There is a british movie called "In Bruges" that plays in the old city center of (take a guess...) Bruges. Every time I heard the name of that city during the last years I had to think of that movie. In german it is called "Brügge sehen... und sterben?" which translates to "See Bruges... and die?". I always remembered that title and the fact that most or even all of the main characters in that movie die in Bruges. That being said my thoughts about the city (and the movie) were still positive and even though I watched the movie years ago I remember the nice scenery. So I went to visit and take a look for myself, hoping not to die in Bruges ;)
Apart from the weather everything was great. It had been raining a lot and sadly the drive to Bruges and most of the visit itself were no exception. It was cold, wet and windy but the city was beautiful. Most buildings in the centre are only two or three stories high and made out of bricks. There were horse-drawn carriages on the market place and the old streets have a flair of history and age. Because of the mostly low buildings you can see the belfry and the church tower from everywhere and use them as a compass while strolling around.
Since Belgium is famous for it's chocolate it's worthwhile visiting one (or a few) of the many shops selling pralines and other sweets. There are canals and rivers to walk along and if you want to you can go up the belfry and take a look from above. I can really recommend visiting that beautiful and old city.