Top 10 Zeebrugge Shore Excursions
Despite offering one of the busiest ports in Northern Europe and been a popular port for many cruise lines as both a turnaround port and a port of call, the town of Zeebrugge itself is very small and offers nothing much in the way of attractions for tourists aside from a small marina and a couple of chocolate factory shops.
That means the majority of those who visit there will choose to head out on excursions but don’t worry, that doesn’t mean that you have to break the bank on a visit there as many can be easily done on your own including our day ashore that cost just a couple of Euros.
But just what are the top 10 Zeebrugge shore excursions? That is just what we answer in this list, which is based on our experience of visiting the port on a cruise holiday and the research we did before visiting there.
Our Top 10 Shore Excursions In Zeebrugge
Bruges on Your Own
There can only really be one location to visit from Zeebrugge that sits at number 1 on a list such as this one and that is the nearby tourist hotspot of Bruges.
Many cruises line will either call Zeebrugge Bruges in their itineraries or will call the port Zeebrugge for Bruges which just highlights how the lines expect the majority of those visiting Zeebrugge to head for the city of Bruges.
That is for a good reason as well as Bruges is an incredible place to visit and somewhere me and wife have been to many times before, either as part of a mini cruise ferry holiday or on a coach tour and that is the only reasons we didn’t visit their when we visited onboard the MSC Virtuosa.
There is so much to see and do in Bruges, from its canals to the beautiful Minnewater and from its narrow-cobbled streets to its main Market Square.
Arguably the best aspect of the city is its size as it is easy to simply stroll around on your own and just see what you come up to next, so we would recommend doing it on your own rather than doing an organised tour.
That is especially true due to buses not been allowed in much of the city centre, so you will still have to walk from the outskirts anyway and there are plenty of options to get there from the port including taking the tram and train, local service buses, shuttle buses and excursion buses.
Brussels on Your Own
Brussels is the capital of Belgium and is a city full of contrasts where modern skyscrapers sit alongside historic alleyways and market squares and where royal places sit close to houses estates.
The city is reachable via a coach shuttle offered by the majority of cruise lines but once you get there, we would recommend simply walking around on your won as many of its main attractions are located within walking distance of each other and there is a great public transport network for those who want to explore further afield.
Amongst its main attractions on offer is the Grand Palace, St Michael and St Gudula cathedral, the space age Atomium, the Basilica of Koekelberg, Jubelpark and the iconic Manneken Pis.
Ghent on Your Own
Ghent is a city that often goes overlooked when visiting Belgium, but it really shouldn’t do as it makes for a great option for those who want a great day exploring an historic city but without the crowds that are found in the more touristy spots such as Bruges or Brussels.
The city is one of the largest in Belgium and is the capital of East Flanders, but it retains a small-town charm for those visiting there as the bulk of its attractions are within easy walking distance of each other in its historic centre.
That makes it easy to explore on your own as when we visited the city, we would simply choose a circular walk to take in sights such as the Gravensteen Castle, the church of St Nicholas, the Belfry, the cities market square and we would enjoy a cruise on the cities canal from the Graslei quay.
Antwerp on Your Own
The city of Antwerp is home to one of Europe’s biggest ports but there are only a few cruise ships that call in there, so if you want to visit the 2nd biggest city in the country, the chances are that you will have to visit from Zeebrugge.
Thankfully that is relatively straightforward to do as most cruise line swill offer a visit there on a shore excursion and it makes for a great alternative from Bruges for those who have been before.
Antwerp has an incredible history and periods of been amongst the wealthiest cities in the world so many of its historic building in the city centre are well worth visiting including its Cathedral of Our Lady and the cities Central Train Station.
Antwerp’s market square is an incredible place to sit, eat and drink whilst people watching but it is not just about the historical attractions of the city, as Antwerp continues to modernise led by the iconic Port Authority Building.
Ypres and Flanders Fields
A visit to the northern coast of Belgium gives the opportunity to visit a number of important sites from WW1 which gives a great chance to pay your respect to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, gain a better understanding of those dark days and if you lost a relative during the war, you can visit British and Commonwealth war cemeteries and maybe visit their headstone.
Tours will usually visit Tyne Cot Cemetery, before heading to Menin Gate Memorial, which lists the names of around 55,000 fallen soldiers with no known grave and then you can go to Flanders Field Museum.
Any tours will also go to the historic city of Ypres which was the centre of the Battles of Ypres where around 1,000,000 allied forces lost their lives.
Coastal Tram (Kusttram)
When docking at the port of Zeebrugge, you will need to get on a shuttle bus from your ship to the port gate and from their it is just a short walk to the nearest tram stop, which makes this a great option for those wanting to simply explore on your own when in port.
This is exactly what we did when we visited the port in 2024 as we wanted a cheap day on shore and wanted to take a ride on the Kusttram, or coastal tram, which is the 2nd longest tramway in the world and the longest in Europe.
It runs the full length of the Belgium coast, from the French border to the Dutch border that takes in a number of coastal towns and seaside resorts such as De Panne, Niewpoort, Ostend, Blankenberge, Knokke and of course Zeebrugge.
In you are new to the region, we would recommend visiting Ostend as its marina and huge promenade makes for a great day of exploring on your own but for us, we would visit the seaside resort of Blankenburg as we had already visited Ostend and much of the coastal region.
Flemish Countryside
The Flemish countryside is home to many beautiful small towns and villages as well as a number of historical buildings including the Castle of Loppem.
Popular locations to visit include the likes of Damme, home an incredible market square with a beautiful town hall and church as well as the town of Loppem itself.
Private Tour of Flanders
Flanders is an incredible region full of history and culture and full of must visit towns, cities and tourist hotspots.
With so much to see and do and often not quite enough time to do it when on shore, a great option to book a private tour of the region where you can often pick and choose to see what you want to see and experience what you want to experience.
Whilst this will often be amongst the more expensive excursions when in the port, if you have the means to do so, it is a great way to make the most of your time onshore to have a memorable visit to northern Belgium.
Chocolate Tour
There are many things that come to mind when you think about Belgium and especially the Flemish region but for us, one thing that comes to mind first in chocolate.
Belgium chocolate is famous across the globe but there is nothing quite like buying some in the country itself.
There is a chocolate factory shop within metres of the port gate but if you are a chocolate lover, we would recommend heading out on excursion to visit a chocolate factory where you can often have a go at making it yourself, see professional create incredible chocolate masterpieces and of course try plenty of samples.
Head to the Beach
Belgium may not be known as a top destination for a beach trip but if you are lucky enough to visit Zeebrugge during a heatwave in the middle of summer, there are miles and miles of beautiful sandy beaches starting from just a short walk from the port gate.
A number of seaside holiday resorts are found along the Belgium coast and are easy to visit on your own or you can simply head to the Zeebrugge beach- Zeebrugge does mean ‘Bruges-on-Sea for a reason as when the sun comes out, those living in Bruges flock to Zeebrugge to soak up the sun.
Zeebruges ShoreEx
The Belgian cruise port of Zeebrugge, also known as Bruges by some cruise lines, is a popular port of call for itineraries sailing around northern Europe, including some heading north to Norwegian Fjords and even for some heading south to the Med.
The port also offers turnaround facilities, so some may start or end your journey there and have even longer in the region but no matter how long you have in Zeebrugge, there are plenty of excursion offered to make the most of your time there.
