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!

If you're looking for some cool rockin' clothes to pick up, this small shop has an excellent…read moreselection! They carry much more than just clothes, but the art and rockabilly design in this shop reminds me so much of Austin in Bruges! Highly recommend checking it out if you're out shopping.

Such a unique concept, not a real vintage store but they sell clothes meant to look vintage (1950s).read more

This was totally my jam. Having checked out a few vintage-inspired shops in Netherlands and…read moreBelgium, and having been underwhelmed by those, I loved this one. It was my favorite by far. The shop girl was a doll, and this place had items from Collectif and Irregular Choice. They had a nicely curated selection of wiggle dresses, fuller dresses, crinolines, and some extremely cute novelty prints on knit and cotton dresses. A few pairs of vintage looking shoes, and a couple Irregular Choice more whimsical, undefinable shoes, and quite a number of wallets, a small selection of jewelry. I love how they curated the clothes by color. Also, in favor of this store, the fact that they had a variety of sizes that included up to 2XL, from what I saw, whereas lots of other shops of this genre, which appeared to only carry tiny sizes. Loved this one.

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

I normally do not write reviews for stores, but this is an exception. The woman who ran the shop…read morewas extremely helpful and informative. While we were browsing, she explained the difference between needlepoint lace and Bruges' original bobbin lace. Also, she told us a bit about the Rose of Bruges pattern. There is a good selection of products available. Not the cheapest, but the quality is good, and this is great if you would like to learn a bit more about what you're buying. Apparently they also run a lace-making school.

A delightful shop, full of a wide range of interesting and unusual high quality products,…read moreassociated with Belgium. Well worth a visit.

So much lace. We went to a few lace locations and found this location and Lace Jewel to be our…read morefavorites. This location seemed to have more Tapestries (not interested) than the others. The quality was top notch. The prices seemed a bit higher here, but you pay for quality. We actually came in the store two ties during our trip just to make sure we did not miss anything. Ultimately, we did not make any purchases here as my wife did not want any additional pieces after making several purchases elsewhere. Besides, I think she was all laced out.