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Charleroi, Belgium

Arras, France

Lille, France

🛬 Arrival to Charleroi Airport, Belgium. Return tickets from MCR airport were very cheap only €20 overall and this is a close airport to Lille, 1hr drive so from here my friend picked be up to drive to Lille.

🇫🇷 Arras 
From Lille we visited the town of Arras which is a 40min drive from Lille. The Christmas markets here were fabulous and a large variety of different stalls and booths selling all sorts of food, drinks and gifts. Lots of Christmas lights lighting up the whole city and an overall great atmosphere.

Own Car

☀️ Day in Lille
Spend a whole day in Lille, walking around and taking in the sites. The main square looks amazing and full of life as it has lots and lots of tourists and people enjoying the Christmas markets which is only one street down. Large Ferris wheel during Christmas time - €6 euros per person but reallt worth it as you can see all of Lille from the top.

🧁Merrveilleux
Try a Merrveilleux which is a traditional sweet treat from the North of France. Available in various flavours, the treat is 2 small meringues covered in cold cream and in Lille you can even watch the preparation of these lovely treats @ Aux Merveilleux de Fred

A-Stay Antwerpen

Brussels, Belgium

Antwerpen, Belgium

🇧🇪 Brussels 
Drove from Lille to Brussels, 1.5hrs. Then we spend the whole day in Brussels- walked around the Grand Palace, Manneken-Pis, Christmas Markets, Parc du Cinquantenaire, European Parliament, Brussels Parliament. 

🍟 Fritterie
Contrary to popular belief, French Fries actually originate from Brussels so you should deffo try some out whilst staying in Belgium!

🏨 Antwerpen 
Drove to Antwerpen from Brussels, 45mins. You can download the 4411 app for parking and read online about the parking as in some cases it can be pretty expensive.

🇪🇺 Mini Europe and Atomium
Tickets for Mini Europe were 17€ each but it’s really worth it as you can easily spend an hour there walking around to see all the different iconic monuments of Europe. The actual sculptures are quite big so you can take good pictures of them and we went at night time so they have good lighting so you can see the buildings well. The atomium is in the background and as it gets darker the lights turn on which make the huge sculpture look really amazing!

Leonardo Hotel Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf, Germany

🇧🇪 Antwerpen
Spend a morning in Antwerpen exploring the city. The town square looks amazing and walking out to the waterfront is also worth it as it’s really beautiful.

🚗 Düsseldorf 
Drove to Düsseldorf from Antwerpen, 2.5hrs. Arrived at our hotel and unpacked before leaving to go to the town centre to have dinner at the Christmas markets!

🎄 Christmas Markets 
The traditional Christmas Markets are a must-see at least once in your life time! Such a huge variety of different stalls and booths selling so so many different things. The city is full of people and there is a great vibe and atmosphere with also street music in some places. In Düsseldorf the markets are spread throughout the town so there is a lot to walk through and explore. Also big Ferris wheel at the end of the city over looking the river Rhine costing €8 for a ride.

Leonardo Hotel Köln

Cologne, Germany

🗼Rheinturm
This was my highlight of my whole trip as we went up the Rheinturm in Düsseldorf. The tower is so high up that you can experience and enjoy the whole city. You can see so far away and it looks really stunning, if the weather is clear there are really great views for far away also. There is a cafe up there so you can enjoy a cake and a hot drink with a friend overlooking the city. 
The tickets before 11am only cost €5 so a really good price in my opinion and after 11am they cost €10.

🚗 Drive to Köln 
45 min drive so not too far away. 

Once arrived we went out again to the Christmas markets which is near the Cathedral. It is lit up during the night time so it looks really impressive but like in Düsseldorf there are lots of markets spread around the city with opportunities of ice skating also.

🥺Last day 
Spend morning in Köln looking around the Christmas markets again. Due to time limitations we didn’t hvae much time to do anything but there is a really good Zoo and botanical gardens nearby and also a chocolate museum which is worth visiting. 

We drove back from Köln to Charleoi  Airport, 2.5hrs so we had to leave after enjoying a German chocolate Crepe from the markets for lunchtime!

This is a little summary of my trip to France, Belgium and Germany during the 2022 Christmas markets! 🎄

Mini Europe Trip @ Christmas Time

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Other from:Brussels Belgium

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Cologne, Germany

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Mini Europe Trip @ Christmas Time

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Lille, France

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Düsseldorf, Germany

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Düsseldorf, Germany

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Cologne, Germany

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Cologne, Germany