Dog Friendly Bruges
- fajndogwear
- Feb 18
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 2
Dog Friendly Bruges Bars and Restaurants:
Bar Ziel (even have their own pub dog ‘Harry’!)
Dog Friendly Bruges Activities:
Exploring the old town and canals, windmills and parks!
Bruges Beer Experience
Our Journey
IC train from Rotterdam to Brussels around 2 hours.
Brussels to Brugge approximately 40 mins.
A dog ticket was required and which we bought was $6 but wasn't checked/enforced.
Dogs are required to be muzzled on trains in the Netherlands, however, nobody enforced it (although Nora was snuggled up on the floor unnoticeable to many!).
DAY 1 - The First Stop
Bruges, or Brugge (pronounced roughly like... Bru-her), was our first stop on our Dog-Friendly Interrail Adventure - a much-needed break from almost two full days of travel by ferry and trains.
Getting from the Port of Rotterdam to Rotterdam station was an absolute nightmare as P&O ferries had recently stopped allowing dogs on their bus transfers and there were 0 taxis waiting at the port and getting a dog friendly-Uber/Bolt was impossible. Somehow Andie managed to sweet talk the coach driver who was happy to let us on and managed to convince the ticket officer to sell us a ticket - without that I have no idea how we would have got to the city!
The journey from Rotterdam train station, was really straightforward, efficient and a relatively comfortable start to our trip. From Rotterdam to Bruges, we took an IC train from via Brussels (which took approximately 2 hours).
We purchased a dog ticket ($6) for the journey as required in the Netherlands and Belgium but nobody checked it on either of the trains (it’s worth noting this is not advice or a recommendation, just something we noticed on our trip and this is when we probably realised dog tickets were not going to be needed on our month long adventure!).
Arriving in Bruges in 30°C heat, we were glad to find our hotel only a short walk away. We dropped our bags and headed out immediately, doing our best to keep to the shade and making sure Nora had her cooling bandana on (after initially forgetting it and having to turn back to get it....).
Bruges is a small, historic city, perfect for a dog-friendly sightseeing, although maybe not in the heat of summer. We walked through the Beguinevest Park towards Minnewaterpark, Poertoren ‘Gunpowder Tower’ Minnewaterbrug ‘Lover’s Bridge’, Sashuis, and took in the canals and the city centre.
But let’s be honest- after a long journey, the real highlight of Bruges awaited us: Belgian beer. The heat was getting to Nora, so we took full advantage of the city's incredible beer culture, discovering just how dog-friendly Europe really is.
With it being our first destination, we were frantically googling dog friendly restaurants and pubs. As we ended up sitting outside at a lot of places given the heat, we found that almost every bar and restaurant was dog friendly. We found several fantastic spots:
De Halve Mann Brewery, Famous for Brugse Zot beer, this historic brewery has a lovely courtyard perfect for all weather. Unfortunately, the tour itself isn’t dog-friendly.
De Garre, A tiny, hidden gem tucked down a narrow alleyway off the Town Hall plaza, serving amazing beer and snacks. Despite its size, it was incredibly dog-friendly—though beware, it gets hot inside during summer.
Cambrinus (bierbrasserie) A traditional Belgian brasserie with a huge selection of draft beers and classic food (though limited vegetarian options). Most importantly, it was welcoming to dogs!
Our first day in Bruges was the perfect way to unwind—local beer, sunshine, and the reassurance that our dog-friendly European adventure was off to a great start.
DAY 2 - Belgian Beer
The next day was just as warm, so we decided to head for breakfast early, stumbling into Vero Cafe for pastry and some caffeine. After Nora had soaked up some vitamin D from the morning sun, we got off to see the sights before the peak summer heat hit and we walked to the east of the city, towards the ‘Windmill Walk’ where four windmills are located along the canal.
Then we made our way back to the centre to see the medieval market square, Belfort, and to wander the picturesque streets and canals, before perching on the shaded benches and re-filling our water bottles De Burg whilst gazing up with amazement at the city hall.
To escape the sun and seek some cooler air, we headed to the Bruges Beer Experience, a beer-themed museum and bar just off the main Market Square between De Burg. The museum itself is slightly underwhelming, especially if you know anything about beer (by that I mean have drank it), but it is dog-friendly and offers something different to sightseeing alongside being a chance to get some shade. For an adult ticket with 3x150ml beer tastings included in the bar at the end of the tour costs €20 so not bad value, and once you receive headphones and a tablet to complete the interactive tour. It's not amazing but worth a visit if not just for the bar at the end!
We hoped to cool down there but it was still really hot and we did as much as we could muster before wandering through to bar..... The bar, however, (which you can access without having to do the museum tour) is definitely worth a trip, offering a stunning view across the Market Square and Belfort, along an impressive beer selection!
We continued the exploring, fuelled by frites, some waffles & ice cream and more beer along the way and as we crept past 30,000 steps we finished off with a nightcap, stumbling cross a small bar called Bar Ziel, a cosy spot with nice atmosphere to sit outside and watch Bruges slip into night. The staff were incredibly friendly and the bar even had a resident dog ‘Harry’ - well worth a visit for a more relaxed and quieter evening drink and snacks!
All in all, Bruges is an ideal destination if you’re planning a European getaway with your dog. It is easy to get to for a short weekend break from the UK, and most of the sights can be comfortably explored on foot over a long weekend.
Next up, Munich!
Any questions about our time in Bruges? Just drop a comment in at the bottom of this blog and we will try to answer!
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