Travel summary
I went to Ghent for a scientific conference and then spent a romantic weekend with my fiancee in Brüge and Ghent. These are the pictures and travel advice for Brüge, I'll set up another one for Ghent when I have time.
Places you need to visit in Bruge
None really, there are alot of quite nice things to see but nothing that qualifies as something unique. The churches are nice and museums are only 1 € entrance if your less than 26 years old so there is alot of things to do despite not being awesome. Try to avoid the main tourist season becuase even in october it is fairly crowded.
Pretty much all pubs are nice (but does not serve food so eat a large french fries before going there) so you can't really screw it up. My favourite pub was located next to the "forgotten cannon" (the Dutch left a cannon that is now stuck in the pavement south east of the city watch tower). It's an outdoor pub with a very good view over the canals and you also get to choose the size of your beer. They have my favourite beer (Triple Karmeliet) at a good price and you get to choose between 25, 33 and 50 cl glasses. It is easily found if you go to the south eastern corner of the city square (i.e. the one infront of the watchtower) and then move south, the beer shop is right next to the channel on the main street and the pub with the beer wall is located in the same alley.
Food is a constant trouble since prices are quite expensive and pubs doesn't serve food. Personally I generally shared a "grote frites" (large french fries") and a burger with my girlfriend to satisfy my hunger.
Place to stay
I stayed at St Cristophers hostel. Their double rooms are very good (and cost 33€ per person and night) but the dorm rooms are horrible if you end up in one located adjacent to the disco. It might be more enjoyable if you request to stay at the top floor or in the building that is not adjacent to the disco. It does however seem like a decent place to party.
Pictures of Brüge
My favourite pub is conveniantly located behind the tree on this picture.
The tourist boats that constantly travel on the channels, I did not go on any of them.
The hostel provided a free tour with a fairly useless guide that tried to scare the people on tourist boats. The guide then expected us to tip him.
The holy blood church. They got a relic where dried "blood" transforms into liquid blood and claim that the blood comes from Jesus (just like in Italy but less famous)
The city watch tower (you can climb it if you want but theres an entrance fee). The road to the good pub is to the left of the watch tower building.
Jupiler, Belgiums major lager beer. A fairly average beer that is good in warm weather. Beware that the 1€ Happy Hour beer is served in a 25 cl glass at St Cristophers hostel...
Bruge by night, the city got some of the worst weather in Belgium and actually turned into it's modern day tourist trap thanks to a combination of a dedicated effort in the 19th century to attract tourists to the medieval city and the book Bruges la Morte that describes it as a dark and dreary town
A copy of the Jerusalem church in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem church in Jerusalem was destroyed but the copy in Bruge is still standing.
The oldest pub in Bruges (very average pub)
Saint Salvators Cathedral
Shoes from some popes in the 19th century located in Saint Salvator's Cathedral
Inside the church of our lady
Madonna by Michelangelo, one of very few works of art by Michelangelo that is located outside Italy. Charles the Bold of Burgundy is also buried in the church but they charge an entrance fee to go in there an I could not be bothered.
Quintine amber one of my favourite beers in Belgium. Other good ones are St Martyns pale ale, Triple Karmeliet, Chimay blue, Duvel and Rochefort nr 10. Delirium red is also a very good kriek (cherry) beer but doesn't really taste beer.
The beer shop next to the nice pub. It is far more cost efficient to buy most of the beer at Carrefour (super market) but a normal super market does not sell Triple Karmeliet in 75 cl bottles