For Christmas, we are sending the 3 kids, 17, 20 and 21,(plus a 21 yo former exch. student flying in from Madrid),to Europe a week ahead of us so they can do some exploring on their own before we all meet at our home exchange in Amsterdam. This is the itinerary I have been working on, but these are all new destinations for me and I would greatly appreciate comments and critiques from others with experience.
Mon.Dec14, arrive in Brussels early morning, store luggage, sightsee in Brussels; late afternoon travel by train to Bruges.
Spend Mon and Tues nights in Bruges (probably at Hotel't Keizershof).
Wed AM, take train to Luxembourg City. Sightsee there for several hours,get back on train and travel to Trier, Germany.See Trier sights and Christmas market, sleep in Trier (probably at Warsburger Hof).
Thurs, take a train from Trier to Bacharach, spend 2 nights in Bacharach (probably at Jugendherberge Stahleck), seeing area sites such as Marksburg Castle (open in winter) and St.Goar.
Sat, take train from Bacharach to Cologne, see Christmas markets and cathedral, spend night in Cologne (probably Station Hostel).
Sunday, take train from Cologne to meet parents in Amsterdam.
Is this a good use of time or is there a more interesting direction I should be considering? Important things to see along the way? Budget friendly places of interest for young adults? I always appreciate the vast wealth of information and widely different viewpoints I see in this helpline. Since there are major early booking discounts for some of the train routes,this trip will be need to be fully planned far in advance (also to avoid possible sisterly conflict over decisions!). Thanks for any help you can offer.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
The hours of sunlight won't affect how long the Christmas markets remain open. I've been to many that were open well into the evening. I only mentioned it if they were planning to do sight-seeing in the country around Bacharach or St. Goar. Outside of the main cities, outdoor lighting in Germany is generally kept to a minimum, so you can't see much after about 4 pm. There's still plenty to do, just realize for planning, you can't see as much as you would in the summer months.
Personally, I would probably spend the first night in Brussels to avoid more immediate traveling... but hey, they're young, it's reasonable to spend an extra night in Bruges as well. And as you noted, Bruges is a pretty quick train ride from Brussels.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I would say this itinerary is rather ambitious, but then I re-read the ages of the travelers... but I still might recommend adding an extra night, probably in Brussels or Brugge, just to account for the jet-lag. Also another consideration are the greatly reduced hours of daylight at that time of year. This won't impact their sight-seeing in the cities, but will limit how much they can see in more rural areas or small towns. Finally, thick fog is also common at this time of year in Northwest Europe, which can further restrict sight-seeing outside of the cities. But overall, your basic outline looks pretty good.
Posted by
OP
Bend, OR
576 posts
Thanks, Tom. Would you suggest adding another day in Bruges, then skipping a night's stay in Cologne? (That would probably mean traveling from Bacharach to Amsterdam, stopping on the way in Cologne for several hours to visit Cathedral on Sunday.) Since the days are so short in December, I am hoping that the evening Christmas markets will provide a good way to spend the late afternoon/evening hours.
Posted by
Delft, Netherlands
242 posts
We were in Brussels this past December and really enjoyed the Christmas Markets there. There were scores of young adults out and it was a very festive scene - ice skating, a large Ferris wheel to see the lit up town, warm mead, jenever tastings, crafts, yummy foods, entertainment, etc. They might want to spend a night in Brussels enjoying that scene and visiting the Delirium Cafe - a wonderful bar with over 2000 beers.
I would recommend the Snufflebacker Hostel in Bruges - it was a great place to stay with lots of personality and a free nightly tour of the town. Also the national museums in Bruges are just a euro for 25 and under - great deal!
Cologne is a nice city with a nice church, but we found it to be one of our least favorite places. There wasn't a great scene for young people. However, we did enjoy the Greco Roman Museum and the Applied Arts museum. I just think there might be some place they would enjoy more. The church is nice, but there is a large church in almost every European town and after a while they all look the same to teenagers.
Posted by
OP
Bend, OR
576 posts
Laura, thanks for your description of the Brussels Christmas market. It sounds like something they would really enjoy. Staying in Brussels the first night makes sense, as Tom pointed out, to recover from jet lag and as you have advised, to enjoy the festive Christmas market atmosphere. The Snuffle Back Hostel sounds like something they would also enjoy. I just looked it up online and it seems perfect for them, more fun for people their ages than Hotel't Keizershof. This extra night in Brussels seems more logical than spending the night in Cologne. Do you have any hostel suggestions for Brussels, Laura? Also, you recommended a cafe...one daughter is only 17. Will she be allowed into bars and just not served, or will they all need to find places where she will be allowed? I really appreciate all of your advice, Tom and Laura.
Posted by
Delft, Netherlands
242 posts
The drinking age for beer is 16 (I am pretty sure it is in Belgium- I know it is in the Netherlands). I don't know if she would be served in a bar; I don't think it would be a problem if she was in the cafe (it is also restaurant). I have never encounter a "bouncer" at a cafe or brasserie, but I don't know for sure.
We stayed in a hotel both times we visited Brussels because there are generally very good deals for the weekends that include breakfast - as an American living abroad I really miss American breakfasts and are always looking for good eggs and bacon!