Sint-Janshospitaal Bruges: Memling Museum Tickets & Guide

Sint-Janshospitaal (St John’s Hospital) is one of the oldest and best preserved hospital buildings in Europe, and one of the best things to do in Bruges. Its medieval wards, church and vast attic now hold seven paintings by Hans Memling, four of them in the place they were made for. This guide covers the history, what to see, tickets and prices, opening hours, the best time to go and how to combine it with the Church of Our Lady across the street.

Sint-Janshospitaal at a glance

A short history of Sint-Janshospitaal

The hospital dates from the middle of the 12th century. For centuries it gave shelter and care to the poor, the sick, travellers and pilgrims, and anyone who needed treatment or a bed was welcome, whatever their origin or class. That idea of hospitality is still the museum’s central theme.

The original domain was immense. Besides the wards and the church, it included two cloister buildings, a cemetery, a pharmacy, a herb garden and a brewery. The medieval wards, the church and the imposing attic are now arranged as a contemporary museum, and the hospital kept working until 1978.

Next door, a 19th-century hospital building designed by Isidoor Alleweireldt, now a congress centre, belongs to the wider complex known as Oud Sint-Jan.

Hans Memling at Sint-Janshospitaal

The main reason most visitors come is Hans Memling (about 1430/40 to 1494). He lived and worked in Bruges and painted his most important masterpieces here. The Memling collection of Musea Brugge is the second largest in the world, and nowhere else can you see as many of his works in their original setting.

Four works made for the hospital

Four of the seven paintings were commissioned by the sisters and brothers of the hospital and have hung here for more than 500 years:

• The Triptych of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist: a majestic triptych of the two saints to whom the hospital is dedicated.
• The Shrine of St Ursula: a reliquary that combines architecture, sculpture and painting, and is unique in Memling’s oeuvre.
• The Triptych of the Adoration of the Magi: a refined work ordered by hospital brother Jan Floreins.
• The Lamentation of Christ: a deeply human triptych ordered by hospital brother Adriaan Reins.

These four works are on the Flemish Masterpieces list.

Three more Memling paintings

• The Diptych of Maarten van Nieuwenhove: the 23-year-old Bruges notable portrayed at prayer beside the Virgin and Child.
• The Portrait of a Young Woman (Sibylla Sambetha): a serene portrait of a Bruges lady from the wealthy middle class.
• The Portrait of a Member of the De Rojas Family: a praying man, probably from the prominent Spanish Rojas family, on a panel that came loose from a triptych.

What else to see inside

The attic and the Closer to Memling Experience

Do not skip the attic. Its oak roof structure is one of the oldest and most monumental in Europe. It is also home to the Closer to Memling Experience, an interactive audiovisual installation with touch tables, music and light, aimed at bringing visitors, children included, closer to the painter.

The 17th-century hospital pharmacy

Beside the medieval wards is the old hospital pharmacy, with an authentic 17th-century interior that tells the story of the nursing sisters who ran it. A small herb garden is part of the visit, and your museum ticket covers the pharmacy.

Contemporary art in a medieval setting

The museum mixes old and new. Alongside the medieval collection you will find contemporary works by artists such as Berlinde De Bruyckere and Patricia Piccinini. On the way to the pharmacy, look for The Veins of the Cloister by Italian artist Giuseppe Penone, a marble water feature with a bronze tree and a young tree growing against it, created as a thank-you to the hospital’s nursing sisters.

Tickets and prices

Book your tickets with the live availability widget in the box at the top of this guide. Standard museum prices are below.

Opening hours

The museum can occasionally close for works or exhibition changes, so check the Musea Brugge location page before you travel.

Best time to visit

Plan on one to one and a half hours inside, a little longer if you want to try the Closer to Memling Experience or read about each painting. Arriving soon after the 9:30 opening is usually the calmest option, especially in high season, and it leaves the rest of the day for the Church of Our Lady and the old town.

The museum is also a good choice for a rainy day, since the whole visit is indoors.

Visiting with children

Younger visitors have plenty to do. The children’s hospital (from about 2.5 years) lets them put on a doctor’s coat, bandage dolls and examine x-rays. The Closer to Memling Experience suits ages 7 and up. A free children’s audio tour, The Secret of Hugo (ages 6 and up), is available at reception. Children up to 12 enter free.

The museum is wheelchair accessible and has a lift, free folding stools and wheelchairs for resting, a tactile model of the hospital and its surroundings, a descriptive audio tour of the area, and sensory kits for neurodiverse visitors. There are free toilets, free wifi and a museum shop.

What you can see for free

You do not need a ticket for the setting. Entering the Church of Our Lady across the street is free, and only its museum section with Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child needs a ticket. Its brick spire, at 115.5 metres, is the second highest brick tower in the world. You can also visit the small Sint-Janshospitaalpark, an orchard in the middle of the car park of the Oud Sint-Jan site that recalls the gardens the hospital once had.

Nearby: what to combine

• Church of Our Lady. Directly opposite, with Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child and the tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary of Burgundy in the museum section.
• Gruuthusemuseum. A restored city palace next to the church, with combined tickets offered by Musea Brugge.
• Other Memling places. Visit Bruges has a Flemish Masters in Place route showing works still in the spots they were made for.
• BRUSK. The new Bruges art hall opened in 2026 at Dijver 12, a short walk away.

Where to stay

Staying in the historic centre puts Mariastraat and the museum within a short walk. Look for hotels near the Markt, the Dijver canal and the Church of Our Lady, and book early for weekends and summer.

Hotel highlight Dukes’ Palace Brugge

By Dukes’ Hotel Collection. Prinsenhof 8, Bruges. A five-star hotel in a former 15th-century ducal palace, about 280 metres from the Markt. It has 135 rooms across three wings, a 3,000 square metre private garden, a restaurant and bar, and a spa (extra fee).

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