The Christmas market of Brussels, Belgium is an event you must experience around Christmas time. If you’re looking for a snack such as waffles, fries, crêpes, burgers or oysters; this is the place to be. Want a drink with your food? Plenty of choice! Belgian beers or genevers of various tastes, a glass of Champagne at the Champagne bar, a cup of Glühwein; you can all find it at the many stalls. Among the many food and drink stalls you can also discover Christmas decorations and clothing such as warm, woolen hats. The Christmas market of Brussels consists of four parts and they all have their own character.
To get into the full Christmas spirit I recommend starting at the Grand Place / Grote Markt. There you can admire a wonderful lightshow displayed on almost all the ancient buildings of the magnificent square together with classical Christmas music. The first show starts at 5 pm and in the weekend the façades of the Grand Place come to life every 30 minutes (during the week every hour).
After the show you can enjoy the stalls around La Bourse / De Beurs. This gorgeous building is covered with Christmas lights and a joy to see. The combination of the stalls and the Parisian like café’s that surround La Bourse creates an authentic atmosphere.
From there you can continue your way to the next part of the Christmas market; the area around the Sainte Catherine church. This is the biggest market area with a Champagne bar and many bigger drink and food stalls, where you can take a seat and indulge in tasty snacks and drinks. Here you can also find very original antique merry go rounds and a Ferris wheel.
If you like ice skating you can walk to the fourth part of the Christmas market; La Monnaie / De Munt. Here you’ll find the ice skating rink and more stalls.
The Christmas decorations aren’t only to be found at the Christmas market. Shopping malls, restaurants and bars are decorated as well. One of my favorite places in Brussels to enjoy a waffle or pancakes during the Christmas period is Brasserie Drug Opera (Rue Grétry 51). This place is covered in Christmas lights (outside and inside) and surrounded by Christmas trees packed with gifts. They exagerate a little with the amount of sugar on their pancakes, but that’s easily forgiven. If you’re looking for something more nutricious and you like Thai food, you should give Fanny Thai (Jules Van Praetstraat) a visit. The staff is very friendly and the food super delicious!
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