Bruges, in Belgium, is a quaint little place that I’d heard of a few people visiting before, even though there isn’t actually loads to do there. 

Having welcomed more than seven million tourists last year alone, this tiny city is one of the many in Europe affected by overtourism. Still, I was able to enjoy my time there. 

The city is small but picturesque, it’s very walkable and touring it on foot is the best way to see everything it has to offer. 

I loved seeing the canals running through Bruges and walking over the small bridges making the whole city look like a little Lego village.

While I was there, I took a day trip to Knokke beach, which can be easily reached by train. 

The beach is quite similar to those of English seaside towns – it wasn’t the warmest and it didn’t have clear blue water, but visiting it was a fun experience. 

I stayed in St Christopher’s Inn hostel as I visited Bruges as part of a post-university interrail trip around Europe. For those travelling alone or on a budget, St Christopher’s Inn hostels are great, they have everything you could need for a short stay. 

This particular one even had breakfast and a bar attached, which made for a very sociable place to meet people.

There are lots of tasty treats to eat in Bruges, including the famous Belgian fries and Belgian waffles. As a girl with a sweet tooth, the waffles with strawberries and chocolate were incredible – they even came with a little Belgian flag stuck in it. 

During my stay, I also climbed the Belfry Tower, which I’d seen in the film In Bruges. There are 366 steps to get to the top and it really does feel like it goes on forever as you make your way up the winding staircases and squeeze past other visitors trying to get back down.

That being said, this is the main attraction to see in Bruges so it’s definitely worth doing. The views from the top are great. 

My favourite thing about Bruges was the small fairytale feeling of the city. Even though I did crave more to do and see after a couple of days, it’s a lovely little place to just walk around and enjoy. If you’re planning a visit, a weekend is enough time to see the city.