Bruges & Brussels at Christmas

I had previously been to Bruges during the summer, and whilst it’s great to wander around Bruges in the sunshine and have coffee and pastries in the cafes on the cobbled streets, it is nearing Christmas and I hadn’t started my Christmas shopping. I hadn’t seen Bruges during Christmas before, and the Christmas markets are always so popular I thought that I would go and see what all of the fuss was about. I hopped on the Eurostar at London St Pancras, speeding through the check-in and found myself on the train in no time. The Eurostar departed London and I was in Brussels before I had time to finish reading my magazine. I met Richard (who loves Bruges) at the train station in Brussels and after a quick walk around the shops we boarded the next intercity train to Bruges and were there in under an hour. The train station in Bruges has great bus links, but the weather was good so we decided to walk along the canal to enjoy the beautiful sights of Bruges before getting to the hotel. It hadn’t got dark yet so the lights weren’t on, but Bruges has a festive feel even without all of the Christmas jazz. I’m sure it’s helped along by the excited groups of people touring Bruges for the Christmas markets and eating lots of chocolate.

On the way to my hotel, Richard and I stopped by the Hotel de Tuilerieen to say hello and take a look at the modern additional rooms added to the 15-century building (and try and get a space the following morning for their amazing breakfast of champagne and a chocolate fountain). The roaring log fire and huge amounts of Christmas decorations give the de Tuilerieen a great festive atmosphere and make both of us in the mood for some Christmas shopping. Before hitting the shops Richard and I first head over to the Casselbergh Hotel to drop off my bags and check out the new hotel. The Casselbergh is located minutes away from the main Christmas market square, which previously I had only seen in the summer, full of tourists enjoying the great Belgian food and drink outside, marvelling at the architecture and taking pictures in front of the bell tower. Now, in the winter, there was an ice skating rink set up in the centre, surrounded by little wooden huts selling mulled wine and handmade Christmas gifts. The Casselbergh is just around the corner, tucked away from the main streets down one of Bruges' cobbled lanes.

When you enter the doors to the Casselbergh you can immediately see the amount of work gone into making this hotel something really special. Its high ceilings and wooden beams, with lots of marble flooring, soft chairs and interesting artwork make you feel really important all of a sudden. I was staying in one of the hotel's many superior rooms, which was decorated with grand wooden furniture with a bed big enough for 4 people, a huge modern bathroom, a flat-screen TV, and a seating area. Surely I’ve got the wrong room? I must have wandered into someone else’s room by mistake. Apparently not.  My favorite part of the whole room was the immense structure of wooden beams making its way into the high ceiling, which looked more like a cathedral structure than a hotel.

I couldn’t stay and stare at my hotel room for long, as Richard and I had a booking at De Vlaamsche Pot Restaurant. The restaurant is very popular with locals and serves traditional Flemish food – and Flemish servings! The restaurant has a great cozy feel about it and is a great place to retreat away from the winter weather and eat yourself silly. I  had been warned about the huge portions at the de Vlaamsche Pot, but there is no way that you can leave this restaurant still hungry after a 3-course meal with wine and water. Even if you feel full try the chocolate dessert that comes in a wine glass. Lots of calories but lots of fun. After eating all of that, I almost didn’t want to eat breakfast at the Casselbergh in the morning, but after passing the breakfast room I couldn’t resist and tucked into fresh fruit and Belgian pastries before hitting the shops and the markets again, making sure I stocked up on Belgian chocolates for Christmas. Later that afternoon Richard and I got back on the intercity train to Brussels. As we had first-class Eurostar tickets on the way back, this enabled us to travel in first class between Brussels and Bruges. This was particularly useful as the train was full of schoolchildren so we got to sit and enjoy the peace and quiet at the other end of the train.

When we got to Brussels, Richard and I took the underground to the Leopold Hotel, which is in a more business-orientated area of Brussels meaning it was nice and quiet when I wanted to sleep. Although it’s away from the bustling high street, it’s only 10 minutes on the tube from the station and a 5-minute walk to the hotel. If you want to get into town you can take the bus or it’s a 15-minute walk. That evening we went to the Novotel Hotel for dinner as it is right in the Grand Place and a great location if you want to go shopping. The Christmas market in Brussels is even bigger than in Bruges, and if you’re in the main square in the evening you might get to watch the fantastic light and sound show which lights up all the buildings in the square. Grab yourself a waffle and sit back and watch the show before carrying on with the shopping. By the next afternoon, many Belgian chocolates were consumed, lots of handmade goodies collected, too many waffles scoffed, countless arty pictures were taken and several hours shopping later, we departed Brussels on the Eurostar back to London St Pancras, grateful for the first-class ticket which allowed me lots more space to fit my many shopping bags and put my tired feet up and relax with a newspaper and a glass of champagne before promptly falling asleep and waking up home in London a few hours later.