The 10 most romantic hotels in Bruges, from baroque mansions to cosy b&bs

This luxury b&b feels a bit like a rambling country house – except it is in a prime and privileged location in central Bruges, with a garden overlooking the city’s prettiest stretch of canal. Fourth-generation owner Caroline Van Langeraert is determined to preserve the historic flavour of her old family home, and it is her gift for design, attention to detail and charm that are the making of this place. There are four individually decorated rooms, all with hotel amenities like slippers and minibars. Go for The Suite La Charpente – a huge attic room under the oak rafters.

Romantic, sumptuous, historic; de Orangerie is a rare hotel that has helped establish the city’s reputation for being not just a place to visit, but somewhere to stay and linger in pampered luxury. There is a theatrical opulence to the entrance, with a lobby swathed in fabric. Elsewhere the style could be called English Country Manor: light, floral and agreeably rambling. No two bedrooms are the same, and each is individually decorated, with special emphasis on fine English and French fabrics, and there are marble bathrooms.

There is no other place to stay in Bruges quite like this: a small luxury boutique hotel in a neoclassical mansion with large terrace overlooking a pretty stretch of canal. It’s family-owned (with history going back to the medieval Van Cleef family) and designed with exquisite attention to detail; at once gloriously palatial yet intimate. The double rooms feature fabrics by Missoni (with its trademark zigzags), while the Duplex Suites are Hermès. All have super-comfortable box-spring beds, marbled bathrooms and whirlpool baths. Breakfast and afternoon tea are served in the elegant Green Room, with its spherical Italian crystal chandeliers.

Huis Koning provides a pampered and memorable place to stay in this very special city. Its setting is magical, with a terrace at the back on a tranquil stretch of canal. Originally built in the 17th century, with a beautiful brick and step-gabled façade, it retains its historic air, with atmospheric antique charm. All three rooms are very comfortable, with rain showers, L’Occitane products, and a double bed made by the luxury Belgian brand Magnitude, with feather eiderdown bedding and Egyptian cotton sheets.

The Pand is a well-established boutique hotel of great comfort and charm. The property occupies a grand former town house. The high-arched entrance was once the passage through it to the carriage house. The intimate interior is redolent of the past, with a pine-panelled library/lounge with an open fire, antiques and curios, and old wooden floors. Ralph Lauren wallpapers and fabrics are a predominant theme. A selection of rooms have wonderful views of the Bruges skyline. Some of the marble bathrooms have whirpool baths. The hotel has a cosy little bar, and the breakfast features champagne.

This is a fabulous place to stay: a medieval and 16th-century house, overlooking a canal, exquisitely decorated and equipped to the standard of a top luxury hotel. The label ‘bed and breakfast’ does not do it justice: ‘Maison d’Hôte de Charme’ gets nearer the mark. There are just three rooms, each different, each beautifully decorated in modern-antique style, with Ralph Lauren and Toile de Jouy fabrics and wallpaper, elegant pastel paint schemes for the wood panelling, and a sprinkling of genuine antiques and interesting objets d’art. Granite bathrooms have whirlpool baths and separate showers.

Bruges has a handful of truly exceptional B&Bs, and this is one of them. Close to the centre, yet quietly located on a tranquil canal, it oozes charm, individuality, pampering luxury, antiquity and style. If a romantic place to stay in this city of romance is what you are seeking, look no further. Antique furniture, exposed beams, intriguing objets d’art and curios, log fires and huge beds – the stage is set for an immersive experience of the best of historic Bruges. All five of the individually styled rooms overlook the canal, and two have small canal-side terraces.

This is an exceptional guesthouse in a stylishly refurbished 16th-century mansion close to the centre. While a highly individual tone is set by the antiques and objets d’art, it also offers all the modern comforts of a top-quality hotel. The interior was refurbished in the 18th century, and the lounge is decorated with original painted canvas panels depicting Rococo fête-champêtre scenes. Rooms feature an eclectic range of antique furniture and furnishings, prints and paintings; some have a four-poster bed.

This is like staying in a grand, aristocratic, 19th-century mansion in the very heart of historic Bruges. Two neoclassical mansions – one formerly the home of the Baron de Peellaert – have been seamlessly combined. The impressive, high-arched lobby is in fact the old carriage entrance. The grand spiral staircase, with griffons supporting the treads, rises through the floors to a stained-glass skylight. The most elaborate suites have original architectural features, such as painted wall panels, chandeliers and stucco ceilings, plus antique furniture.

The two bedrooms of this delightful b&b have all the style and comforts of a top-class boutique hotel, but with the intimate charms and privileges of a private home. The first, Salvator, has its own terrace with decking, which gets afternoon sun; the second, Onze Lieve Vrouwe, has charmed views over tiled roofs and gardens to the church. One of the owners, Caroline, is also a professional upholsterer, and her sophisticated craftsmanship is self-evident in the furnishings.