Winter wonderland: Bruges

In the film In Bruges, Colin Farrell’s character considers hell to be a lifetime spent in the medieval city. It took my friends and me just one glug of glühwein and a glimpse of the festive Markt — the main square — to know we had been granted a weekend of heavenly merriment.

The wooden stalls were selling trinkets, novelty hats and knitwear, but the real magic is in the setting. The 12th-century square is lined with step-gabled brick buildings, which had been decorated like individual Christmas trees with lights and festive foliage. As the Flemish remix of ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas’ played into the cold night, skaters took a final spin on the central ice rink, a little unsteadily: the glühwein comes with a shot of Amaretto, the hot chocolate is served with rum, even the pancakes come doused in Grand Marnier.

On the south side of the Markt, the turreted Belfort adds to the fairy-tale feel when its 47-bell carillon chimes forth across the city. Enticed by the less tuneful sound of a violin and feet-stomping, we stumbled on a party in the belfry’s courtyard. Welcomed with a plate of steaming mussels, we settled in for an evening of festive cheer, which ended with shots of jenever, Dutch gin — purely for warmth, as the mercury hovered at zero.

When it does plummet below, skaters take to the 16km of canals that dissect the city and give it the nickname ‘the Venice of the North’. Our Airbnb apartment, the Golden Hand, looked out over a stretch of canal flanked by quiet cobbled streets. The flat, in the servants’ quarters of an 18th-century house, had been stylishly renovated by owners Pascale and Bart, who had erected a Christmas tree in our honour.

The next morning we went for breakfast at one of Bruges’ best patisseries, Servaas Van Mullem. Founded by a committee member of the National Society of Patissiers, this third-generation patisserie has upheld its standards; the pains aux raisins were gooey and the melt-in-your-mouth croissants called for seconds.

If you’re looking for serious gifts, then the best shopping is in the streets off the square. Every other shop is a chocolatier with mouthwatering displays of praline shells and powdered truffles. Our favourite, Depla, featured a towering devil made from 100kg of chocolate, soon to be joined by a white chocolate angel. Like the chocolatiers, the Christmas shops are open all year round. Anyone dragged into Käthe Wohlfahrt on a street just off the Markt, blaspheming ‘Bah humbug!’, will emerge a Christmas convert. The shop has wall-to-wall displays of hand-painted wooden decorations, giant nutcracker dolls and cuckoo clocks; an artisanal snowman can set you back €40.

Even the most fervent need a break from the festivities. We discovered a different kind of spirit at the Begijnhof, a Benedictine convent that used to be home to wealthy widows who became lay sisters after men from the Low Countries left to join the Crusades. The stillness of the courtyard, with its eerily tall elm trees, was a welcome respite. In the Church of the Béguinage we found nuns bent in choral prayer, overlooked by chubby putti in the choir stall.

By the time we made it back to the Markt the colourful lights were flickering again. We toasted the evening with a bulbous glass of Brugse Zot, the fruity, pale ale brewed in the city. The name ‘Bruges Fool’ allegedly comes from a visit made by Maximilian of Austria when locals put on a parade of merrymakers. At the end of the day they asked the Emperor to donate money for a madhouse, to which he replied: ‘Today I have seen nothing but fools. Bruges is already one large madhouse.’ Fools or not, the people of Bruges know how to eat, drink and be merry; not just for Christmas it seems, but for life.

CHECK IN

The Bruges Christmas Market is open until 2 January. Eurostar operates up to nine daily services from London St Pancras International to Brussels Midi and from there passengers can use an Any Belgian Station ticket to connect on to Bruges. Journey time is 3½ hours via Brussels. Returns from £79 (08432 186 186; eurostar.com).A night at Golden Hand starts from £108 (airbnb.co.uk)

ICE SKATING AND SACHERTORTE: THREE MORE CHRISTMAS MARKETS ON THE CONTINENT

Schönbrunn Palace market, Vienna

In the city that first patented the snow globe, they know how to do Christmas. The 80 stallholders sell handmade decorations and Nativity scenes while brass bands and gospel choirs belt out ‘Stille Nacht’. When you’ve done all your shopping, head to the ice bar, or join a workshop and learn how to make traditional Austrian biscuits. Don’t miss a guest appearance from St Nick on 6 December. Until 26 December (schoenbrunn.at)