Thinking about a 2 night stay in Bruges on our way from Paris to Amsterdam in early December. We are leery of cities with big Christmas markets at that time of year and know that Bruges is very popular with tourists. Plus we will be there Saturday - Monday. Is there a Christmas market in Bruges? Will there be lots of tourists there in the winter, or will it be more on the quiet side?
Posted by
Chicago
8178 posts
There is a Xmas market in Bruges but that has nothing to do with it being popular with tourists. Xmas markets faux and real are everywhere that time of year even Chicago has one. Everywhere there is a lull in tourism before Xmas, people are still workin and in school. You probably saw that the airfare in early December compared to after Xmas through the New Year, is significantly cheaper.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7206 posts
Was in Bruges right around Xmas years ago. There were tourists but nothing like when I was there this past March. So, I’d say it will be on the quieter side. When there in December, it was really cold and got dark around 4pm. Other than restaurants that seem to close fairly early compared to those in the states, Bruges is very quiet in the evening.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks! We’ll be ready for cold, damp weather and short days. Nice to know that we won’t be competing with hordes of tourists for restaurant seating as we were in Colmar last December.
Posted by
2 posts
I was there for a full week in March, 2018. It was not crowded at all then, which leads me to suspect that it would not be crowded in December. I have been in northern France/Belgium in early December twice and can tell you that it is not warm and is often wet.