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Photo Diary: Christmas in Belgium

December 23, 2019 by jessica Leave a Comment

Christmas in Bruges
Bruges

As someone who loves Christmas, it’s no surprise that kicking off the holiday season in Europe has been something I dreamed of for years. While Germany would have been the obvious choice, a relatively inexpensive flight and hotel package out of Madison made Belgium an attractive option for our getaway. Plus, it gave us a chance to restock our dwindling supply of Cantillon. Priorities.

This was our third trip to Brussels, which made the nine-day trip as low-stress as possible during the busiest time of year because we didn’t need to spend the first couple of days orienting ourselves in the country. We knew how to use public transportation, we knew where to go without getting lost, we knew what favorites we wanted to revisit, and which day trips to go on (Amsterdam, Bruges, and Antwerp). We stopped at our favorite bars and restaurants, ate our weight in frites, drank world-class beer, and reveled in the holiday spirit by way of twinkling lights and Christmas markets. Not surprisingly, a day in Bruges was the most magical. Bruges is one of Europe’s most well-preserved medieval cities, escaping destruction during World War I and II. We’ve been to the city twice before and each time I’m struck by how fairy tale-like it is. Adding in strings of lights and a Christmas market in the city center took it to another level.

Here are a few photos of the most Christmassy moments of our trip. I’m working on a full Brussels travel guide to post in the new year, along with a Google map for your own trip planning. I’m also going to post day trip recommendations for Amsterdam and Bruges now that we’ve been a few times. I hope your holiday week is the merriest!

Christmas in Brussels
Christmas in Antwerp
Christmas market in Antwerp
Christmas in Brussels
Brussels
Grand Place Brussels
Christmas in Brussels
Brussels
Christmas in Antwerp
Philip’s Biscuits in Antwerp (try the Antwerpse Handjes cookies)
Christmas in Brussels
Manneken Pis in Brussels
Christmas in Bruges
Christmas market in Bruges
Bruges
Christmas in Brussels
Carousel at the Brussel’s Christmas market at Sainte Catherine
Christmas in Antwerp
Frites at the Antwerp Christmas market
Christmas in Antwerp
Antwerp’s Central Station
Christmas in Brussels
Grand Place Brussels
Christmas in Brussels
Grand Place Brussels
Christmas in Bruges
Christmas market in Bruges
Christmas in Brussels
Grand Place Brussels
Taken at the Duvelorium in Bruges
Christmas in Brussels
Grand Place Brussels


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Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: belgium, bruges, brussels, christmas, travel, Travel Guide

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Jessica Hamm
Hello there! I'm a first-time homeowner updating a 1920s house in Madison, Wisconsin. I have a penchant for travel and a love of costume jewelry.

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I always get a kick out of comparing views of our I always get a kick out of comparing views of our home today to the photos I took during our home inspection. (Swipe to see our main bedroom then!) While I knew the house had potential, it was hard to look past some of the owner’s “design” choices. Though, it looks like the room was destined to have a warm-toned quilt. 😂

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Finishing our guest room has been a focus of ours Finishing our guest room has been a focus of ours this year, and the cute Teig Lamp from Schoolhouse is such a charming addition to the space. It’s named for the German word for “dough,” which is perfect for its soft, petite shape.

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