running from november 25th until january 1st, the christmas market in brussels is a great place to kick start your winter festival fun. not only will you be able to satisfy your mulled wine craving as you meander the 2km stretch of mini-chalets that form the market stalls, you'll also get to mix this up with plenty of quality belgian beer. in our opinion, it's the perfect christmas trip for both the boys and girls.


starting in the grand place, you'll find a manger complete with real sheep, as well as a central stage that plays host to the daily electrabel nights illumination show. it may sound a bit 80s, but the belgians have this nailed. it is absolutely spectacular the way the lights bring to life the buildings of the grand place against the night sky, and with a captivating sound track, you'll fall in love all over again; especially if you've had a few beers to line the love belly.



each weekend there's an additional rendevous electrabel show, with various acts each week. we got to watch acrobats perform in the giant snowglobe [you can watch the video below], plus there's jugglers, choirs and dancers on the roster too.

the christmas market stalls showcase a mix of locally produced cheese and meats, mulled wine, beer and plenty of bratwurst and pomme frites; as well as the mandatory knitted goods, sheepskin, and jewellery stores. you won't get the more traditional wooden trinkets and decorations that present themselves at the german christmas markets like in nuremberg, but you'll still have a very festive atmosphere with giggles and squeals echoing from the ferris wheel, ice rink and mini-toboggan track.


don't miss the merry-go-round located in place saint catherine. it's like something straight out of charlie and the chocolate factory, and at the point i saw it, i wished i was 60cms smaller so i could go for a ride.


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TIPS FOR NEW PUNTERS:
- you can't go past mulled wine with amaretto. the author's favourite market drink.
- it goes without saying, try the beer. here's some of our favourite watering holes:    
- cafe lombard [rue de lombard straat]. great atmosphere and has the best, and most hard to get, beer in the world. a trappiste westvleteren. all time favourite.    
- moeder lambic [place fontainasplein]. a good line up of local beer, on tap, and lined with hardwood booths along the exposed brick walls.    
- champagnotheque de bruxelles [galleries saint hubert]. snuggle up and sample from an enormous range of champagne by the glass, then take home a bottle of your favourite bubbles.    
- delirium cafe [impasse de la fidelite]. holds the guinness book of world record for the most number of beers in a bar. it's also opposite the less well known jeanneke pis [the little girl rival to the mannekin pis].
- eat:    
- viva m'bomba [rue de flandre]. fabulous nose to tail flemish inspired dining.    
- anywhere around rue de pont de la carpe. lots of vietnamese and plenty of late night life.
- shops are all but closed on sunday so if you're heading to brussels for the weekend, spend the saturday walking around the shops [we recommened the comic strip walk] and then head to the christmas markets in the  evening and on sunday.
- eurostar: if travelling into brussels by eurostar, you can easily transfer to gare central using the trains instead of the metro. it's also free with your eurostar ticket and is one stop away from eurostar's gare midi terminal. and for more tips, check out our other brussels post which was a summer sojourn.


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HOTEL: carrefour de l'europe best western. located right in the heart of the action, be sure to ask for a south facing room to take advantage of the  fabulous view, including the top of the grand place. you're a stone's throw from the galleries saint hubert, located right on grasmarkt, and only a block around from the grand place so there's no shortage of action. rooms are tidy and warm, and bathrooms roomy. breakfast is ok, but don't expect much of it. and if it's not included in your room rate, DO NOT pay for it. go enjoy a pastry and coffee from a bakery near by.