Sunday morning I was rushing to pack my bags in Brussels for the 11am check out time and get ready for a long trip back home to the UK. By midday I was in Bruges with absolutely no intention to be back in the UK any time soon.
That’s because it was the 21st December, four days before Christmas, and Bruges looked like this…
In Brussels I had been staying in a MEININGER Hotel (see my review!), where I was lucky enough to share a dorm room with two of the funniest guys! After two hilarious nights on the Sandemans pub crawl and an ad-lib tour of the Grand Place by my new Mexican buddies (complete with instructions to rub statues for good luck with my future marriage and to pose in front of the statue of the little boy peeing), I woke up with a banging headache on the Sunday only to be reminded of my threat to follow them to Bruges.
Not only had it been recommended the night previous by our awesome pub crawl guide, Fraser, but I’d spent so much time laughing and dancing the past two days I figured one more day wouldn’t hurt.
That day I realised that there was only one answer to the question ‘To Bruges or not to Bruges?’.
Say YES to a Beautiful Bruges Christmas!
The city of Bruges absolutely blew me away. Not only was it stunning (my photos just won’t do it justice!) but it had all the buzz and excitement you’d expect from a Christmas in Europe.
There were christmas fairs in almost every square, christmas music serenading you as you strolled past the horses & carriages decorates in tinsel…and ice skating!
Unfortunately, I’m not too practiced with the last one and have now acquired a massive bottom bruise after a spectacular slip on the ice!
Basically, if you ever have the chance to visit Bruges at Christmas time you absolutely should. I feel super lucky to have got the chance to go, especially with the friends I made during the days before in Brussels.
If you are staying in Brussels, Sandemans run a day trip to Bruges four times a week for €35, which includes a full tour by locals, and you can absolutely see most of the small city in a day. If like us you drink a bit too much the night before and miss the day trip, then it’s super easy to get to Bruges yourself from any of Brussels’ central stations for just €14 one way.
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Whilst there, we stayed at Charlie Rockets Hostel which has a very cool backpackers vibe, with a bustling bar and five full-size beautiful pool tables to get the party started.
The rooms are extremely basic, and it can be difficult to find enough plugs or access the wifi from the top floors, but for the one night it had everything we needed and had a great central location!
I’m pretty sure Bruges is going to be a new Christmas tradition for me! Let’s just hope I get to go with such funny friends next year!
Lots of love,
