Venice of the North (Bruges)

Bruges is a tourist magnet in all seasons, so be sure to reserve a room in advance of your visit. Fall and spring are the "slower seasons", but can be cold and wet, so bring warm clothes and an umbrella or rain gear. Of course, the off season is much less crowded and there is a certain enchantment to the city when it is not overflowing with tourists. Bruges was one of the world's leading cities in the 13th and 14th centuries when it was a center for international commerce and had a population equivalent to London's. Unfortunately, the city's harbor silted up in the middle of the fifteenth century and Brugge lost its port status. Soon thereafter, it fell into decline and was surpassed in importance by Antwerp. Most tourist brochures claim that due to this accident of history Brugge has remained unchanged for hundreds of years, but we think that sets the wrong tone. Change is unrelenting and the citizens of Brugge have worked hard to preserve the "essence" of the area's past, in the process creating a working city with an admirable historic core.