Louise Eccles enjoys everything from the weird and wonderful to the truly traditional during a short break in the beautiful city of Bruges . . .

Bruges with its quaint cobbled streets and historic buildings is a tourist magnet

Tobacco-flavoured truffles anyone? Perhaps a black olive one, then, or a snort of pure cocoa? Belgium is known for its chocolate, but the country’s biggest export has gone experimental.

The Chocolate Line, headed by self-named “Shock-o-latier” Dominique Persoone, is reason alone to visit Bruges, one of Europe’s most underrated cities.

The shop is located on the main cobbled high street and early on in my three-day stay I made a beeline for it, to try its famously weird and wonderful flavours.

Dominique is not often there these days, but more likely to be found on one of his global book tours, or collaborating with Heston Blumenthal, the British chef who pioneered the dubious pleasure of bacon and egg ice cream.

In his absence, a small team run the shop, producing an astonishing 1,000 handmade chocolates in two hours.

We hesitantly try the basil and olive oil chocolates – which are an experience – before devouring a whole tray of vodka and white chocolate ganache to cleanse the palate.

If you think Bruges is just chocolates and lace, you would be underestimating this beautiful little city, though.

Not for nothing was it named the 2002 Capital of Culture.

With more than 100 churches and 18 museums, it makes the ideal long weekend away, offering historical attractions, medieval architecture, lovely canals, and romantic fine dining around every gorgeous cobbled corner.

Everywhere is so ornate – it’s hard to stop yourself taking photos of the beautiful public toilets!

The city is compact but we opted for a two-hour tour with tourist board Visit Flanders. It costs just a few pounds and was fantastically informative, ensuring we got the most out of the city in a short period of time.

When asked why there are so many cherubs dotted around the city, proud tour guide Jean-Pierre tells us “that is because here, you are in heaven, my dear”.

One of the most popular attractions in the city is the Church of our Lady, where the Madonna by Michaelangelo is kept – the only sculpture by the artist to have made it out of Italy.

Mary of Burgundy, the first countess to live outside Burgundy, is also buried there, along with her father Charles the Bold. The Mosseleum was discovered during an excavation on the church.

It was the Church of Holy Blood that captivated me, though. This gorgeous little chapel is filled with candles. Just off one of the main squares, it is too small to appear on most of the guided tours.

It does, however, feature in last year’s blockbuster gangster film, In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell.

Jean Pierre tells us: “Terrible film, great for the city”, and admits he is “still buzzing” from meeting Colin.

The tourist board in Belgium has even produced an In Bruges movie map, so fans of the film can follow the trail – and it is not long before someone in our tour group interrupts a trip to the 14th century City Hall, to ask to see more In Bruges locations.

The second big coup for the city last year was the opening of its only five-star hotel.

The Kempinski Hotel Dukes’ Palace is a wonderful listed building perfect for a special occasion.

De Vlaamsche Pot restaurant is a national treasure, having een around for 25 years priding itself on “typical grandmother’s cuisine”

The former royal residence in Bruges, it was home in the 1400s to the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold, and later his ill-fated daughter, Mary of Burgundy.

There are 93 rooms, but if you can afford it, splash out on one of the 22 suites, each of which is individually decorated and has grandiose features.

The Graaf Van Vlaanderen Suite has an enormous, 15th century stained glass window and the Prinsenhof Suite has a staircase to the bathroom and a huge terrace crying out for raucous celebrity parties or elaborate marriage proposals. The hotel claims it has the only vantage point in the city from which you can see all three towers.

The rooms are traditional in decor but the mod-cons are all there, with speakers in the bathroom, large flat-screen televisions and the comfiest bed I have ever slept in; I was not the only one talking about the mattress over breakfast.

The hotel also has a new luxury spa and the small, tranquil swimming pool is open 24-hours-a-day to guests.

In the restaurant, the thread of experimental food continued. The chefs are keen on food pairing, the theory being if you get foods with compatible molecules, they will go well together.

The home-made vanilla ice cream with rock-salt croutons and chocolate soup was superb and even the fish with melon sauce passed the test.

If you are a foodie, you will be spoilt for choice.

For a country best known for its moules and frites (mussels and chips) and Belgian waffles, I was impressed by their passion for traditional Belgian food.

De Vlaamsche Pot (www.devlaamschepot.be) has been around for 25 years and serves, in its own words, “typical grandmother’s cuisine”.

The Chocolate Line, headed by self-titled “Shock-o-latier” Dominique Persoone, is reason alone to visit Bruges, one of Europe’s most underrated cities

We made a lunchtime visit and filled up on hearty Flemish-style rabbit, wood pigeon cooked with Kriek beer and grey shrimp croquettes. It is the sort of place where you should skip breakfast to do the menu justice.

The restaurant is a national treasure and has two cookery books written by owner Mario – one of which recommends a different beer for every meal.

Beer, we were to learn, was a serious business.

At dinner, we tried eight different beers, each in different glasses to match the flavours. They were all corked and served in wine-sized bottles. My favourite was a 2004 vintage – the menu was the size of a novel.

Timing is crucial to the kind of visit you will have in Bruges. Late summer is actually off-peak for the city and a lovely time to stay.

Spring is also recommended as a time to enjoy the tranquil streets, secure a seat in the top restaurants and enjoy the blossoming flowers. May marks the famous Procession of the Holy Blood.

From November to January, Bruges hosts the magical Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival (info@icesculpture.be). Three hundred thousand kilos of ice and 400 tons of snow are shipped in and professional ice sculptors work hard to complete their glacial creations.

All these frosty masterpieces are stored in a giant thermal tent, where temperatures are kept at a constant minus five degrees Celsius.

During the festive season, the city is draped with fairy lights, there are romantic horse-and-cart rides and Christmas markets.

With good reason, over Christmas, Bruges is bustling, and the little lanes become very busy. But this is a city which knows how to celebrate Christmas, like the Scots do Hogmanay, so if you don’t mind a bit of hustle and bustle, get yourself booked in. I know I will.

Fact file

Nightly rates at Kempinski Hotel Dukes’ Palace start from 266 euros based on two sharing on a bed-and-breakfast basis (Reservations: +32 50 44 78 82; www.kempinski-bruges.com).

For further information on Bruges, contact Tourism Flanders on: 0207 307 7738 or visit: www.visitflanders.co.uk

Getting there

Louise travelled from Leeds to London Kings Cross by rail with National Express East Coast. Advance returns, booked online, start from £26 Standard Class or £94 First Class. Book via: www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com; call: 08457 225225 or visit any staffed station.

At neighbouring St Pancras Station, she boarded the EuroStar direct to Brussels. Prices start from £59. The ticket includes free rail transfer from Brussels to Bruges. Trains are every 30 minutes and take just an hour. Log on to: www.eurostar.com

Alternatively, ferries depart daily from Hull to Zeebrugge and it is then just a short journey to Bruges. Check out: www.poferries.com