around the centre have pool or billiard tables, and some stay open late. Times, tickets and details Pool keeps drinkers and non-drinkers in one room, and Bruges is a bar city rather than a club city, so this is the late night. Clubs None to speak of Home Door code works at any hour In or near the centre, a short walk from the Belfry **Finish** Back to the suites, a minute from the last bar ## Practical notes Meeting point Use the Belfry for every regroup. It is visible from most of the centre, two minutes from Oude Burg 14 and about twenty minutes on foot from the station, or a short city-bus ride, so late arrivals can join without directions. Fix the meeting times in a group chat in the morning. What costs money The bikes, the optional Belfry ticket and whatever you eat and drink. The walking tour is tip-based, so agree an amount per head; the markets, viewpoints and ramparts are free. Current prices for the Belfry and the bikes are on their own pages, linked on this page. Beer and bikes The bike loop comes before the bars for a reason: Belgian beer is strong, and the shop expects riders who can ride. Keep lunch to the lighter beers and save the tasting for 18:30. Non-drinkers have coffee and soft drinks everywhere on this route. Getting back Everything on this day is within about ten minutes' walk of the Markt, so nobody needs a taxi. For guests, the door code works at any hour and every suite has a mini fridge and a coffee machine for the morning after. ## Bikes for the group from Moerstraat 23 City bikes are €22 for a half day (10:00 to 13:30 or 14:00 to 17:30) and €32 for a full day; e-bikes are €52 for a full day. Every bike comes with a Garmin GPS with the route loaded, a helmet, a lock and a front wicker basket. From four bikes, 10% comes off automatically. A booking holds up to four bikes, so bigger groups book twice for the same slot; the discount is worked out per booking, so split six as evenly as you can and check the total before you pay. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:30. - Garmin GPS, route loaded - Helmet - Lock - Wicker basket - 10% off from 4 bikes - Closed Mondays Bike rental (https://www.chocolatesuites.be/en/bike-rental) ## Questions about this day ### Who needs to book what for this day? One person books three things: a walking-tour slot for the group's size, the bikes at Happy Wheels in bookings of up to four, and a dinner table. The Belfry slot is a fourth only for those who climb. Everyone else needs nothing but the two meeting times. ### Can six of us rent bikes together? Yes, in two bookings for the same afternoon slot, because each booking holds up to four bikes. The 10% discount applies from four bikes within a booking, so split three and three or four and two and check the totals before paying, on our bike rental page (https://www.chocolatesuites.be/en/bike-rental). ### What do the non-drinkers do? Everything. The tour, the bikes, the Belfry and the pool table need no beer, and every bar on the route serves coffee and soft drinks. Bourgogne des Flandres and De Halve Maan are tours of buildings as much as tastings, if a non-drinker wants to join a brewery visit anyway. ### Is Bruges a late-night city? Not especially. Bars around the Markt stay open late at weekends and a few pool bars stay open late, but there is no club scene to speak of. Plan on bars, a pool table and a reasonable start the next morning rather than a night out that ends at dawn. ## Other days from the same door Switch guides if one of these fits your group better. Couples **A romantic day in Bruges**Choose this for two: the same Belfry and bikes in an active version, or a slow one with a boat and a long lunch.: https://www.chocolatesuites.be/en/guide/romantic-day-in-bruges Families **One day in Bruges with kids**Choose this if children under 10 are coming: a short core route with breaks every hour.: https://www.chocolatesuites.be/en/guide/bruges-with-kids Families, chocolate first **A chocolate day in Bruges with kids**Choose this for a child-led day: a chocolate workshop from 7, a praline trail and a playground.: https://www.chocolatesuites.be/en/guide/bruges-kids-chocolate-day ## Ten suites in one building, two minutes from the meeting point Suites for two to four, so a group of ten fits in three or four, each with its own chocolate theme and a door code for late returns. Book direct for €10 off per suite, free cancellation up to 72 hours before arrival. 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