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Bruges at Christmas: A Snapshot of Our Weekend Away

26/11/2012
A festive shop front in Bruges, again with a Christmas garland around the edges and a stunning Christmas tree inside. There are also Christmas gifts and souvenirs in the window.

Over Christmas, my sister, mum and I had a wonderful break in Bruges, Belgium. Here are some photos from our festive mini-break.

So it turns out that Bruges in Belgium is the perfect city for a Christmas mini-break. It’s affordable, easy to get to and it just looks and feels like a fairytale at this time of year.

We actually travelled there via the Eurostar, which took about half a day. By leaving early in the morning, we arrived by the afternoon. This gave us plenty of time to get accustomed to a new country and ready to explore.

The ice skating rink in Bruges at Christmas, overlooked by the Provincial Court building - a Gothic revival landmark which was originally a government meeting house.

The main market square in Bruges is surrounded by historic buildings which offer stunning architectural designs – especially when covered in Christmas decorations! Inside the square, at this time of year, you’ll find a Christmas market and festive ice skating.

A view from the main square in Bruges. There's a big old building with interesting architecture and a small tower behind it. The building is covered in festive decorations, such as Christmas wreaths and twinkling lights.
A snapshot from Bruges, taking from a bridge along the canal. You can see the canal running between old and oddly shaped buildings either side. Even on a grey and dull day the city looks beautiful.
Another shot of Bruges' canal ways, with colourful buildings overlooking the water.
More pretty buildings overlooking the canals in Belguim. Here, the buildings are organ bricked and surrounded by green hedges.
A photo taken on a canal boat ride in Bruges, showing the picturesque Rosary Quay building,

One of my favourite things we did in Bruges was take a canal boat tour. The city of Bruges is so pretty to explore and viewing it by water was just as wonderful. Here you can see the picturesque Rosary Quay building, which overlooks the canal.

Bruges at Christmas: Photos of the Festivities

Below, the images show just how beautiful Bruges is at Christmas and how the city goes all out with its festivities. They even have Christmas music playing in the streets! I absolutely loved the building on the left, the decorations were so, so festive and pretty.

On the left, an image shows a tall cornerside building in Bruges which is heavily adjourned with Christmas decorations. Green big garlands surround every window, decorated with shiny red and gold baubles. On the right, the image shows an ice white tree, covered in fairy lights and set in the middle of the ice skating rink.
Inside a chocolate shop in Bruges. A huge chocolate fountain is on top of the till, whereas the giant window in the shop front is surrounded by a Christmas garland.
A festive shop front in Bruges, again with a Christmas garland around the edges and a stunning Christmas tree inside. There are also Christmas gifts and souvenirs in the window.

Attraction-wise, there wasn’t actually much to do there, but it’s such a nice town just for sightseeing. In Bruges, there are two main town squares and everything is within walking distance. You’ll also find sleepy boutiques and shops in side streets leading off the two.

This post was just to show you some pretty photos of the picturesque city. All throughout the weekend I couldn’t stop commenting about how beautiful it was!

Bruges looks stunning all year round but if you’re going to visit, Christmas in the time to do so. Off-peak, there is even less to do there, but during winter you can at least admire the city and enjoy in all the festivities. I would also like to one day return in summer and have a slow trip just exploring more.

Have these photos convinced you to book a Christmas mini break here yet? Let me know!

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1 Comment

  • Reply
    Elaine Malone
    04/09/2014 at 2:07 pm

    Oh wow, it looks so different in the winter but just as beautiful! I think I need to revisit over Christmas 🙂

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