Christmas Trip To Belgium
As a result, Bruges does well in all seasons, but winter is when it is at its most beautiful and iconic. Radiating with twinkling festive lights, Bruges offers festivals, markets, cozy bars, delicious food, and crafts for the whole family. It is also an ideal base for various day trips to the seaside, the battlefields, and the surrounding countryside.
The city's Winter Glow festival includes various craft markets and Christmas decorations, which make Bruges a wonderfully romantic city to visit at this time of year. The city's Light Experience Trail showcases Bruges through eight different light installations in iconic locations across the city, all along a compact route of water features, leafy parks, and medieval squares. One of the stops along this trail is Minnewater, locally known as the "Lake of Love", where you can strap on a pair of ice
skates and slides down an artificial ice rink illuminated with twinkling lights.
The Vorst Winter Bar, located right next to the ice rink, offers daily fresh soup, spicy Sint Michiels Lange sausages, and a post-skate vanilla juniper shot.
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Belgium Visa from Pakistan
There are plenty of enjoyable dining options in Bruges, from top-quality Michelin-starred restaurants to local breweries, breweries, and brown bars. Cafuné Specialty Bar & Roastery is micro-roaster serving fresh pastries and cups of home-roasted coffee, while That's Toast, a small lunch bar on Dweersstraat, has a big reputation among locals. Try one of the savory classics like lemon ginger chicken or smoked salmon with horseradish cream; or let yourself be tempted by a sweeter creation: chocolate avocado mousse on vegan zucchini and walnut bread, or homemade cheesecake toastie with Oreo crumble and berry and pomegranate coulis.
From there, it's only a few steps to The Chocolate Line, recently awarded the title of Chocolatier of the Year 2023 in Flanders by Gault & Millau. Not only can you buy classic pralines in a wide variety of flavors, shapes, and colors, but the shop also sells chocolate pills in pots and chocolate lipstick in sticks. For dinner, De Republiek, located in a beautiful historic building, offers a varied and delicious menu, including ramen noodle soup, red curry, and coconut chicken or beef Carpaccio van Prestige served with parmesan, arugula, and pine nuts.
Bruges' many brown cafés are a perfect space to savor the city's rich beer culture. 't Brugs Beertje ("the little bear of Bruges") serves around 300 Belgian beers and offers a complimentary side dish of cheese cubes and celery salt, while Staminee De Garre serves creamy, full-bodied Tripel beer. Beers in a bar filled with wall-to-wall framed
pictures, nostalgic enamel plaques, and miscellaneous beer paraphernalia. For cocktails, head to Groot Vlaanderen. Housed in an impressive Baroque townhouse,
this atmospheric, dimly lit bar offers all the classics with a wintry twist.
Bar Ran is another go-to option, often hosting takeovers by famous cocktail artists
in a minimalist setting, with comfy suede sofas, faux-industrial concrete walls, classic parquet flooring, and cool turquoise tiles behind the bar.
For a wintry shopping experience, the city's Midwinterfeestkicks off Dec. 11 in the historic Sint-Anna district, selling local crafts, quirky trinkets, and traditional Christmas fare. You can also discover the recently refurbished Sashuis, a charming lock house built in the 16th century.
It was originally a residence for the lock keeper of Minnewater but is now used
to showcase the town's craftsmen through a series of exhibitions, workshops, and lectures. You can buy products from local artisans in the shop here, including premium fresh oatmeal waffles with coconut blossom sugar in a unique form of Bruges lace by Otto Waffle Atelier. You can also play old folk games from Bruges, which have been restored by craftsman Bert Vertommen from Volksspelen Madeleine
Given the city's rich heritage, artisanal nature, and vast artistic heritage, there is no shortage of museums and exhibitions when you visit. The Kantcentrum is a museum dedicated to the history and techniques of lace - a cultural specialty of Bruges - and a visit promises hands-on training and workshops to deepen your appreciation of the craft. This winter there is also a special exhibition for art lovers, entitled Face to face with death, which presents the masterpiece The Death of the Virgin by Hugo van der Goes,
and includes paintings and sculptures by old and new Flemish masters. The exhibition takes place at St John's Hospital and includes a program of concerts and performances in conjunction with a range of the city's leading cultural institutions.
Further afield, day trips from Bruges are many and varied. For a winter walk along the coast, head north along the Baudouin Canal from Bruges to Zeebrugge, an international port, family resort, and self-proclaimed “fish capital”. From Zeebrugge, you can access the Kusttram to explore the entire Belgian coast: at 42 miles long, it is currently the longest operating tram line in the world. Another popular day trip from Bruges is to take the nostalgic paddle steamer Lamme Goedzak along the Damse Vaart canal to Damme, a pretty medieval village dominated by gnarled willows and known for its nine bookstores. The village hosts a fortnightly book market on the second Sunday of
the month which, in winter, moves inside the historic town hall for an even cozier experience.
History buffs, meanwhile, should head west from Bruges into the Westhoek region. Here, a plethora of organized excursions can be arranged which weave between the gentle hills and the cemeteries and battlefields of the First World War. The Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Zonnebeke allows you to discover realistic reconstructions of the trenches during one of the bloodiest battles of the First World War. Before heading back to Bruges that evening - 1.5 hours by train (change in Kortrijk) or an hour by car - be sure to attend the Last Ring ceremony at the Menin Gate in Ypres. Started in 1928,
this bugle tribute for the dead is a low-key and impactful ceremony, which takes place every night.
Prepare your trip in advance
Eurostar is the choice of transport option from the UK. Buy a ticket to Brussels and any Belgian train station from London St Pancras International. The journey takes just under two hours and the train journey (from Brussels to Bruges) is included in the ticket price. A bus can take you from the station to the center or you can easily walk; most points of interest are within walking distance in the city. Renting a bike is also a good choice; there are many rental companies.
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