The ridiculously beautiful city near UK with Europe's 'most underrated' Christmas market
This European tourist hotspot is just three and a half hours from London - and boasts a ‘magical' festive market.
With its beautiful canals, traditional cobbled streets and gorgeous architecture, it’s easy to see why every year British tourists flock to this European destination.
But what’s a better kept secret about Bruges, the capital of West Flanders in northwest Belgium, is its Christmas markets that have tourists raving.
And travel blogger Adventures of Alice says that it is one of the best small town Christmas markets in Europe. All the better - it’s just under three and a half hours on the Eurostar from London.
She says: “The market in Bruges is one of the best small town Christmas markets in Europe. It takes place in the charming historic city centre.
“The outdoor markets are decorated with traditional crafts like lace items, hand-made ornaments and miniature ‘Boschendal’ houses. These items make great souvenirs for your loved ones.”
As well as the market Alice says that Bruges is just a great place to visit - packed with things to do. She said: “You’ll also have the chance to visit some of the wonderful attractions in Bruges.
“This includes the Belfry, the Gothic Halles and the 14th-century Gruuthuse museum. Not to mention tasting fresh delicious Belgian waffles.
“The festivities in Bruges run from late November to early January. It’s also easily accessible from other cities in Belgium, like Brussels and Ghent.”
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Many fellow tourists agree that the Bruges Christmas markets are really something special. One Tripadvisor user said: “They had Christmas music playing and the whole market had a great atmosphere, the mulled wine was delicious, very hot and very strong.”
Another said: “We spent three nights in Brugge during Christmas to spend time with our daughter who was in Belgium for a fall semester.
“I'm not sure if there is a bad time to visit Brugge but Christmas time was magical and truly a once in a lifetime experience.”
But not everyone was as full of praise for the market. One reviewer said: “How is this supposedly the best Christmas market in Europe?
“It was that bad we actually asked ourselves if we were in the right city. I’ve seen jumble sales that are better than this. Absolute joke of a hyped up Christmas market.”
