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Sights Stop 1 on our walk
The Belfry of Bruges and the Markt: 366 steps, 47 bells and the square below
The Belfry is the 83-metre medieval tower on the Markt, the main square of Bruges. You climb 366 steep steps, with no lift, past the old treasury and the 47 bells of the carillon to a view over the whole city. Tickets cost €16 (€15 on weekdays in winter) and are sold in time slots, so book ahead. The square at its foot is free and open all day.
Staying in Bruges? Our nine rooms are a short walk from here. See the rooms
What is the Belfry?
For centuries the Belfry was the proud symbol of the city: the tower of the market halls where cloth was sold, the place where the city's charters, seals and money were kept, and the bell that called people to work, to council and to arms. Musea Brugge calls it "one of the three iconic towers of Bruges".
The stone base was probably built around 1240. A fire in 1280 destroyed the wooden tower and much of the city's archive with it. The octagonal top was added in the 1480s. A wooden spire once crowned it, but lightning and fire took it twice, the last time in 1741, and it was never rebuilt. That is why the tower is 83 metres today and no longer more than 100. Look closely from the square: the tower leans, by about a metre.
The Belfry is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the belfries of Belgium and France.
What do you see on the way up?
The treasury
the room where, in the Middle Ages, the city kept its stamps, seals and funds.
The drum
the tower plays a tune on the bells every quarter of an hour. The tunes change every two years, before Easter.
The bells
47 in all. 26 of them were cast in the 18th century by Joris Dumery, after the fire of 1741.
The view
from the top, the whole of Bruges: the spires of the Church of Our Lady and St Salvator's, the canals, and on a clear day the flat land towards the sea.
There are places to rest on the way up; the stair is steep.
The carillon
A carillonneur plays the bells live every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 12:00. From June to September there are also summer concerts. Inside the tower, free hearing protection is handed out.
Tickets and time slots
Summer and weekends
€16; 7 to 17 €14. This applies from 1 April to 2 November, at weekends, on Belgian holidays and from 26 to 31 December.
Winter weekdays
€15; 7 to 17 €13, Monday to Friday from 3 November to 31 March.
Children under 7
free.
Musea Brugge Card and museumPASSmusées
valid; with the card you still choose a time slot.
Time slots
every 20 minutes about 15 to 25 people may start the climb. Book online and be on time: Musea Brugge warns that a ticket for a missed slot expires.
Paying
the reception pavilion and the main museum shop also take cash.
Opening hours
Summer (1 April to 2 November)
every day from 9:00 to 20:00.
Winter (3 November to 31 March)
Monday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00, Saturday 9:00 to 20:00, Sunday 9:00 to 18:00.
Holidays
24 and 31 December until 16:00, closed on 25 December and 1 January, Ascension Day until 12:30.
Last entry
one hour before closing.
Wind
in a storm the tower can close; you can then rebook at no extra cost.
Rules, children and access
No lift
the tower and its museum are reached only by steep stairs. It is not suitable for wheelchairs or for anyone who finds steep, narrow stairs difficult.
Children
under 12s climb with an adult.
Groups
no group visits and no guided tours inside the tower.
Photos
allowed without flash or tripod.
The Markt: what to see on the square
The market halls
the long building at the foot of the tower, around a quiet inner courtyard.
Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck
the statue in the middle, unveiled in 1887, honours the two leaders of the revolt of 1302 against the French king.
The Provincial Court
the neo-Gothic building on the east side, built from 1887 onwards on the site of the old Water Hall.
Number 16
in 1488 the people of Bruges held Maximilian of Austria, the widower of Mary of Burgundy, prisoner in a house here (now the Craenenburg café). Our Charles the Bold guide tells that story.
The Historium
on the corner of the square, a film-and-sets story of 15th-century Bruges, with its own guide.
Carriages
the horse-drawn carriages start from the square.
In winter the Markt holds the Christmas market and an ice rink.
When is it quietest?
Go at opening time or in the last hours of the day, and book the slot in advance. On winter weekdays the tower opens at 10:00, so an early start then means 10:00, not 9:00. Weekends and summer afternoons are the busiest.
Getting there from Hotel Karel de Stoute
The Markt is about 6 minutes on foot from our door on Moerstraat. On our walk through historic Bruges it is the first stop.
Frequently asked questions
How many steps does the Belfry have?
366, up a steep stair. There is no lift.
Do I need to book the Belfry in advance?
It is strongly advised. Visitors start the climb in time slots of 20 minutes, and a ticket for a missed slot expires.
How much does it cost to climb the Belfry?
€16 for adults and €14 for ages 7 to 17; on weekdays from 3 November to 31 March €15 and €13. Under 7s are free, and the Musea Brugge Card is valid.
When does the carillon play?
Live every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 12:00, and at summer concerts from June to September. The drum plays a tune every quarter of an hour.
Can children climb the Belfry?
Yes. Children under 12 must climb with an adult, and under 7s go free.
Does the Belfry lean?
Yes, by about a metre, as you can see from the square. It has leaned for centuries.
More guides to the sights
All guides
Sights
Historium Bruges: is it worth it, and how long does it take?
Film and sets tell a story set in 15th-century Bruges, on the Markt. Allow about an hour.
Read the guide
Sights
The Burg: Town Hall and Holy Blood
The Gothic Hall, the free basilica and when the relic is shown.
Read the guide
Sights
Church of Our Lady and Michelangelo
Michelangelo's Madonna and the tombs of Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold.
Read the guide
Stay in a house built for Charles the Bold
Moerstraat 23, five minutes from the Markt. Book here for €10 less than on Booking.com.
Check Availability