Here is my mini guide to our family friendly 3 night Christmas break in Bruges Dec 2024. I have included what we did on our trip which suited our family of four, with 2 children aged 10 and 13.
Top Info
🚆 Train to Manchester Airport
✈ Flight from Manchester to Brussel Zaventum 1 hr
🚆 Train from Brussels to Bruges 1hr 20
🛌 Crown Plaza Hotel (Burg 10, 8000 Brugge)
🛌 3 nights
👨👩👧👦 Family room with 2 double beds
🥓 Great buffet breakfast
🔐 Secure and safe hotel
🚗 Car park below hotel
🕍 Museums about the history of the city, buildings, beer & chocolate
🏰 Beautiful city to explore
⛵ Boat tours (no need to pre book)
🍫 Chocolate, beer and souvenir shops
🍺 Plenty of restaurants, tearooms, bars and hotels
🎄 Christmas markets are traditional and never too busy
🥪 Where we ate:
• Mr Spagehtti - family friendly spaghetti restaurant
• Odette - beautiful restaurant with robots serving food
• De Beurze - on the square for beers and pudding
• La Taverne Brugeoise - on the square for Flemish Stew, Soup and Ribs
• La Civiere D'Or - on the square for Onion Soup and Starter platter
• Carpe Diem Bakery & Tea-room - for a yummy and cosy lunch
Day 1: Arrival and First Impressions
Travel Details:
🚆 Train to Manchester Airport
Living just 3 mins from a train station we got a train straight to Manchester Airport with just carry on luggage to simplify our travels.
✈ Flight from Manchester to Brussels Zaventum Airport.
Took 1 hour (it actually took longer to queue for passport checks than the flight!)
🚆 Train from Brussels to Bruges
( took1 hour 20 minutes) followed by a 20-minute walk to the hotel.
Accommodation:
🛌 Hotel: Crowne Plaza on Burg Square.
Centrally located, spacious family rooms, and friendly staff.
Ideal for families with children, with thoughtful features like a secure lift system and comfy communal spaces.
This was a fantastic hotel right in the centre and was a great place to stay as a family of 4 with children. We arrived at our hotel at 5pm. We unpacked, got changed and went down to the bar to have a drink and sit down to after our journey. The bar staff were very friendly and the bar is a stylish yet comfy place to relax. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🍷 As it was Christmas time we ventured out to get some food at the markets. These were literally 5 mins away below the famous Belfy tower. We got a few different types of foods from the stalls including bratwurst, a potato and cheese dish and a chicken, veg and rice meal. We also got some Belgium mulled wine in a special keepsake glass.
🎁 We had a little explore of the markets, buying some warm gloves and then got a seat in one of the bars which surround the market.
🍺 These restaurants around the edge of the square are in such a stunning setting, with outdoor seating which is covered and heated so you get to enjoy the atmosphere of the market without getting cold. We enjoyed a few Belgium beers while the girls ordered a pudding before heading back to our hotel.
Day 2: Exploring Bruges
🏃♂ I went for a morning run/explore. As it was late December it was dark un till 8.30am but there is plenty of street lights. It was really nice to see a Saturday morning market being set up right outside the hotel, this really made me feel safe heading out for a run as there were plenty of people already up and about.
🥓 Back at the hotel to get everyone up and ready for breakfast. The breakfast selection was great and suited all our different tastes.
🚢 After breakfast we went to find a boat tour. There are lots of companies doing this, from different points of the river. They all go down the same route and roughly the same price so i dont think there is much difference. You don't have to pre book and when we arrived we only had 3 minutes wait until we were on board. Our guide was actually really funny and entertaining aswel as giving us interesting facts about the buildings we were passing along the waters edge. The tour lasted 30mins and for a family of four it cost €50.
⛸ Next we went to find the pop up artificial ice rink which was part of the "Wintergloed" festival. The ice skating was really reasonably priced at €8 each, you didn't need to book or have a time slot so you could skate for how ever long you wanted. There was cool wooden seating for people watching and a bar where you could get festive drinks and take out food. To make it even more impressive it was a floating ice rink and bar which was on a large body of water called Minnewater. We got some beers and cured meats after our session before finding somewhere for lunch and to warm up.
🥪 Walking along the streets there are so many nice looking cafes, tearooms and restaurants to choose from. We picked a lovely one, it was busy and cosy. Choosing a range of items from the menu including homemade quiche, croque monsieur, fried eggs with chunks of bread and the biggest ham sandwich ever.
😃 What was nice about the break was that we didn't have anything pre organised and as a lot of the activities you could just turn up to it was a very relaxing break.
🌧 We spent some time looking in shops but it started to rain so we headed back to the hotel.
🍝 After a rest we headed back out for dinner at Mr Spaghetti. We had booked this meal before coming and we soon realised you definitely need to book here. This was a very popular place and we saw people being turned away. Their whole menu is spaghetti and really suitable for children. However if you hadn't booked any meals you would get in somewhere as just so many places to choose from.
We really enjoyed Mr Spaghetti, it was reasonably priced especially for the children's menu and portions were massive.
🛌 We went back to our hotel after a little walk through the lit up streets. The girls got a hot chocolate, we got a beer and they sat and played chess.
Day 3: History, Beer, and Fun
🏃♀ 🥓 After a morning exploring more of the city i headed back to wake the rest of the family and to have yet another fabulous breakfast in the hotel.
🎶 Back to the room to get our warm clothes, we then headed out into the city. First we did a relaxed walk over to the Winter Glow charity Music Festival. There was a whole weekend of live music on a large stage in this part of the city, it had a couple of big acts including Franz Ferdinand
🕍 After this we walked back to Grote Market and me and my eldest headed into the Histoium museum to walk up the tower. I had seen some amazing photos from this view point so was determined to head up there myself. The walk up the tower wasn't too bad and definitely worth the climb. The view from the top was breathtaking. It was made extra special and interesting with the Christmas markets down below. For €12 each it was well worth doing. For more info click here https://www.historium.be/nl
🍺 Then we found a very cool bar which was at a brewery.
" Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres" Here you could get a tasting tray of 6 beers to try. Me and my husband enjoyed sharing this and chatting about the flavours and reading up about each beer. Their website is https://www.bourgognedesflandres.be/
We went for lunch at a restaurant on the edge of the market square. We weren't very hungry so me and my husband got an onion soup, which was actually wonderful with the cheesy toast floating on top. The girls got a children meal and a platter of traditional Belgium snacks. We sat and enjoyed the atmosphere and view of the shoppers and tourists visiting the markets.
Afterwards, we walked past the Torture Museum and this grabbed our girls attention so we went inside. To do this museum and the Witchcraft Museum behind it cost us €40 for a family of four. They didn't take long to wander around. Maybe 20mins each but it was an interesting place to visit and the horrific stories of torture amused and fascinated the girls. For more info click here
🍺 On the hunt for more interesting bars we googled where was recommended and found a truly hidden bar.
De Garre which was hidden down an alley. Luckily we got a seat as it was obviously well known and busy. We got a house beer which we later found out was 11%. Served with a little pot of spicy rice crackers which we think was to help with the strong beer. If you want to find it, here is their website https://degarre.be/
🤖 🍔 Then we went to find "Odette" where we had booked for dinner. This was again somewhere that was recommended to us from reading a family friendly blog on Bruges. The restaurant was beautiful and even had robots bringing the food to the tables. It was family friendly, a little on the dear side but we enjoyed our meals.
Three of us had their specialist dish of meatballs which i have to say were gorgeous.
If you would like to visit here is their website
Day 4 : Farewell to Bruges
🧳 We did our packing and went for our last breakfast. We checked out but left our bags in a secure room at the hotel so we could spend some more time exploring.
⛸ The girls wanted another session on the ice rink so we did that for an hour and then after more popping in and out of cute shops, we went for lunch.
🍟 Again we visited one of the restaurants around the edge of the market. This was actually one of our nicest meals, we got Flemish beef stew, a rack of ribs and some homemade tomato soup. Everyone really enjoyed their food, it was a dearer meal but the location and quality of food did explain the price. We walked along the river, taking photos of all the pretty brick bridges and watching people go past on the boat trips.
🚆 At 3pm we collected our bags and headed to the train station to start our return journey home. We got the 4.10pm train to Brussels which again was 1 hour 20.
✈ We checked in to our flight online so just had to go through security and then we could sit and relax while waiting for our 9pm flight. We could have got to the airport later but we didn't want to risk it due to the long queues coming into Brussels, however we didn't have this problem leaving. Back in Manchester, we got the train back to our home town, just in time for Christmas at home. 🎄
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Crown Plasa Hotel Info
The Room
Our family room had two double beds and was a really big sized room with a desk, chairs, coffee area and ensuite. It was perfect for our stay with two children and the cleanliness and decor couldn't be faulted. We had a large tv which we could get Netflix on so the girls were happy watching films before bedtime.
Breakfast
Exceptional selection of hot cooked breakfasts, cut meats and cheeses, fruit, yoghurt, lots of cereals, any sort of milk you like and plenty of different and interesting breads, pastries and cakes.
The Bar & Restaurant
Stylish and welcoming which was also a restaurant serving lunch and dinner to both hotel guests and members of the public. It did get quite busy at time so obviously very popular. We didn't eat here apart from our breakfast but we did have drinks each evening. The staff grew to know our order and you got free little pots of nuts and olives with your drinks which was a nice touch.
Facilities
There was a fitness centre and pool but we didn't have time to use these. The reception area had nice comfy sofas on and a chess board. My girls actually really enjoyed playing chess and would play it each evening when we went for a drink. We felt very safe in the hotel. It had a feature that you had to use your room card to scan to use the lifts to go to the rooms and to use the reception area toilets.
Overall we were very impressed with hotel. The location was very central but we never found it noisy. It was clean, modern and family friendly. We would definitely stay here again.
Things to do in Bruges
• Historium Museum and Belfry Tower Climb
• Boat Trips
• Torture and Witchcraft Museums
• Winter Glow Festival and Ice Rink
• Chocolate Museum and Brewery Tours
• Explore the Christmas Markets
• Enjoy festive foods like bratwurst and mulled wine
• Shop for souvenirs and holiday trinkets
• Relax in restaurants around the square
• Horse drawn carriage rides for 70 euro
Bruges at Christmas🎄
🎄Bruges is a beautiful place to visit at any time of year but they really go all out at Christmas. So many of shops, restaurants and hotels were decorated.
🌭 Bruges Christmas markets
These felt traditional and festive and so nice to visit. Compared to some in the Uk they never seemed to get crazy busy. There was a good range of food stalls but also gifts and homemade items to buy too. There is the main market and a smaller market about 10mins away so you didn't have to do lots of walking to explore them which was a bonus. There was also covered seating in the markets and of course decorated to the max.
⛸ Ice Rink
Another fun thing we liked was their pop up artificial ice rink. We actually went on this twice in our stay as it was only €8 each to skate and you didn't have a time limit or have to pre book a slot so it was really flexible. Spectators could stand around the edge to watch, with tables and chairs to enjoy a drink or food at after your skating too. Magically the ice rink was actually on a floating platform on the Minnewater lake which made it is a really beautiful setting too.
Bruges is a perfect mix of charm, history, and festivity, making it an unforgettable family destination during the holiday season.
Visit December 2024. Booked Through Booking.com
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