Bruges has appeared in literature for centuries. Chaucer mentioned it. Dante's patron lived here. Georges Rodenbach wrote 'Bruges-la-Morte' in 1892 — a novel that essentially invented the idea of Bruges as a melancholy, dream-like city. And then there's 'In Bruges' the film, which most visitors quote at least once during their stay.

De Reyghere on the Markt is Bruges' largest bookshop. It's been here since 1925, and the building is an Art Deco gem. The English-language section is decent, and they have a good selection of books about Bruges and Belgian history.

The second-hand bookshops in Damme (the 'book village' a bike ride away) are worth a trip if you love old books. Mostly Dutch and French, but you'll find gems in English too. The town holds a book market twice a year.

For reading spots, the Bruges public library (Biekorf) on Kuipersstraat has a quiet reading room. The Concertgebouw café has comfortable seating and views of the skyline. And the cafés along the Groenerei — especially those with canal-side windows — are perfect for settling in with a book.

Rodenbach's 'Bruges-la-Morte' is short (under 100 pages) and available in English translation. Reading it in Bruges — especially on a foggy day — is an almost hallucinatory experience. The melancholy he describes is still there, just under the surface of the tourist-friendly present.