Filming locations in Bruges

Visiting Bruges: a set-jetting guide. This perfectly preserved medieval city of canals, gabled houses and a soaring belfry is so storybook that it became the reluctant hideaway of In Bruges, the black comedy about two Irish hitmen lying low after a job gone wrong. One is enchanted by the place, the other bored stiff, and the belfry, canals and cobbled squares carry the film from comedy to tragedy. Compact and entirely walkable, the city is an easy train from Brussels.

The towering landmark is the Belfry of Bruges, the medieval bell tower over the market square that is the site of the film's vertiginous final showdown. You can climb its 366 narrow steps to the top for sweeping views over the city, and booking a time slot in summer saves you the queue. The Markt square at its foot is free and lively, ringed by gabled guild houses and cafés, with horse-drawn carriage tours setting off from it.

The other essential is Rozenhoedkaai, the canal corner that is the most photographed view in all of Bruges and features in the hitmen's wanderings through the old town. It is a free, always-open quayside viewpoint, and coming at dawn or dusk rewards you with the best light and the fewest crowds. Canal boat tours leave from nearby jetties, and the historic Burg square with its basilica is barely a minute away.

The joy of Bruges is that everything sits within a short stroll, so there is no need for transport once you arrive, just wander. Climb the belfry for the overview, linger at Rozenhoedkaai for the postcard, and take a canal boat to see the city from the water as the characters drift through it. Time your visit for early morning or evening light, when the cobbles empty and the medieval city quietly becomes the melancholy place the film found in it.