Bruges is a city where the gruesome and the sensual lie side by side. If there is such a thing as a morbid bon viveur, then Bruges is its spiritual home. Primitive paintings of the martyrdoms of saints can be viewed in close proximity to shop-window displays of milk-chocolate breasts. Steeped in several centuries of tragic history, Bruges attracts visitors eager to drink in the city's eclectic past and experience a perfectly conserved medieval city.

DE SNIPPE
Nieuwe Gentweg 53 (00 32 50 33 7070). A relaxed and friendly nine-room hotel in an elegant 18th-century house a few streets behind the Groeningemuseum. The Escoffier inspired cooking of chef-patron Luc Huysentruyt has earned a well-deserved Michelin star.

HOTEL JAN BRITO
Freren Fonteinstraat 1 (00 32 50 33 0601; www.janbrito.com). Jan Brito is a typical 16th-century mansion with stepped gables and an inner garden. Located in a quiet part of Bruges, 100 metres or so from the Vismarkt.

HOTEL OUD HUIS AMSTERDAM
Spiegelrei 3 (00 32 50 34 1810; www.oha.be). This smart 17th-century merchant's house overlooking the canal near Jan Van Eyckplein was used as a location for the film version of Rodenbach's Bruges-la-Morte.

NUMBER 11
Peerden Straat 11, 8000 (00 32 503 306 75; www.number11.be). This is a restored 17th-century townhouse with three guest rooms arranged around a courtyard. The main sitting room has a wood-burning stove.

DE LOTTEBURG
Goezeputstraat 43 (00 32 50 33 7535). Fresh fish and seafood are delivered to this small restaurant twice a day. Dishes such as tartar of lobster with grey shrimps and truffle oil and grilled sole with wild mushrooms, combined with a convivial atmosphere, explain why French premier Lionel Jospin chose to spend New Year 2001 here.

DE ZILVEREN PAUW
Ziverstraat 41 (00 32 50 33 5566). The 'Silver Peacock' dates back to 1261 though the interior is Art Nouveau. It's a fittingly splendid setting for the creations of Patrick Devos, one of the great names of Belgian cooking. Try jelly of seafood perfumed with soft garlic or roll of duck with rhubarb, spices and honey.

DEN DYVER
5 Dyver (0032 50 33 6069). Polished, reliable and with an understated finesse, the food is the gastronomic equivalent of a Mercedes. A quintessentially Flemish experience not to be missed, where the beer is taken as seriously as the food.

'T BRUGS BEERTJE
Kemelstraat 5. This neat candlelit side street café could also serve as an academy of Belgian Beer. Run by a man who lectures on brewing, it offers over 200 native brews. A few doors down, at Kemelstraat 9, 't Dreupelhuisje is a temple to the other Belgian liquid obsession, Genever gin.

STAMINEE DE GARRE
De Garre 1. The drinks menu, which features more than 100 varieties of beer but only two types of wine (red and white), reveals a Belgian view of the relative importance of things.

CAFE VLISSINGHE,
Blekerstraat 2. Situated in the Sint Anna quarter and dating from 1515, this is one of Bruges' oldest cafés, with walls tanned by the pipe-smoking regulars of yesteryear. A photo album offers a glimpse of life at the end of the 19th century, though nothing much else seems to have changed since then.

Absorbing the medieval atmosphere is essential when visiting Bruges. Take a horse-drawn cab on a guided tour of the city and enjoy the quiet cobbled streets by taking a wander away from the crowds.

THE GROENINGEMUSEUM
(0032 50 448711). This museum houses artworks spanning several centuries and was the site where Jan Van Eyke established his studio in 1430. Opening hours: 9.30am - 5pm, Monday to Sunday, between 1st October and 31st March; closed Mondays.

THE GRUUTHUSE MUSEUM
(0032 50 448711). This 15th-century mansion, once owned by Lodewijk Van Gruuthose, is an excellent place to get a sense of the kind of life the burghers led in the 1300s.

Bruges is an excellent place to stock up on luxury chocolates and of course the city's treasured product: beer. The Grotemarkt and Vismarkt markets offer a wide and wonderful array of local foods and drink.

BY TRAIN
Eurostar (0870 160 6600; www.eurostar.com) runs a daily service from London Waterloo to Bruges, via Brussels.

Bruges is enjoyable all year round. However, as with many European cities, spring and early summer enjoy the most pleasant weather.

Tourist Office, Burg 11, 8000 (00 32 50 44 8686; email: toerisme@brugge.be).

Always consult the Foreign Office before travelling.