In Bruges

I love Bruges. Here's some reasons why:

De Verbeelding, Oude Burg 26
My local and first port of call when in town. First stumbled into this mother and son run restaurant/pub after a long journey to Bruges with a friend. We were desperate for just one beer, but stayed for hours. Good beer, better company and great food (a warning about eating out in Belgium - portions are very generous!). I recommend everything! Say hi to Tom and Lieve for me.

De Halve Maan Brewery, Walplein 26
The Half Moon brewery is the only active brewery left in city. Luckily it's damn good. It used to just brew Straffe Hendrick (Strong Henry), but when this got too popular the recipe was bought by a bigger brewery. This brought about the introduction of a new beer - Bruges Zot (the Fool of Bruges). Bruges Zot comes in blonde and brown versions, the blonde being one of my favourite beers of all time. The new brewers of Straffe Hendrick then went out of business, leading to the recipe returning home. De Halve Maan now brews the 2 Zots and Straffe Hendrick Tripel and Quadruple. The brewery tour includes a great view of the city from the rooftop and of course a glass of the brew of your choice to enjoy in their spacious beer garden.

Take one down, pass it around, make a xmas tree of the empties.

Begijntje 'T, Wijngaardstraat 16
The best place for marzipan in town. Buy a slice of rum raisin marzipan and your life will never be the same again.

Moeder Babelutte, Rozenhoedkaai 1 and Wollestraat 24
Being Belgium, there are of course plenty of chocolate shops to choose from, but this has become my choice. The truffles are divine.

Brugs Beertje, Kemelstraat 5
Well known among beer lovers for having the largest and best selection of the stuff around. Get there early, it fills up, and start making your way through the beer list that's so big it's more a book than a list. The staff know their beer and help you whittle down the choices to a suitable thirst quencher.

De Hobbit, Kemelstraat 8
After staggering out of Brugs Beertje, you may think that you see the glowing abode of one of Tolkien's little friends. You probably have drunk too much, but the sign really does say The Hobbit. A restaurant filled with everything you need to feel like you are in a Shire tavern. Although the greeting from the staff after stepping inside can be less than warm, once you're seated the service is good and so's the food. The ham on the bone is a highlight.

The Crash, Langestraat 78
If you like rock and/or roll, if you like it loud and you like dive bars, then The Crash is for you. The choice of beer is simple (bottled or draught), the ceiling is covered with crushed beer cans and closing time is when the head of the last drunk has come to rest on whatever will serve as a pillow for the day.

De Garre, De Garre 1
The is only one place in the world that you can get a glass of Garre, at De Garre on Garre street. Enjoy with a selection cubed cheese and meat.

Here's a handy map to help you find your way around:


View Bruges in a larger map

The Good Pub Guide

On my travels i've stopped for a beverage from time to time, here's some of my favourites.

The Dove, London, England

A few minutes away from London Fields, The Dove stocks 100 Belgian beers and also has a few English ales on pump. 100 Belgian beers. In the middle of East London. Does this really need anymore explanation? Try Saison 1900 and Satan Gold.

Jekyll and Hyde, Edinburgh, Scotland

Awesome decor. Toilets can be tricky to find.

Ardview Inn, Port Ellen, Islay, Scotland

Biggest selection of whisky i've ever seen in a pub, friendly staff and locals. Try the Bruichladdich Octomore if you dare.

Het Elfde Gebod, Antwerp, Belgium

Decorated with statues and art collected from churches over the course of 30 years. Saints tower over you as you sip beer that's unlikely to be found anywhere else.

Bauhaus/ The Crash, Bruges, Belgium

Get to know some new friends in the bar of Bauhaus hostel, with giant's melted candle and a clock going backwards, then move over the road to The Crash for rock and/or roll until no one's left standing.

Cafe Olivier, Utrecht, Netherlands

Serving a wide selection of Belgian beer in an old church complete with organ. Good food too.

Excalibur, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Biker bar in the red light district. Good music and suits of armour.

Jazz Rock Cafe, Krakow, Poland

Dark, metal design. Good beer, good music, good atmosphere.

Zly Casy, Prague, Czech Republic

Best selection of Czech beer around, with great snacks.

Prague

Some people think hostels are dirty, crowded, run down shit holes. These people deserve to miss out on having a swimming pool, sauna and bar for under £10 a night. This is what you get at Plus Prague. Just a 5 minute walk away from Nádraží Holešovic metro station, it takes a total of 15 minutes to get to the centre of Prague. However the breakfast isn't free and you can get more, better food by waiting until you get to the metro station and visiting Mr Baker, a wide variety of delicious baked goods, mostly for under £1 each, also home to Andy's Pizza for slices under £1. Any bakery in Eastern Europe is well worth a visit, I recommend one of everything.

In the shopping district there are plenty of sausage stands with big, awesome sausages and mulled wine. Mulled wine is available all over town, the best is at the entrance to the vineyard by Prague Castle. Potrefena Husa has cheap Czech food in massive portions.

I believe walking is the best way to see a city. Prague is a perfect walking city. Stick to the main roads and it's easy to see all the main attractions, wander off through the side streets to find traditional goulash, little local bars and interesting shops. If you want a guided tour, I have always found New Europe tours an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. Although these tours are 'free', the guides are actually charged around 3 euros for each person who starts the tour, so please give them at least 5 euros, in my experience it's more than worth it.

From the old town, cross the spectacular (and spectacularly crowded!) Charles Bridge with it's 30 statues and countless tourist trap souvenir stands (although there are a couple of jewellery stands worth checking out), and start the climb to Prague Castle. I found the Old Castle steps a much easier ascent. The view from the top is well worth the effort, it's the best view of Prague for free. In the middle of the castle grounds is the stunning St Vitus's Cathedral. You can't buy tickets for just entrance cathedral, but must buy a combination ticket which gives you access to the Basilica and other parts of the castle. Unless you are on a very tight budget, do it! Among the highlights are stained glass windows by Alfons Mucha in the cathedral.

Of course, one of the best things about this part of the world is the quality of beer available for prices so small, it would be an insult not to over-indulge. The best place for this is Zly Casy - 24 beers on tap, constanting changing, features many you won't find anywhere else and also has tasty cheap snacks. For something a bit different try BED - just off the main square, does exactly what it says on the tin. Instead of chairs, there's beds, but no shoes on the furniture, please. Live music is never far away. Depending on the night, Matrix is good for Heavy Metal or Drum and Bass. Cross Club has a mix of music in some of the coolest club rooms you will ever see. Seats from buses, trams and trains, fans made form car window wipers, turning engines hanging from the ceiling and and entrance made from exhausts and vehicular bits and bobs. Warning: Keep your bags in your sight, unfortunately there's not much in the way of security here, which can ruin a great night and interesting club.

Kutna Hora - lots of bones

One must-do day out is Kutna Hora. You can choose to go with an organised tour, or pay a small fraction of the price to get the frequent train and explore the small town yourself. It's a short walk to the Ossuary (bone chapel) which is decorated with the bones of around 70,000 people (and one bird). Skulls are arranged in 4 huge pyramids, while in the centre is a chandelier that utilises every bone in the human body. A walk through town will take you to St Barbara's church. Outside is a great view overlooking the town, inside are huge murals, great architecture and an amazing organ.