School trips to Lille, Bruges and Cologne Christmas Markets

What better way to get ready for Christmas than a visit to a traditional Christmas market in Europe? Our most popular school trip is to the Lille market as it is an easy 2 day visit from the South of England. Further afield is Cologne. Here you will experience a wonderful German Christmas - there are six separate markets with lots of stalls selling beautifully crafted gifts.

Why not combine a day in Lille at Christmas with one or two days at Disneyland Resort Paris to enjoy the Winter magic?

Sample Tours

The Markets

Hotels & Meals

Maps

Pictures

2 Day School Trip to Lille or Bruges Christmas Markets from £109

Day 1: We travel on the ferry to Calais early morning and arrive in Lille or Bruges in just over an hour. The afternoon is available for shopping and sightseeing. The centre of both Lille and Bruges are a maze of medieval lanes with wonderful chocolate shops. In the main squares you’ll find the Christmas markets with a range of stalls selling hand-made toys and gifts. After dinner we could see the city by night.
Day 2: After breakfast we could go shopping in Lille, Bruges or Ypres before returning to Calais after lunch.

3 School Trip to Cologne Christmas Markets from £149

Day 1: We travel very early via Calais or Folkestone so we arrive in Cologne in time to visit the Christmas markets and experience the excellent cuisine on the many food stalls. We can also visit Cologne Cathedral and the outstanding Chocolate Museum* (free samples!).
Day 2: After breakfast we could visit the markets at Siegburg or Koblenz with their famous and fascinating mediaeval Christmas markets. In the afternoon we return to Cologne city centre to experience again the excellent German cuisine and the Christmas markets.
Day 3: After breakfast we will leave for Aachen. Here you will be able to visit the Christmas market. We will leave Aachen and return home via Calais.

*extra

Cologne Market opens Monday 22 November to 30 December 2010

Lille Market opens Wednesday 24 November to 30 December 2010

Bruges Market opens Wednesday 24 November to 30 December 2010

Cologne's Christmas Markets

Cologne offers seven Christmas markets in total. Among them are four big Christmas markets - at the Cologne Cathedral, on the Alter Markt, on the Neumarkt and on the Rudolfplatz. Every year these four markets attract almost 2 million visitors. The market at the Cologne Cathedral is the most impressive one of Cologne's Christmas markets due to the backdrop of the imposing Cathedral. Beneath the largest Christmas tree in the Rhineland you can find 160 attractively designed wooden pavilions. Here you can choose from numerous sweet delicacies, watch artisans at work and enjoy the "Original Christmas mulled wine" out of the festively decorated Christmas mugs. The Christmas market on the Alter Markt takes place in front of narrow-gabled houses of the Old Town Hall. It has an especially idyllic atmosphere because of its half-timbered stalls. Children in particular will find lots to do here. With a nostalgic children's roundabout, puppet theatre, Santa Claus' grotto and many toy stands, this Christmas market in the heart of the Altstadt (Old Town) has attracted young and old to Cologne for many years. Cologne's oldest Christmas market is the market on the Neumarkt, in the shopping area against the backdrop of the Church St. Aposteln. There, several old stands still bear witness to the origins of the market back at the beginning of the 70s. A nostalgic flavour is provided by decorative plates with illustrations of the Christmas markets with their long traditions, which are sold there alongside many other artisans' products.The Christmas Market on the Rudolfplatz takes you to the world of fairy tales. Against the historic backdrop of the mediaeval Hahnentorburg, large fairy tale figures and festive illumination provide a special eye-catcher. Besides the four big Christmas markets there is also a Medieval Christmas Market outside the Chocolate Museum and a Floating Christmas Market on board MS Wappen von Mainz (KD Riverboats) alongside the old quarter. Finally and well worth seeing is the Stadtgarten Christmas Market, a new and fairly large Christmas Market, located on the edge of Cologne's oldest park. The Stadtgarten Christmas Market has a far more relaxed and village like atmosphere and it is, apart from the traditional local food, arts & crafts, a great choice for children's entertainment or any one young at heart. As Christmas approaches there is plenty of entertainment and things to do through out Cologne, including a variety of Christmas concerts, Nativity scene displays and a huge temporary ice rink on Heumarkt.

Markets start 22 November 2010

Lille's Christmas Market

Lille's Christmas Market is extremely popular with schools because of the easy journey - just over an hour by coach from Calais. Visitors to this market quickly get into the festive spirit with Lille's month-long Christmas market, held in the Place Rihour in the centre of town. The whole of the Place is taken over by stalls selling arts and crafts and local cuisine. There's entertainment for children in the shape of a theatre and games and a chance to sample traditional French Christmas delicacies. Children can have photos taken with Father Christmas, who attends the market and participates in a spectacular event on Saturday 19th December - when he "falls" from the Chamber of Commerce's 80 metre-high Belfry.

Bruges' Christmas Market

The Christmas market in Bruges will be held in three different city locations. Stalls will offer waffles, pancakes, jenever, gluhwein as well as regional specialities, Belgian beers and some original clothing and handicraft stalls. There is also an ice rink in the Grote Markt just outside the famous Belfry Tower.

20 November 2009 - 10 January 2010

Accommodation in 1 or 2 star hotel with ensuite facilities or modern youth hostels.

Students share twin or triple rooms on Bed and Breakfast basis (multi bedded rooms in Ypres).