The Basilica of the Holy Blood (Heilig-Bloedbasiliek) presides over the central plaza known as the Burg or Burg Square. The church is famous for the crystal vial kept inside that is reputed to contain a drop of Christ's blood brought back from the Holy Land by Dietrich of Alsace in 1149 on his return from the Second Crusade. Each year in May, this sacred relic is carried through the streets of Bruges in the Procession of the Holy Blood.

At the very heart of the city is the Markt; Bruges' bustling main square, surrounded on all sides by fine buildings from a variety of different periods. The eastern side is dominated by the Neo-Gothic Provinciaal Hof building which dates from 1887 and is the seat of the West-Vlaanderen provincial government. On the western side, occupying the left-hand corner, is the attractive brick 15th Century Huis Bouchoute.

On the east side of Burg Square, the Bruges Tourist Office occupies part of what was, up until 1984, the Law Courts, built between 1722 and 1727 on the site of the former Liberty of Bruges (Paleis van het Brugse Vrije) from where independent magistrates exercised jurisdiction over the region. Some fragments of the older building have survived, including the pretty 16th-century facade overlooking the canal at the rear.

The 112-meter-high spire of the Church of Our Lady (Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk) is the tallest in Belgium. Work began on the nave and aisles around 1230, the outermost aisles and chapels being added in the 14th and 15th centuries.