Our Christmas-market journey began early on December 20 with a flight from Madrid to Brussels. One of the advantages of arriving at Brussels Airport is how easily the journey can continue by train: the railway station is located directly beneath the terminal, making the transition from air travel to Belgium’s rail network remarkably straightforward.

From Brussels Airport-Zaventem, we traveled through Brussels and continued to Gent-Sint-Pieters. From the station, a short taxi ride brought us to the Ghent Marriott Hotel, which would become our base for the next three nights.

We could hardly have made a better choice. Set directly on the Korenlei canal in the historic center, the hotel combines a traditional medieval façade with a surprisingly contemporary interior. More importantly for this particular itinerary, once we arrived at the hotel, we essentially stopped needing transportation. Ghent’s historic center, landmarks, restaurants, and Christmas festivities were all within walking distance.

After checking in, we immediately set out to experience the city. The medieval streets and canals were beautifully illuminated for Christmas, with festive areas and market stalls offering local crafts, traditional foods, sweets, and seasonal drinks. Walking rather than following a rigid sightseeing route became the best introduction to Ghent.

One of our first spontaneous food stops was Frites Atelier, where Belgium’s iconic fries are given a gourmet interpretation. Traveling with a daughter who wanted to try some of the places everyone was talking about made this an unavoidable stop—and a fun introduction to Belgian street food.

For dinner, we had reserved BRIDGE Brasserie, where we began our Belgian culinary experience with three classics: moules au vin blanc, vol-au-vent, and entrecôte, accompanied by a local La Chouffe beer.

We ended our first evening exactly as Ghent deserves to be experienced at Christmas: walking through the illuminated historic center and stopping at St. Michael’s Bridge, with the city’s famous three towers rising above the medieval skyline.

After an early flight, two train journeys, hotel check-in, Christmas markets, Belgian food, and an evening walk through one of Europe’s most atmospheric medieval cities, our Christmas-market itinerary was officially underway.

Our second day was dedicated to Bruges. From the Ghent Marriott, we took a taxi back to Gent-Sint-Pieters and boarded the train for Bruges—another example of why choosing Ghent as our base worked so well for this itinerary.

Once in Bruges, there is little need to rush toward the historic center. The walk from the railway station is relatively short and becomes part of the experience itself, gradually leading through cobblestone streets into one of Europe’s most beautifully preserved medieval cities.

Bruges is a place where I recommend putting the map away whenever possible. As we wandered through its narrow streets, small artisan shops, cafés, and countless chocolate stores, many of the landmarks we wanted to see appeared naturally along the way: St. Salvator’s Cathedral, Bonifacius Bridge, the canals around Rozenhoedkaai, Burg Square with the Town Hall and Basilica of the Holy Blood, and finally the magnificent Markt, framed by the Belfry, historic façades, and Provincial Court.

We stopped for a relaxed lunch on the terrace of Craenenburg, directly on the Markt. It was the perfect setting to continue our introduction to Belgian flavors with uiensoep, scampi look, and garnaalkroketten, accompanied by a Duvel beer.

Christmas gave Bruges another personality. We explored the festive markets and made an essential stop at Käthe Wohlfahrt, the traditional German Christmas store. My wife collects Christmas nutcrackers, and finding these pieces has become part of the fun of our Christmas-market trips around Europe. Moments like this are a reminder that these journeys are not only about seeing the markets, but also about the traditions we bring home from them.

For dinner, we changed direction completely and chose Orfeo, an intimate Italian restaurant in the historic center. After a full day of Belgian specialties, a traditional margherita pizza, burrata San Daniele, and a classic tiramisù provided a simple and very enjoyable change of pace.

Bruges is a dreamlike city and one I would recommend visiting at almost any time of year. During Christmas, however, it can become particularly busy. Based on our experience, I prefer enjoying Bruges as a full-day visit rather than using it as a base during the festive season.

After dinner, we walked back toward the railway station and returned comfortably to Ghent. The trains proved reliable and considerably less stressful than we had anticipated during the Christmas period. Before calling it a night, we settled into the lobby of the Ghent Marriott for a final drink, relaxing and talking about everything we had experienced during the day.

That quiet ending reinforced something we were beginning to appreciate about our decision: We could enjoy the intensity of the Christmas markets during the day and still return each evening to the same familiar hotel in Ghent.

After two active days of travel and exploration, our third day was dedicated entirely to Ghent. We started with a generous breakfast buffet at the Ghent Marriott Hotel, then stepped outside to explore the historic city that had become our home base for the trip.

Our first major visit was Gravensteen, the Castle of the Counts of Flanders. Remarkably preserved in the heart of the city, the medieval fortress offers a fascinating look into centuries of Flemish history and provides a striking contrast to the lively streets surrounding it.

From there, we spent the day exploring Ghent on foot. One landmark naturally led to another: Korenmarkt, St. Nicholas’ Church, Ghent City Hall, Veldstraat, the historic Old Post Office, St. Michael’s Bridge, St. Bavo’s Cathedral, and the Belfry of Ghent. We also wandered through the areas around the historic Meat Hall and Old Fish Market, where the city's commercial past remains embedded in its architecture.

But one of my personal favorites was completely different: Werregarenstraat, better known as Ghent’s Graffiti Street. Surrounded by centuries-old architecture, suddenly finding ourselves in a narrow alley covered from end to end in constantly changing street art, revealed a younger, more unexpected side of the city.

For lunch, we changed pace at Osteria Delicati, conveniently located just behind our hotel. We shared an insalata mista, pasta al pomodoro, and carbonara, naturally finishing with another house tiramisù. Traveling with our daughter added variety to our dining choices throughout the trip, and mixing traditional Belgian experiences with casual Italian meals became part of our family itinerary.

Dinner brought us straight back to Belgian comfort food at Amadeus Gent 1, a lively and traditional restaurant particularly known for its signature ribs. Their generous ribs experience—served with potatoes and the option to enjoy additional servings—accompanied by a cold Belgian beer was exactly the kind of informal, hearty dinner that worked after a full day of walking through Ghent.

Between the historic landmarks, we continued enjoying the Christmas atmosphere that had initially drawn us to Belgium: illuminated medieval façades, seasonal food and drinks, artisan stalls, and festive streets woven naturally through the historic center.

Once again, we ended the evening in the lobby of the Ghent Marriott, having a final drink and talking about the day. After three days, the hotel no longer felt simply like our accommodation; it had become the anchor of the entire itinerary—a familiar place to return to after each day's discoveries.

After breakfast at the Ghent Marriott, we checked out, took a taxi to Gent-Sint-Pieters, and boarded the train to Brussels for the final day of our Christmas-market journey.

Rather than carrying our luggage around the city, we left it in the lockers at Brussels-Central Station and set out on foot. This made it easy to enjoy several more hours in Brussels before continuing directly to the airport later that afternoon.

Having visited Brussels before, we did not feel the need to follow a traditional sightseeing checklist. Instead, we concentrated on the historic streets surrounding the Grand-Place, enjoying the Christmas decorations, seasonal atmosphere and, particularly, the extraordinary concentration of Belgian chocolate shops. Some are presented with such elegance that their windows look more like fine jewelry boutiques than confectioneries.

One essential stop for us was Neuhaus near the Grand-Place, our favorite Belgian chocolatier and a place we would not miss on a return visit to Brussels.

Traveling with our daughter once again added another dimension to the day. A stop at Fritland for traditional Belgian fries was inevitable, while the rest of our walk gradually became an informal tasting tour through Brussels. Rather than planning a formal lunch, we enjoyed discovering some of the city’s sweets and casual specialties along the way, including places such as Maison Dandoy, Maison des Crêpes, Waffle Factory, La Maison des Gaufres, and Amorino.

Brussels has an impressive Christmas-market experience of its own, although we found it noticeably busier than Ghent. For us, the city’s greatest appeal during this visit was not necessarily moving from one market stall to another, but simply walking through the historic center, discovering chocolates, waffles, cookies, and other treats while enjoying the beautifully decorated storefronts.

The Grand-Place at Christmas provided the perfect final image of the trip. Its monumental façades illuminated in changing colors, festive decorations, and a towering Christmas tree transform an already extraordinary square into something completely different during the holiday season.

By late afternoon, we returned to Brussels-Central, collected our luggage, and continued by train to Brussels Airport-Zaventem for our flight back to Madrid.

Four active days, three Belgian cities, countless kilometers walked, medieval architecture, Christmas markets, chocolates, Belgian beer, fries, waffles, and memorable meals later, our last-minute Christmas journey had come to an end.

And perhaps that was the greatest lesson of the trip: Not every memorable journey needs months of planning. Sometimes choosing the right hotel base, understanding how to move efficiently between destinations, and knowing what experiences matter most is enough to turn a spontaneous decision into a remarkable trip.