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Christmas in Bruges: the best things to see and do

Christmas in Bruges is like stepping into your very own Christmas card. The medieval town, in the Flemish region of Belgium, has the air of a fairytale as it glows with sparkling lights, Christmas markets and gothic churches.

Grote Markt, Bruges
The Markt, Bruges

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Shops selling the prettiest of Christmas decorations are draped in festive foliage, cobblestone streets echo with the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages and chocolate shops line the narrow streets.

A visit to the Bruges Christmas markets is guaranteed to leave you feeling warm, fuzzy and festive. Here’s why you should visit Bruges at Christmas and what to do in Bruges in December.

Bruges Chocolate Shop
Bruges Chocolate Shop

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December in Bruges

The historical heart of Bruges, The Markt, is lined by grand medieval and gothic architecture as well as pretty gabled houses. These are painted in festive colours and decked out liked gingerbread houses with Christmassy foliage. There’s an ice rink in the square for festive skating,

Christmas music fills the air along with the aromas of mulled wine and winter spices. Trees are strung with fairy lights and piles of Christmas trees for sale add to the Bruges Christmas atmosphere. Read on for my top picks for a visit to Bruges in December.

Bruges in Winter
Festive Shops in Bruges at Christmas

Discover Medieval Bruges

Bruges is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the medieval belfry of Bruges, The Belfort, with its bell tower watches over the Grote Markt. The tower is the subject of a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who wrote in “The Belfry of Bruges”.

“Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilded, still it watches o’er the town”.

Henry Wadsworth

Many top travel movies have been shot in Bruges. If you’ve seen ‘In Bruges’, you’ll remember the belfry and many other of the city’s highlights from the film.

The Belfry is beautifully lit up in gold in the dark night. If you’re feeling energetic you could climb the 366 knee-crunching steps to the top of the 83m tower for the best views of Market Square and over the city.

Having done this you won’t feel at all guilty about exploring the chocolate shops in Bruges!

Markt Square Bruges
City Hall, Bruges
medieval Bruges
Bruges Canal

The opulent, ornate City Hall of Bruges dominates The Burg. The historic Gothic monument dates back to the late 14th century and the entire square is edged with medieval buildings showing off gothic turrets, towers and corbels.

It’s worth taking a look inside the town hall at the beautiful vaulted ceiling. Sitting to the left of the 14th-century city hall you’ll see the renaissance architecture of the old Court of Justice. At Christmas time there’s a beautifully decorated tree outside.

If you haven’t got much time in the city you might like to read what to do in Bruges in one day.

The Burg, Bruges
Grote Markt, Bruges
Bruges old town centre in December

Check availability and rates for the best attractions in Bruges 

Take a Cosy Carriage Ride

A cosy way to see Bruges is to snuggle up under woollen rugs and and take a romantic horse and carriage ride on a crisp winter’s evening.

Clip-clop your way along medieval cobble stone lanes, past pretty canals, gabled buildings and through the city’s squares counting the beautifully decorated Christmas trees as you go. Check rates and availability here.

Bruges horse and carriage
Horse and Carriage ride in Bruges

Explore the Chocolate Shops in Bruges

Chocolate is the perfect Christmas treat and there are around 50 chocolate shops in Bruges. It’s chocolate heaven! I did consider taste testing them all but even with a weekend in Bruges I couldn’t quite fit them all in.

The Chocolate Line is a charming little shop where you can see cocoa confections created through a window at the back.

Be warned, not all chocolate is equal and there’s a lot of chocolate in Bruges to choose from. My chocolate buying tips are don’t buy at the first shop you stop at and don’t buy the most expensive. It might not actually be the best chocolate in Bruges.

For a romantic winter warmer why not share a hot chocolate? The hot chocolate in Bruges is better than any I’ve tasted anywhere, you literally melt chunks of Belgian chocolate in steaming hot milk. Delicious.

The Line Chocolate Shop, Bruges

If you really want to get the best chocolate experience you could join a Belgian hocolate making workshop to learn how Belgain chocolate is made.

You could even combine it with a beer tour to enjoy the two top culinary encounters that Bruges has to offer. Something to keep both him and her happy! If neither takes your fancy pay a visit to the Frites Museum – everyone loves frites!

Check availability and rates for the best tours and attractions in Bruges

Bruges Christmas Markets

Bruges Christmas markets might not be as big or sprawling as in other European cities but they’re worth a wander. The spicy aroma of warming mulled wine and the refreshing scent of pine fills the air in Markt Square as the sound of skates cut through the ice. Wooden chalet-style stalls sell handmade gifts, decorations and local delicacies. 

The food stalls sell traditional crisp waffles covered in silky Belgian chocolate sauce, gingerbreads and gluhwein. Bruges is famous for lace-making and local artisans carry the art into their Christmas creations. Fairytale woodland characters and rustic baubles dangle in the breeze and knitted scarves and hats will keep you cozy.

Make your own delicious and authentic Belgian waffles from my friend Christina’s recipe.

Bruges Christmas Market
Bruges at Christmas

Bruges has two main Christmas markets but it’s a compact town so they’re within easy walking distance and it’s magical wandering through the town as the lights twinkle against a backdrop of medieval architecture. 

Markt, or market square is home to the main Christmas market in Bruges and Simon Stevinplein Square hosts the other one which is lined with trees laden with twinkling fairy lights. Bruges Christmas market breaks are the perfect way to get that festive feeling and indulge in a little Christmas magic.

Bruges Christmas Markets dates and times

Bruges Christmas markets dates start 24th November 2023 and end 7th January 2024. 

Sunday – Thursday 11:00am to 10:00pm Fridays

Friday and Saturday 11:00 am to 11:00pm

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve 11am – 7pm

Read more: Festive Flavours from a Christmas Market

Buy a Bauble at Bruges Christmas Shop

I often buy a Christmas decoration when I’m on a trip and every year my tree hangs with baubles from all over the world. De Witte Pelikaan is the perfect place for bauble shopping with everything from glass hand-blown ornaments and retro baubles to carved wooden winter scenes and cuckoo clocks.

The shop itself is like a fairytale setting with low vaulted ceilings, glitter and snowflakes. Definitely not just for the kids.

christmas shop bruges
Christmas decoration shop in Bruges

Breweries in Bruges

Beer in Bruges is a big thing and there are lots of choices when you’re beer tasting in Bruges. In the end after a little sip of each I went for the brown beer which was not as sweet as the blonde and which I decided was stronger too. I felt quite fuzzy by the time I’d finished my glass.

Try it for yourself at De Halve Maan (The Half Moon) which is the only active family brewery in the city. There’s a nice outside area for good weather and inside is toasty with a lively atmosphere.

The brewery pub also serves good food. A pack of Belgian beer would make a great Christmas treat for any beer lovers in your life.

You might enjoy an interactive beer experience with a small chocolate pairing on this beer tour of Bruges. Discover Belgium’s fascinating beer world on a tour with a local beer-loving guide. Check rates and availability.

Half Moon Brewery, Bruges

Take a Boat Trip on a Bruges Canal

Bruges is home to a network of pretty canals lined with gabled red brick buildings and crossed by little stone bridges. One of the best ways to explore the city is by taking one of the many scenic canal tours in Bruges.

Combine a walking and canal tour to discover all the tucked away places of this incredible UNESCO city. Check rates and availability.

Canal tour in Bruges
Canal boat tour in Bruges

Take a Bike Tour

Bicycles in Bruges
Bikes in Bruges

Take a bike tour with a local guide in Bruges. Learn about its medieval past and and see some of the highlights of the city including the Beguinage, the almshouses and its windmills. Check rates and availability.

Feast on Frites with Mayonnaise

You may have had your chips or French Fries, call them what you will, at the Frite museum but the best place to indulgue is in the Markt. Look out for a fry cart (frituur) they’ll be one around for sure.

Buy your frites and enjoy them with a big dollop of creamy Belgian mayonnaise. Surely one of the best street foods in Europe. Moules (mussels) are another Bruges speciality.

If you love your frites then you should check out the Frietmuseum in Bruges which is full of tasty snippets about the history of frites.

Frites and Mayonnaise in Bruges
Frites – a Bruges must do!

Where to stay in Bruges

Hotel Heritage, Bruges – luxury hotel

I stayed in Hotel Heritage Bruges, a Relais and Chateaux property and one of the best boutique hotels in Bruges. It’s a luxury hotel in a nineteenth century building in the heart of the medieval town and close to the canals in Bruges. Hotel Heritage is perfect for a romantic break and ideal for sightseeing.

Rooms are beautifully decorated in a classical, elegant style but with all the essential technology you’d expect. The bar and restaurant were beautifully decorated for Christmas and I loved the touch of a Christmas wreath on each of the bedroom doors.

The restaurant and the breakfasts are excellent. The lounge and bar Le Magnum with the ensuite private library is a great place to relax with a nightcap after coming in from the cold on a winter’s evening.

Check rates and availability at Hotel Heritage Bruges

Ibis Brugge Centrum – budget hotel

If you’re looking for more of a budget hotel in Bruges then the Ibis Brugge Centrum is a good option. We stayed here on a summer city break to Bruges with my parents. The hotel is about a 15 minute walk to the town centre. It’s in a converted medieval building which was fresh, clean and bright.

Rooms were comfortable and breakfast was good. We took the car by Euro Star to Bruges on this occasion and especially liked that there was an underground car park right next to the hotel with very reasonable rates for 24 hour parking.

Check rates and availability at Ibis Brugge Centrum

For more accommodation ideas check Booking.com which I like to use for its convenient 24-hour cancellation policy.

Getting to Bruges

Eurostar breaks to Bruges mean the city is easy to get to from London and there’s easy access from Brussels and other main European cities.

There’s a lot to see in the city so I’d recommend spending two days if possible but you could still have a fabulous time on a day trip to Bruges. In fact you could just about squeeze everything I’ve mentioned into a day in Bruges if you were to arrive early and leave late.

Where is your favourite place to get into the Christmas spirit? Share in the comments below so we can check it out too.

Pin it for later…

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Cornelia McVeigh

Tuesday 19th of February 2019

I realize these posts are quite old but I am thinking of going to Bruges as a gift to myself for my 70th birthday. Is it safe to go on my own? Is the train easy to navigate because I would like to take day trips to Ghant and Antwerp?

Suzanne Jones

Thursday 21st of February 2019

I would say Bruges is safe to visit as a solo female traveller. It's easily walkable and friendly. I can't advise on the trains because I didn't experience them and sadly haven't visited Ghent or Antwerp, although I'd love to.

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Wednesday 13th of August 2014

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basketslife

Wednesday 22nd of January 2014

Great Post We are BIG fans of Brugge, the 4000+ Beers, the great chocolate, and the pots of Mussel's! We are about 3 hours away in Bonn, Germany and take all our friend's and family there when they come! If you are coming back next year you sould try Cologne, Germany Xmas Market and the Mideveil Xmas market at the base of St. Michael's Mountin in Seigburg Germany ~ Both Awesome places!! Not sure if we will still be here, but if we are pop by we can show you around! :) Thanks for sharing love your blog!

Suzanne Courtney

Wednesday 22nd of January 2014

How lovely to be just 3 hours away from gorgeous Brugge. Love your tips for Colegne and Seigburg Christmas markets - thanks for your lovely comments too :)

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