Visit the Historium Bruges: tickets, prices, opening hours

Visiting Flanders, Belgium? Here’s a must-see in Bruges: our mini-guide to the Historium Bruges!

The Historium Bruges is a museum that allows visitors to discover life as it was in Bruges in medieval times, immersing them in the Golden Age of Bruges, at the time of painter Jan van Eyck (1390-1441). The museum takes us back to 1435, a time when Bruges was one of the major economic centers of Western Europe. Housed in a neo-Gothic building on Bruges’ Place Markt, the Historium Bruges lets us relive the city’s « golden age », when the international port received and sent goods all over Europe, from the Waterhalle, a central warehouse where ships docked (destroyed in 1787).

A visit to the Historium Bruges is a unique opportunity to step back in time to the 15th century, to retrace the city’s lavish history through the love story between Anna, Jan van Eyck’s model, and Jacob, his apprentice. Film images and multimedia support this immersion through a virtual tour of Bruges at that time. But we’re not going to tell you everything just yet!

Interested in visiting the Historium Bruges? Not sure what to do when you visit Bruges? Follow our short tour guide!

History of Historium Bruges

Photo credit: Flickr – VISITFLANDERS

The Historium Bruges officially opened its doors to the public on November 25, 2012. But its history dates back six years earlier, to 2006, when the West Flanders families Claeys and Denolf, Vandamme and Brackx set out to recreate several medieval scenes from the history of Bruges. The initial aim was to add value to Bruges by combining communication, technology and tourism.

The project’s initiators soon received their first major support: a historical committee. Later, the Flemish Government, the Province of West Flanders and the Flemish Tourist Board provided financial and logistical support. And so, in 2012, the Historium Bruges was born. The museum has gone from strength to strength ever since, with the launch in 2016 of the Historium Virtual Reality tour, and the receipt of several innovation awards in 2017 and 2018.

What to see and do at the Historium Bruges?

Photo credit: Flickr – VISITFLANDERS

A visit to the Historium Bruges is much more than a visit to a museum. Of course, there’s the museum dedicated to economic and social life as it was in Bruges 584 years ago. But at the Historium Bruges, you can also enjoy a breathtaking view of the city today, a 360° view of Bruges’ Grand-Place and its belfry, from the 35-metre-high Historium Tower.

The Historium is a four-stage tour: the Historium Story, the Historium Virtual Reality, the Historium Tower and the Historium Exhibition. The best place to start is the Historium Story.

The Historium Story literally takes you back in time, immersing you in a medieval universe. The museum is divided into seven rooms, each devoted to a different historical theme. If you’re a history buff, this museum will help you rediscover what Bruges’ Golden Age was all about.

At theHistorium Virtual Reality, visitors can discover the city of Bruges as it was in 1435 through an interactive tour in a virtual reality cabin. The tour lasts eight minutes. Isn’t it fascinating to be able to contemplate the 15th century when you were born in the 20th or early 21st centuries?

The penultimate highlight of the Historium Bruges is the opportunity to climb to the top floor of the building, to the top of the neo-Gothic tower: a 35-metre-high elevation offering a unique 360° view of Bruges’ Grote Markt, with its main square and famous Belfry. After the last room of the Historium Story, visitors end their tour in theHistorium Exhibition: you’ll learn even more about life in Bruges in feudal times, with a look at the city’s plans and fortifications in the Middle Ages.

How to get to Historium Bruges?

The four parts of the tour are independent of each other, and there’s no compulsory direction to follow when visiting Historium Bruges. However, it makes more sense to visit the Historium Story first, then the Historium Virtual Reality before climbing to the top of the tower: a great way to compare the different eras!

Historium Bruges is located on the Grand-Place (Markt) (address: Markt 1, 8000 Bruges, Belgium). There are three ways to get there:

• By car: If you have opted to rent a car on arrival in Bruges, or if you have your own vehicle, take the Bruges exit on the E40 or E403, then follow the N351 to the R30. Parking lots are signposted from the R30.
• By train: regular services to Bruges from Antwerp, Ostend, Ghent, Kortrijk, Brussels, Knokke and Blankenberge.
• By bus: Take a bus from the station, direction « Centrum ». With the French company OUIBUS, there are more than 5 round-trips a day between Lille and Bruges (from Lille Europe station and Bruges station, Spoorwegstraat).

Historium Bruges opening times and prices

Photo credit: Flickr – VISITFLANDERS

SCHEDULES

Historium Bruges is open daily, including public holidays and Sundays, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Last admission is at 5:00 p.m., except for the Historium Reality (5:30 p.m.).

We recommend booking online at least one week in advance.

RATES

Prices :

A combined ticket (Historium Story, Exhibition and Virtual Reality):

• Adults: €17.50
• Students: €13.50
• Young people aged 6-12: €11
• Disabled: €16.50

Combined ticket + a drink at the Duvelorium :

• Adults: €19.50,
• Students: €15.50
• Young people aged 6-12: €13
• Disabled: €18.50

Combined ticket (Historium Story + Historium Exhibition) :

• Adults: €14
• Students: €10
• Children aged 3-12: €7.50
• Children under 2: free
• Disabled: €13

• Historium Tower: €7
• Historium Virtual Reality: €7
• Historium Story + Groeninge Museum: €22