Shopping Middelburg town centre has every kind of shop you…read morecould wish for. Dedicated shoppers know that shopping is not just about quantity but also about quality. Here again Middelburg scores high marks. In fact, it is one of the three most varied shopping towns in the Netherlands! Shopped till you dropped? Take heart, you just found the ideal excuse to take a break in one of the many small restaurants or pavement cafes. Middelburg town centre is a perfect mix of shops and refreshment venues. The shopping precincts The open air shopping precinct in the famous market square is characterised by the tall, impressive gables of the buildings that house the shops. Their elegant ambience combines with the pavement cafés to create an inviting atmosphere. The shops in the nearby Nieuwe Burg precinct also exude elegance and are where you will find, among other things, the exclusive designer brands for fashion and shoes. The Langeviele shopping precinct is the place to go for small fashion boutiques, designer furniture and gourmet snacks. Just behind Langeviele are Korte Geere, Lange Geere and the Geere Arcade. These are packed with quaint, specialist retailers offering furniture, flowers, kitsch and gifts. The best time of year to admire the Lange Delft is around Christmas when Middelburg's longest shopping street is beautifully lit up. The shops in Lange Delft are mostly branches of nationwide chains. The most surprising shopping streets in Middelburg are the small side streets off Lange Delft. These are Sint Janstraat, Herenstraat and Segeerstraat and are home to many original and exciting, smaller shops. Since 2005 Middelburg has also been home to a retail park outside the town centre on Mortiereboulevard. Here you will find the mega stores with a huge range of products from DIY through flowers and plants, furniture, appliances to every conceivable household item. Markets Middelburg's markets cater to food shoppers seeking fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese and fish, as well as to those in search of bargains or that elusive book to complete their collection. Below you will find a list of markets in Middelburg. Antique and collectables market From mid-June to the end of August, Thursdays from 9.00 to16.00 hours Location: Vismarkt Books and collectables May to mid-October, Mondays from 8.30 to 16.00 hours Location: Markt Fruit and vegetable market Every Saturday from 8.30 to 16.00 hours Location: Markt Flea market Every first Saturday of the month except in January, from 8.00 a.m. Location: Vismarkt Mixed market Thursdays from 8.30 to 16.00 hours Location: Markt Incidental flea markets and night markets are also organised. For more information about these please contact the Tourist Shop. Opening hours Most shops are shut on Monday mornings. Late shopping day is every Thursday and there are a number of extra late shopping days in the run up to Christmas in December. The shops are also open on every first Sunday of the month between 1 and 5 p.m. Supermarkets often have longer opening hours. Mon. 13.00 to 18.00 hours Tues. to Fri. 9.00 to 18.00 hours Thurs. 9.00 to 21.00 hours Sat. 9.00 to17.00 hours

Unfortunately, this shop is closing by the end of the month…read more I wish I actually lived in the area because they still had a ton of great home decor items for sale (at half price!). I picked up a pillowcase, but they still had tons of figurines, magnets, postcards, and other oddities. Shopkeeper was super nice.

A hopping thrift store slightly off the beaten path. Great place for vintage finds and unique…read morelittle ensembles. I shopped fairly early and the shop was a bit packed. Difficult to get around and thankfully patrons are aware and friendly to let you squeak by if you need. If you love thrifting and you are looking for a memorable treasure, this is an excellent stop.

Home Goods and antiques with a stunning assortment of insect taxidermy, deer pelts and skulls too…read more We became friends with the store owners in a matter of minutes, super friendly, funny and knowledgeable. Very reasonable pricing here for quality goods.

I'm so glad we decided to make the trek down to this place for brunch during our stay in Bruges…read more The whole concept is really cool because you probably can't go wrong with either books or brunch but together seems like an even better combination. Our server was a touch cold and aloof but it was ok because they provide you with a paper menu that you can check off what items you want. This is a fantastic concept and I really wish more places did this. Two of us ordered the bagel with hummus, zucchini, feta, olives, tomato, and cilantro. This was not only nice on the eyes, but it was delicious and packed with tons of veggies and healthy shit. I could not have had a better breakfast. GF ordered the omelette with toast and she liked it but it brought up that dilemma that's as old as time regarding whether or not she likes eggs. If you do, in fact, like eggs, this is probably a safe choice. The last in our party ordered the granola bowl with nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, and yogurt. This person is very hard to please but I do remember her being pleased by this dish. They also have a million other things like pancakes, waffles (duh), sandwiches, salads, a dish of the day, a pie of the day, and a bunch of yummy drinks. The environment is SO cozy and a great place to spend some time enjoying good food and a book.

Wow!! I am so impressed by this place. The service was wonderful, they provide menus where you…read morecheck what you want. The food was fresh and so delicious. I told the waitress I do not eat pork and she substituted the ham for cream cheese for the extensive breakfast. So often I have fruit salads with bad fruit, but everything tasted great! The ambience is wonderful. They have books in English and other languages where you can grab a book and enjoy your meal. It's a wonderful location to hang out and take a break. I will be retuning.

excellent, bit rough around the edges…read more some prices are too high and 100% barter , starts at 7am , bring a large bag no card payments available , cash only

Accordian music on a chilly Sunday afternoon. Old books, old albums and cameras, beautiful…read moretaxidermy with a bit of dust. People sipping coffee and lots a beautiful paintings underneath the shade of a Gothic church. I'm in love. I love all these Belgian pop-up markets. Brocantmarkt of Saint Jacobs is probably the best antique market I've had the pleasure of stumbling into. Next to the Marché des Antiquaires du Sablon in Brussels. With that, Belgium's love of pop-up antique markets outpaces most to all antique shops I've been to internationally in price and collection. Some of the stuff I saw here, which I've seen otherwise going for double/triple digits, were in the single digits and all lovely items. We were hard-pressed to try to not spend our money and eventually caved over a gorgeous photo album of worn crimson leather, but soft and in great condition. Inside old photos and memories, but something for inspiration-- places in black and white. We also purchased a small set of forks with engravings for a few euros. There were lots of items I would have easily picked up if I wanted to splurge. Found a beautiful used paint palette, mounted animal hooves-- a boar and deer, a small collection of old cameras with leather cases, old coins from various places, old scarves in decent condition, a dried turtle, a mounted crocodile head. This is just a sampling of the oddities at this market. Along with were lots of old paintings and of course a large breath of books. If nothing at the market interests you, it's nice to just come out and sit at the cafes lining the side. Bistro & Antiek Montparnasse is a pretty nice antique shop and bar. Lots of people sat outside enjoying the weather and drinking coffee, and no beautiful antique market should go without a talented accordian player. You are truly a gem Brocantmarkt!

Mezzo Gent is a smaller gift shop with an automatic door that sells gag gifts, Father's Day gifts…read moreand other cute and fun silly gifts. The space isn't that big but there's a lot packed into it so you almost have to walk through multiple times to take everything in. The service was friendly and although the items are a bit on the lower quality gag gift end, it's a super cute little shop and definitely worth a visit if you're staying in the area.

A slice of real life, for when you're tired of Brugge's fairy-tale tourist sites…read more The Dutch chain HEMA is ubiquitous--good for your basic needs in cosmetics, housewares, and cheap clothes. However, the secret of this Belgian HEMA is that it offers the famous 1 euro breakfast on the upper floor. People of all stripes start lining up before the store even opens: chic young things, middle-aged matrons, families with many kids, and a couple of impoverished-looking old men. Everyone patiently waited for the cafeteria-style breakfast: an egg/bacon sandwich on a baguette, croissant, jam, juice, and coffee. Even in this reduced-expectations setting, the niceties are not forgotten. You still get a speculoos cookie on your saucer, gratis. And the interior is clean and modern, IKEA-style, where that you can overlook the busy street below while you eat. Everything was, surprisingly, fresh and delicious. For a euro! The idea that you might want anything other than this amazing bargain is foreign to the staff. So an impatient cashier simply removed the chocolate croissant from my husband's plate and replaced it with a plain one. Stupid tourists! HEMA: for insight into the local mindset, a filling breakfast, and an all-too-rare bargain in Brugge.

We discovered Hema yesterday after spending 15 Euros each for breakfast at our hotel. This morning…read moreI got the (now) 2 Euro breakfast: An egg sandwich, croissant, and cup of latte. My wife bought a couple of rashers of bacon, yogurt with fruit, and a latte. I also bought a cup of yogurt with fruit and muesli. The entire bill came to 6.75 Euros! We might have paid more. But the person behind the counter advised us to switch a couple of things and buy the 2 Euro breakfast. This place is known far and wide among Europeans for good, inexpensive food. It's cafeteria style. Clean, good service, and a table near the window gives an excellent view of Steenstraat below with beautiful 15th - 18th century buildings across the street. If we had planned to return to Bruges, we might have kept it a secret!