A weekend in Brussels in December
We almost didn’t go. “Brussels in December? Won’t it be grey and freezing?” Both true, as it turned out — and it was one of our favourite city breaks anyway.
Friday: lights and mulled wine
We arrived Friday evening straight into Winter Wonders, the city’s Christmas market, and any doubts melted with the first cup of vin chaud. The chalets run for over two kilometres, from Sainte-Catherine to the Bourse, and the whole thing is free to wander (full guide). We ate our way along — a Liège waffle here, a cone of frites there — wrapped up against the damp cold.
The highlight came on the Grand-Place: a free sound-and-light show projected onto the guild houses, the gold leaf flickering in time to music. We watched it twice.
Saturday: cosy Brussels
December is when Brussels’ indoor pleasures come into their own. We started with a chocolate workshop (warm room, free samples, what’s not to love — workshops), then took refuge from a downpour in the Magritte Museum (guide).
By late afternoon we’d found our rhythm: walk a bit, get cold, duck into a brown café for a strong Trappist, repeat. À la Mort Subite with a kriek, the windows fogged against the dark — that’s the Brussels memory I kept (best beer bars).
Sunday: a slow finish
We’d planned a day trip but the weather said otherwise, so we mooched the Galeries Royales (covered, dry, full of chocolate) and bought far too many pralines to take home (souvenirs).
Would we go back in winter?
Honestly, yes. The grey skies barely mattered — the city is built for cold weather, all chocolate and beer and museums and lights. And as a business city, the hotel was cheap for a weekend. If you’re choosing when to visit, don’t write off December (best time to visit). Just pack a proper coat, lean into the cosy, and let the Grand-Place light show do the rest. More winter ideas in our Brussels in winter guide.
