Breweries/fun bars & local fare in Brugges or LeHavre?

[KKB]

We love to try the local drink & food wherever we go.

Any suggestions in either of these 2 cities?

Thanks!

 

[cruiserking]

We visited Bruges on a port stop 12 years ago and are headed back there for another port stop in August. It's a wonderful place filled with character and charm. Go to Tripadvisor.com and search for well reviewed canal boat ride, they last around and hour and they're really great fun. 

 

Bruges is filled to the brim with chocolate shops bring your sweet tooth and have fun exploring the bevy of shops that line every street. 

 

For the Le Havre port stop I highly recommend booking the ship tour to Honfleur. Your ship will likely include this excursion. It's only about 40 minutes away by bus and is such a quintessential French town busting with ambience. There are dozens of shops, tons of inviting restaurants. We skipped the guided walking tour included with the tour and spent a delightful 2 hours strolling around this delightful spot. 

 

Happy Cruising. 

 

Jonathan

[markeb]

Never been to Le Havre so I can't help there.

 

Brugges is Flemish, so Flemish stews. Carbonnade Flamande (beef stew) or Waterzooi (chicken or fish stew) are going to be big. Beef stew is delicious, and usually served with frites (as is almost everything in Belgium...). There are apparently a number of local breweries in Brugges but I'm much more familiar with the beers of Brussels. There is apparently a beer museum in Brugges (pretty sure there's one in Brussels as well). There are several styles of Belgian beer; many are very high alcohol! I could look up a couple of places in Brussels, but you're not going to be there! I'm a fan of the various darker, stronger beers such as Delirium, Duvel, and of course, Chimay, mostly the Dubbels. Lower alcohol I've always liked Leffe Brune. Not really a fan of Lambic beers, or fruited beers, but other than that, I don't know that I've ever had a bad beer in Belgium. I've also never had a Stella. Ever. Anywhere...

 

Chocolates, of course. There are a lot of local chocolatiers on Google; I've not been to them. Buy Leonidas to take to friends in Nebraska. Skip Godiva, Neuhaus, etc. Of the shops I see on the map (there will be others, I'm sure) got to Mary Chocolates. Katelijnestraat 21. One of the best chocolatiers in Brussels with a shop in Brugges, and also holds a royal warrant in Belgium.

 

Hopefully you have enough time in port to see Brugges and enjoy the food and beer!

[Ocean Mouse]

There are lots of lovely restaurants on the beach at Le Havre. Got to be the Moule Frit and a carafe of  crisp white wine 😋

[Mrs.Dukes]

When we were in Bruges in 2019, we visited De Halve Maan brewery. We took the tour there, and my husband had some of the beer (I don’t drink beer.) We really enjoyed it.

[Vagabond Knight]

On 6/20/2023 at 10:33 PM, cruiserking said:

For the Le Havre port stop I highly recommend booking the ship tour to Honfleur. Your ship will likely include this excursion. It's only about 40 minutes away by bus and is such a quintessential French town busting with ambience. There are dozens of shops, tons of inviting restaurants. We skipped the guided walking tour included with the tour and spent a delightful 2 hours strolling around this delightful spot. 

 

Oooo... I like the way you think!  We're booked on the "Colorful Honfleur" excursion on our NCL tour in a few months, which talks about a walking tour and then "some free time at leisure" and I've been thinking that I'd rather have all that time "at leisure."  Actually wondering if it would just make more sense to get a taxi or some other transportation to/from Honfleur since the excursion is only four hours and the ship is in Le Havre for 16 hours!

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by Vagabond Knight

[Meander Ingwa]

If you are in Normandy, seek out their hard ciders.  My first cider experience was Normandy , the standard is high

 

[Harters]

In Bruges, look out for the popular Flemish dishes  - mussels with fries, grey shrimp croquettes and stoverij (Flemish beef stew). The local language is Flemish - a dialect of Dutch - but you'll find most folk will speak English (generally more so than in the French speaking areas of Belgium, in my experience). 

[edinburgher]

13 hours ago, Vagabond Knight said:

Actually wondering if it would just make more sense to get a taxi or some other transportation to/from Honfleur

There really is little need for a shorex to Honfleur as it is an easy DIY from le Havre by taxi or by public bus (taxi is easier and you should find others to share the ride with you.) And all your time will be " at leisure" and you can do with it what interests you and have lunch somewhere of your own choosing.

 

There are multiple threads and posts on the FRANCE PORTS forum you can read to help you decide.

Edited July 30, 2023 by edinburgher

[Vagabond Knight]

5 hours ago, edinburgher said:

There really is little need for a shorex to Honfleur as it is an easy DIY from le Havre by taxi or by public bus (taxi is easier and you should find others to share the ride with you.) And all your time will be " at leisure" and you can do with it what interests you and have lunch somewhere of your own choosing.

 

There are multiple threads and posts on the FRANCE PORTS forum you can read to help you decide.

 

Thank you, @edinburgher!   Sounds like an even better plan.  The shore excursion is $109 per person and is only for four hours, so taking a taxi would be quite a bit less expensive and give us as much time as we want in Honfleur.  We'll post this in our roll call thread and see if there's another couple who wants to share a taxi in to Honfleur, but sounds like we'll be fine even if we're on our own.

Edited July 30, 2023 by Vagabond Knight