Bruges (Brugge) Belgium Xmas Market

If you want to feel Christmassy then Bruges is the place to go in December especially if it has snowed. It is one of the most attractive, charming quaint cities in Europe. It is rightly called the 'Venice of the North'. Being in the city centre feels like you have been flung back into the middle ages.

Brugge Christmas Market

There is a temporary seasonal ice rink in the main market Square, decorated with Christmas tress and lights, in front of the town hall surrounded each side by a double row of Christmas market wooden Stalls. There are two, much smaller, Christmas markets in the little squares of Walplein and Simon Stevinplein. Both are within easy walking distance of the main market.

The smells of the Gluhwein mulled wine, waffles, Sausages and frites will make you hungry. Try a Belgian waffle dipped in warm chocolate from one of the Christmas Market food stalls - delicious! If you are expecting a huge Christmas market on the scale of Cologne, Nuremberg or Strasbourg then you are going to be bitterly disappointed.

The web is full of negative comments about the Brugge Christmas markets like 'Brugge is NOT the place to go for the Christmas markets'. 'Go somewhere else if you want a good/great Christmas market not Bruge'. 'Don't bother going to Bruge for the Xmas Market. It's a waste of time.' 'Wish I'd saved my money and not bothered with Brugge Christmas Market' These people had been mislead as what to expect

You choose Bruges as a Christmas destination for the whole city experience not just a few Christmas Market Stalls. I went in 2010 and found that every shop had made a special effort to decorate its windows and the inside of its shop in a classy classical seasonal style. Exquisite 400 year old merchant buildings are made even more adorable. I love walking around the cobbled streets that line old central canals and admire the multitude of ancient bridges. Bruges has not been ruined by the council allowing multinational chains to knock down old buildings to build large super shops. Most of the shops are small boutique local independent companies. There are also traditional Belgium Chocolate shops and shops full of Belgium beer. Another reason for choosing Bruges as a shopping destination.

Most restaurants have large inviting roaring open fires to draw you into their cosy establishment for a coffee, beer, snack or meal. Be prepared for some expensive menu prices. Also if you like beer beware that Belgium beer is very strong. If you drink too much it will hit you when you step back out into the street.

Going back to the Christmas market stalls there are only a few that sell traditional Christmas decorations. Most are stocked with a range of products that are suitable for Christmas gifts like hats, slippers, gloves, socks, T-shirts, jumpers and bags. Unlike some reviewers I found that the prices for these items were reasonable if not cheap. I picked up a pair of good slippers for 1/3 the price I would have had to pay in England. The fleece jackets on sale were 2/3 the price. The food and the drink were as expected expensive. I would recommend having one of the large Bratwurst sausages in a roll with fried onions and a dash of tomato sauce washed down with some mulled wine or a Belgium traipse beer.

The market stalls open at 11am but what I find crazy is that most of them close at 7pm. I thought the idea of a Christmas market was for the traders to make money. How can you make money if your stall is closed. There are lots of tourists still exploring the streets even at 11pm, hunting a cosy place to eat. If you want to see the market stalls in the dark decorated with Christmas lights plan to visit them between 4pm and 7pm. Enjoy the festive atmosphere. Eat later.

Driving to Bruges

If you are driving to Brugge set your Sat nav unit to go to Stationplein in the south west of the city. It is the main Railway station. There you will find a two story car park that charges less than €3 to park the car for the whole day. Parking in the centre of Brugge is practically non-existent. Next to the car park is the bus station.

If you need the toilet they can be found in the railway station but you will need some change. Before you get on the bus into town call in to the Tourist information office in the train station to pick up a street map. As you look at the front of the railway station you will see the office just to the left of the main doors. They speak English. The map costs less than €1.

Take the Bus to central Bruges

It will take you about 20 min to walk into the centre of the city but you can take a 5 min bus trip. You need to look for a bus outside the main railway station doors that has the words Centrum displayed in big letters above the driver. This will take you straight to the central market square and the Town Hall where the main Christmas Market is held.

A single ticket is less than €2. You must buy the bus ticket from the ticket office before you get on the bus. Buy a return ticket as well to get you back to the station. The return buses can be picked up from outside the Town hall and have the word Station above the driver. Do not buy a day pass as they are expensive. Most places in the city can be walked to with ease. There are no big hills to negotiate. As you get on the bus there is a yellow slot where you stick your bus ticket. Wait a second and it will come back up with the date and time printed on it. Keep your ticket as you may need to show a ticket inspector.

Take the Eurostar train from London to Bruges via Brussels

The Eurostar international train is a relaxing way to start a weekend city break to Bruges (also spelt Brugge). It is lot less hassle than flying. To get to Bruges from the UK we took the Eurostar from London’s St Pancras International Railway station to Brussels Midi Station and from there changed platforms to a regular local train. The journey to Brussels takes only two and a half hours from London. What is great and is not widely known is that this Eurostar fare includes free onward travel to any other destination in Belgium. This applies on the day after your arrival in Belgium and on the day before your return back to London.

The Eurostar arrives at the Midi station in Brussels, which conveniently is also where the local train departure to Bruges. Trains leave very frequently (approx every half hour) but do check the timetable and make sure you get on the fast trains that only take 30 minutes. The slower commuter train takes one hour as it stops at every station on the line.

To get your connecting train you have to go down stairs from the international Brussels Midi Eurostar Platform. Most of the trains to Bruges seem to go from platform 15 in Brussels, but check the electronic departure boards. There are no ticket controls on the platforms. Your train ticket is checked on the train by a ticket inspector. Just show them your Eurostar ticket.

You know you are in Belgium because of the smell of coffee and waffles in the air. They are very tempting. The trains that go to Bruges are normally shown as going to Brugge. These towns are at the end of the train line. The train that came was one of these nice new double decker trains. Make sorry you go up to the top level to get the nice views of the countryside. There is good leg room.

I was a little bit confused when I walked up on platform 15 as it displayed large name signs that said Brussels Zuid and not Brussels Midi. They are both at the same place in Brussels but one platform is called middle Brussels and the other South Brussels. Very strange! So what you say. Well on the return leg of the journey from Bruges to Brussels you want to look for Brussels Zuid on the timetables.

Bruges Christmas Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival

For the last few years an ice sculpture exhibition has been put on in a large refrigerated marquee located outside the main railway Station entrance and by the Railway multistory car park. The exhibition is kept cold at a constant -6 oC so wrap up very warm. The price of the entrance tickets are high but I was very pleasantly surprised at the high quality of the sculptures inside. Each year is a different theme.

On the year I visited it was around the world and they had famous figures and buildings carved out of giant blocks of ice. There is an ice bar at the back and behind that is an ice slide for the children to shoot down. It is open from 11am - 10pm. In a different marquee there is a café where you can sit and watch videos of the 40 ice artists constructing their masterpieces. Address = Stationsplein, 8000 Brugge

Bruges is quaint, Charming and well worth the visit, but don't go to Bruges just for the Christmas markets.

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