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You are here: Home / Belgium / Bruges at night: pictures of Bruges in iconic locations

Bruges at night: pictures of Bruges in iconic locations

October 13, 2021 | Posted in: Belgium

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Guest contribution by my dad on taking photos in Bruges at night.

Because of the weather, I had to cancel a photography trip to the Opal Coast. In Belgium, though, the skies cleared and so I decided to go take some pictures of Bruges at night. With sunset being at 16h 39 that winter day, I wouldn't even need to stay out for long.
 

Capturing Bruges at night

bruges at night

The city was busier than ever. When entering the ring road, all parking signs said “Full”. But I was lucky: headed for the large parking near the station, got in, and immediately found a car leaving.

Although the station is on the outskirts of town, it is really ideally situated to start a walk. You just need to cross the road to arrive at the ‘Minnewater' (‘Lovers pond' could be a good translation). From there on it is a nice stroll to the center, alongside the Beguinage.

There are still Beguines living in the charming little houses so this is a place of silence.

But I had no time. I wanted to be in position for a picture I wanted to make for a long time now. So I hurried past brewery De Halve Maan (‘The Half Moon'), paid no attention to the church of the Holy Mary, nor to the Groeningemuseum.

I just went on to that one famous corner that is an icon of Bruges, photographed so many times, but I never had the pleasure of capturing it after dark myself.

bruges night

I finally got in position at the Dijver. The corner where during daytime the tourist boats leave is an ideal spot to capture the Bruges sunset at its best. Right before sunset, the light was changing all the time. It was busy and lots of people passed by – quite a few asking to take their picture. Some fellow photographers came and went as well, but I was waiting for the dark this time.

pictures of bruges

bruges photo

bruges pictures

Well, that was in the bag. Time to head home. I do need to come back and take more picturess of Bruges by night. In fact, I need to do more nightly cityscapes; winter is ideal for that. On the way home, I took some more time to admire – and of course shoot – the locations I had been rushing past earlier that evening.

bruges photo spots

bruges belgium images

images of bruges belgium

pictures of bruges belgium
 

It was a quick trip, but in the end, I was pretty happy with my Bruges photos. What do you think of my photos of Bruges?
 

Where to stay in Bruges

Booking.com has an extensive list of options for all budgets and needs.

If you're looking for an apartment rather than a hotel, I recommend checking airbnb. Sign up through my link and get a discount on your first stay!
 

Hans Couwenbergh is a food and travel loving photographer. Snapping away, he tells you all about the stories behind his photographs. Check out his website and connect with him on Facebook.

About Sofie

Sofie Couwenbergh has been a professional travel writer for 10+ years. She speaks at international conferences and has been featured as a travel expert in print and online publications. Her writing and social media content reaches over 140,000 people every month.
Learn more about Sofie and Wonderful Wanderings.

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Your Thoughts

  1. Ed King says

    Beautiful pictures ! I really enjoy night photography and especially if a scene presents itself like this.. very nice

    Reply
  2. Rhonda @ Travel? Yes Please! says

    How nice! I didn’t get to see Bruges at night because there was an insane downpour during our only night there. I love night photography, so was very disappointed that I couldn’t go out and capture some photos. Oh well…at least I got to see Bruges during the day!

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      And with these photos you also saw it at night!:)

      Reply
  3. Hans Couwenbergh says

    Thanks for the nice comments. Actually, living in Belgium as I mentioned even I never managed to capture it at night. Either it was indeed pouring down or the diner and company were so nice I could hardly leave the table for some photography. That’s the advantage of winter and a sunset at 4:30 pm… Still need to do another one – I missed some hint of a cloud…

    Reply
  4. Paul Marshman says

    Wonderful shots. I think you could spend the whole year photographing Bruges and never have a bad day — but some planning and patience makes them even better, as you show. I got a couple of nice night shots at the end of my day in Bruges — you can see them here: https://travellingboomer.com/a-magical-day-in-bruges/

    Reply
  5. Corinne says

    Love your night photos. Bruges is such a gorgeous little city. We took photos from your first spot too…that is right after having a beer in the pub down the alley…best of both worlds!

    Reply
    • Hans Couwenbergh says

      Thank you! Need to get into travel portraiture myself next!

      Reply
  6. Jennifer says

    Love that second photo during blue hour!

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      It looks great, doesn’t it. I should take some classes from my dad:)

      Reply
  7. Rilane says

    Great pictures. Monuments sensational evening look :)

    Reply
  8. Nicole says

    We were in Bruges only a month or so ago. A wonderful city for just going for a walk and taking it all in. Just an incredible town. Your night photos really bring that out.

    Reply
    • Hans Couwenbergh says

      Thanks Nicole… Barbados does not look so bad either! ;-)

      Reply
  9. Jay B. says

    Quite a fairytale setting, very cozy sights! It feels like in the middle of a film set.. I hear there are not that many attractions in Bruges and it´s rather the city irself that is the main sightseeing. I have to say I´m always more than happy to roam a city and skip the crowds waiting in lines for this or that attraction. So far Bruges ssounds like my kind of place.

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      Well, it’s true that there aren’t as many attractions as in Brussels or Antwerp, for example, but you have to keep in mind that Bruges isn’t that big either.

      There are some museums and there’s the Brewery De Halve Maan that my dad already mentioned as well.

      I do agree that Bruges is more of a town to just wander around in. It’s especially known for its small streets and old buildings which give it that fairy tale look.

      Reply
  10. Hans Couwenbergh says

    So Jay you know have another city to put on your todo list. I’d agree that Brugge is a city to wander around in and not just visit museums (although there are some). Then, when you’re done, follow the canal to Damme, a quaint little village just a few kilometers away. In fact, you can just take the boat there from Brugge. Reminds me I need to do a piece on Damme as well!

    Thanks for the comments!

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      You know I’ll now be waiting for that piece, right? :p

      Reply
  11. Helen says

    Great photos!

    Helen

    Reply
  12. Heidi (@WagonersAbroad) says

    These are so gorgeous. We are hoping to spend a week in that area this summer. I can’t wait! Your photos have me searching for accommodation now. ;-)

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      Happy to have put you in Bruges-mood :-)
      If there’s anything I can help with when you’re planning your trip to Belgium, let me know!

      Reply
  13. Rose says

    Beautiful photographs. I love Brugge city and was there just in time for Christmas last year. The Christmas lights and decorations just add to the charm. Of course.. there’s also the whole chocolate thing… :P.

    Thanks so much for sharing!
    ~Rose

    Reply
    • Sofie says

      I haven’t been to Bruges yet in the Christmas period, must have been beautiful.
      Luckily there chocolate thing is all year round:p

      Reply
  14. Gran Canaria Local says

    Beautiful photos. You have inspired us to try out some night photography in Gran Canaria. Although we’ll have to wait quite a bit later than 4:30pm for the light to sufficiently fade.

    Reply
  15. Hugh Edwards says

    Hi
    Having a look at your wonderful photography of Bruge. We are visiting for 3 days and your photographs have inspired me to visit some of these places.
    Great work

    Reply
    • Hans Couwenbergh says

      Thank you. You could actually see all of these places in one very nice walk!

      Reply
  16. Dave says

    Great Photos of Bruges!

    I am going in 2 weeks time, what sort of camera settings did you use to get such sharp images?

    Reply
    • Hans Couwenbergh says

      Hi Dave, I could give you what camera settings I’d use in such circumstances but to make sure I went back through my photo archive for you. Probably more important than the camera settings is that all of these images were obviously made with the camera mounted on a tripod, as we’re talking long exposures here. I have used for diafragma f16 until f9 in the city. I openen up to f7.1 for the darkest areas. Many exposures are 20 to 30 seconds. So camera is mostly on diafragma priority (Av) and with exposures longer than 30 seconds on “B”. Lenses used: a 16-35 and a 17mm T&S

      Reply

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