In Bruges, it extends to the city's famed museums, where the medieval Flemish Primitives take center stage.
Instead of craning over other tourists flashing smartphones, any visitor could now be alone for minutes on end to study in detail one of Jan Van Eyck's most famous pictures “Our Lady with the Child Jesus, St. George, St. Donaas and canon van der Paele.”
All this is bittersweet to museum officials though. Across Europe, just about all have had to close for months early this year, and the outlook is bleak.
Attendance has now slumped to a quarter of what it was in 2019 at Bruges museums. But during the uptick in July “we had 50 percent".
“So it’s declining gradually. Every month we see the numbers declining," said Jonathan Nowakowski, the Business Director of Bruges Museums.
“I can tell you that we’re looking at losses of €3.4 to €4 million this year," despite expectations being high in a Van Eyck memorial year with special exhibits.
“We had we thought we would have had huge numbers of visitors," he said.
It all quickly trickles down to hotels, restaurants, shops and the survival of families. For those who own the building it is more manageable than for those who rent a building.
With reservations down for the next months, some hotels will just close down, knowing the costs will never match the puny revenue. Others are using the low winter rates in summer.
A great many put staff on temporary unemployment, and they acknowledge government aid has been a help.