A fine example of the godshuizen (almshouses) that were built by the rich in Bruges from the 13th century onward as refuges for widows and the poor, is the Godshuis de Vos (De Vos Almshouse), from 1713, at the corner of Noordstraat and Wijngaardstraat, near the Beguinage. The pretty courtyard garden here is surrounded by a chapel and eight original houses, now converted to six, which are owned by the city and occupied by seniors. Admission is not permitted, but you can view the complex from over a low wall out front.

Almshouses Godshuis Spanooghe
Slip down the alley on Mariastraat and enter a bucolic micro-universe with a small green by the canal and quaint painted houses. The L-shaped cluster of houses around a lawn are tucked into a tranquil spot; opposite are the city's oldest almshouse, Godshuis Rooms Convent.

Almshouses Sint-Jozef and De Meulenaere
The doors to each of these of these 17th-century almshouses lead into the same pretty cottage garden with a small chapel and water pump. Cooing wood pigeons and a languid black cat complete the idyllic picture. Off the crossroads of Groeninge and Nieuwe Gentweg.

Almshouses De Pelikaan
A row of well-restored brick homes built for destitute widows occupies a prime real estate location along the Groenerei canal.

Almshouses Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Blindekens
The alley alongside the church of the same name (Our Lady of the Blind) allows a glimpse into the backyards of this demure housing estate for the blind, nestled between Kreupelenstraat and Kammakersstraat. The chapel is the departure point for the annual Feast of the Assumption procession held on 15th August.

The Museum of Folklore : these 17th-century almshouses house a collection of historic objects, arranged thematically in various reconstructed settings: a classroom, a cobbler’s workshop, a hatter’s workshop, a cooperage, a Flemish living room, a confectioner’s, an apothecary’s premises and an inn.