Hi all:
I thinking of a German Christmas market trip the week before Christmas 2015- and looking to go somewhere after roughly 12/27-1/2 or 3...
Bruges, brussels, Amsterdam are on the short list.. I will have about 7 days I think... Even though it will be cold, these look like nice places to visit in winter! Is this too long for these places? How would you split the time? We could do somewhere else first and cut this part down?
Thanks!!!
Kim
Both of these countries also have Christmas markets, but usually only in the cities. Brugge and Hasselt have particularly elabore markets.
Tom, I would not think there would be any Christmas markets for the 12/27 + period she mentions. You could easily have 2 days in Brugges and 1 in brussels and 3-4 in Amsterdam; only if you want to cross Brussels off your list that is..
I personally like Amsterdam - did not think much of Brussels and probably wouldnt go back- and Brugges would be fine for a couple of days.Whereas there are lots of museums and canal walks and cozy cafes in Amsterdam, even with lots of snow it is still walkable.
Christmas markets in Europe generally run until January 5 or 6 (Epiphany), the traditional time for gift-exchanges and the end of the twelve days of Christmas. I was in Brussels until January 1 and the markets were still going.
I was in Brugge last December and loved it! Brugge has good connections to Gent, Brussels, and even Amsterdam if you want to do daytrips (although I would probably split the time 4-3 or 3-4 in Amsterdam and Brugge).
Don't know where you live, but I'm from Miami and I didn't find Belgium (or Zurich and Kitzbuhel) particularly cold, just make sure you have good boots/socks/gloves/scarf/hat/jacket, and a sweater or two. I did find the long undies came in handy (I had jeans, nothing heavier, and my jacket was above the knee).
The city tourist office web sites currently have some winter event postings for 2014 that may give you ideas for 2015. For instance, see https://bezoekers.brugge.be/en/activiteiten and http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting.
