Built: 1975
Capacity: 30,000

Home to a couple of the Belgian footballing giants, FC Brugge and Cercle Brugge, the Jan Breydel Stadium is another venue that just manages to top the 30,000 capacity mark and has just undergone a major facelift.

Formerly known as the Olympicstadion, the stadium was renamed after a local hero from yesteryear - a medieval rebel leader, no less.

FC Brugge are Belgium's most successful club side, though they failed to rekindle their glory days of a couple of decades ago, when they were a match for the best in Europe as well as at home.

League titles flowed in that era and were it not for a defeat against Liverpool at Wembley in the 1978 European Cup final - a game that was decided by a Kenny Dalglish goal - Belgian football would have risen to the top of the pile. Liverpool also denied the Blauzwart (blue-and-blacks) in the 1976 Uefa Cup Final.

Perennially under-achieving Cercle are known as the Groen-Wit-Zwart (green-white-and-blacks).

(Belgian football fans are not known for their ready wit and clever nicknames).

Like many of the Euro 2000 host cities, museums litter Bruges and it enjoys excellent transport links.

Bruges is one Euro 2000 venue that simply must be visited.

It is Europe's most authentic Medieval city and tourism bosses have dubbed the city the 'Venice of the north.'

Bruges is punctuated with lovely canals and gorgeous buildings, so sightseers will not be disappointed - as long as they dodge the hordes of cyclists charging through the narrow streets.

The awesome view from the top of the 83-metre tall belfry tower is well worth taking in.

The battle for number one watering hole is keenly contested by Les Amigos at Gistelse Steenweg 471, part-owned by former Sheffield Wednesday star Marc Degryse.

The Brugs Beertje at Kemelstrat 5 is decent drinker, especially if sampling more than some of the 200 beers on offer sounds like a good idea.

Zand offers a healthy selection of cafes, and tapas fans, try Vino Vino at Grauwwerkerstraat 15.

Getting there

The city is just ten miles from the port at Ostend, and to reach Bruges by car, take the E40 from the west; E40 from the south; N31 then N397 from the north; or E17 and E40 from the east.