Taking A Christmas Markets Cruise
It doesn’t matter if you’ve never been on a cruise before or if you’re a seasoned cruiser; taking a vacation to experience Europe’s Christmas Markets is the ideal way to kick off the holiday season and purchase some things that are truly one-of-a-kind and considerate for the people you care about. These types of cruises depart from the UK on a variety of ships and might be as short as two or three nights or as long as several weeks.
Our journey
Our trip began in Southampton, England, and ended in Belgium with a round-trip cruise on the Ventura, operated by P&O Cruises. This is the ideal trip for letting your hair down, participating in all the events on board, as well as spending a day discovering and appreciating Bruges because it includes a day at sea.
P&O passengers love to sail aboard the Ventura because it is such a fun ship. In the days leading up to Christmas, Ventura gets reworked into its own own version of a winter wonderland. With trees, decorations and unique Christmas activities on board it’s the perfect way to get into the festive spirit. On the same day the atrium became a little Christmas Market, with pop-up stalls selling a variety of things – from personalised gifts, beautiful Christmas decorations, to clothing, perfume and cosmetics. On top of this, our specific cruise took place on Black Friday, so there was also a variety of other reduced products on sale across the ship (especially electronics) (particularly electronics).
There’s plenty of food to eat on board, with three main restaurants and a variety of specialist ones. On this sailing we liked Sindhu. As I’ve written about before, this is a terrific experience with some excellent food and services.
The ship is cram-packed with of entertainment as well, with shows taking place each night in the main theatre, as well as bands and other events across the ship. Of all of them, you’ll not want to miss out on Astonishing, a new magic and illusion performance that’s merged with song and dance. It’s a lot of fun and likely to have your toes tapping! And the pleasure didn’t end there, many of the lounges were open late with live music and dancing — my particular favorites was Havana.
There are many other festive cruises available, but this 3-nighter for me was wonderful. Taking place over the course of a weekend it’s a nice length of time to chill, enjoy the ambiance and everything that Bruges has to offer.
Festive Bruges
Bruges is one of Europe’s best Christmas Market destinations and a particular favourite of holiday travellers. You can see why, as from late November until Christmas each year, the old town of Bruges is turned into a winter wonderland.
If you’re coming on a cruise, you’ll dock in the port of Zeebrugge. This is located roughly half an hour to 45 minutes away from Bruges. There’s a range of options to going from the ship to the city, including transfers you can book on board. We elected to go with a third-party transfer which was swift, inexpensive and reliable — We utilized ShoreBee, which operate across the world
Even if you visit Bruges at the height of summer, it is a picturesque, fairy-tale location, with magnificent buildings, gorgeous parks and open spaces and bustling canals. When you visit around Christmas this is pushed to the next level, where the style of medieval architecture lends itself to a festive setting. Fairy lights, decorations and trees grace each and every window and shop. It is literally out of this world.
At the heart of all this is the Bruges Christmas Market Village. The vast plaza at the centre of Bruges is converted into a hamlet full with gifts, with the smell of mulled wine and fresh waffles — a definite feast for the senses. At its middle is a big ice rink in front of the iconic Belfry of Bruges.
Moving out from the Market Village you’ll find various side streets where you could (and we did) spend hours strolling through seeing the countless Christmas shops selling everything from decorations and gifts, to the famed Belgium chocolate.
While it might be a little confusing at times, I love the busy side streets of Bruges. Everywhere you turn there’s something going on, or something strange and exciting – whether it be exploring the canals, taking to the ice for some skating, eating some of the Belgium chocolate (for research purposes of course), or sitting back and having a beer in one of numerous pubs and cafés. We actually came across a beautiful brewery, named Brewery Bourgogne des Flandres, located right in the centre of town facing the canal — it was the perfect spot to warm the soul, sip some locally produced beer and watch the rush and activity on the canal. I absolutely recommend the beer flight!
If you’re becoming peckish you must try some Belgium Frites. For me, the best frites are located in two green huts located in front of Belfry of Bruges (and I’m not the only one, TripAdvisor regularly recommends them as well). The Market sells a huge range of food including waffles, hot dogs and many other things. And I can’t talk about food or Belgium without talking about chocolate. Simply, everywhere you look there are chocolate shops and chocolatiers tempting you with delicious sweet treats – although did you know that only 8 chocolatiers in Bruges actually sell their own handmade chocolate.
Bruges is the place to go shopping for Christmas presents for the people you care about if you’re looking for something a little bit more unusual. Whether it be the chocolate or the enormous selection of decorations, homewares, and other peculiar items that can be discovered in the many shops, there is something to suit everyone’s preferences and financial constraints.
Why not book a cruise during the holiday season and visit some of the most famous Christmas markets in the world? Visit the websites of the following cruise lines to learn more about their annual Christmas market itineraries: P&O, Cunard, and Cruise & Maritime Voyages are three major cruise lines.
