Western Europe at Christmas time?
November 5, 2010 2:10 PM Subscribe
Please give us advice for visiting Western Europe over the holidays.
My partner and I are house sitting in Brussels at the height of the holiday season. We'll get there on December 21 and leave on January 4. In between, we want to visit London, Paris, Amsterdam, and very likely Bruges, since they're all pretty close.
We know when we're going to London (December 22-23, or maybe a day or so longer), but we need to figure out the rest. Does anyone have advice about the following things?
1. Do any of these cities close down for, say, Christmas Day or New Years? Are there any days that we shouldn't even bother?
2. Conversely, is there anything particularly cool going on in any of these places at this time? Should we, for instance, go to Paris for New Years? What should we do in London, just before/on Christmas? Or--well, you get the idea.
3. Is there anywhere else near Brussels that we ought to visit? We'll have a car and I'm happy to drive some places, but we really don't want to drive in a city and we'll be near the train station in Brussels.
General recommendations are welcome, too, though it's not like I can't find info about Amsterdam, London, and Paris online, and as I've never been to Europe, I'll be happy hitting the major sites. On the other hand, I could probably be talked out of, say, the Louvre or goofy pictures at the Eiffel Tower if there was something especially cool that I ought to do instead and may not know about. As far as our preferences go, I am a little bit of a loon about Christmas (yay Christmas market in Brussels!), I like good/interesting food that isn't insanely expensive, and I like books. She likes old things--if you know of any cool ruins of any sort near Brussels, do say so.
Thanks tons! We want to go ahead and get train tickets this weekend, so I am totally asking this at the last minute.
My partner and I are house sitting in Brussels at the height of the holiday season. We'll get there on December 21 and leave on January 4. In between, we want to visit London, Paris, Amsterdam, and very likely Bruges, since they're all pretty close.
We know when we're going to London (December 22-23, or maybe a day or so longer), but we need to figure out the rest. Does anyone have advice about the following things?
1. Do any of these cities close down for, say, Christmas Day or New Years? Are there any days that we shouldn't even bother?
2. Conversely, is there anything particularly cool going on in any of these places at this time? Should we, for instance, go to Paris for New Years? What should we do in London, just before/on Christmas? Or--well, you get the idea.
3. Is there anywhere else near Brussels that we ought to visit? We'll have a car and I'm happy to drive some places, but we really don't want to drive in a city and we'll be near the train station in Brussels.
General recommendations are welcome, too, though it's not like I can't find info about Amsterdam, London, and Paris online, and as I've never been to Europe, I'll be happy hitting the major sites. On the other hand, I could probably be talked out of, say, the Louvre or goofy pictures at the Eiffel Tower if there was something especially cool that I ought to do instead and may not know about. As far as our preferences go, I am a little bit of a loon about Christmas (yay Christmas market in Brussels!), I like good/interesting food that isn't insanely expensive, and I like books. She likes old things--if you know of any cool ruins of any sort near Brussels, do say so.
Thanks tons! We want to go ahead and get train tickets this weekend, so I am totally asking this at the last minute.
Don't spend too long in Bruges, one day is enough. I actually prefer Ghent which is similar but a more real city.
I love Antwerp, but I can't really recommend anything but walking around and maybe having a beer at the Kulminator.
posted by Duffington at 2:35 PM on November 5, 2010
I love Antwerp, but I can't really recommend anything but walking around and maybe having a beer at the Kulminator.
posted by Duffington at 2:35 PM on November 5, 2010
Delft is lovely, but possibly boring if you're not interested in buildings, churches, canals and Vermeer.
posted by elsietheeel at 2:48 PM on November 5, 2010
posted by elsietheeel at 2:48 PM on November 5, 2010
London is shitty on Christmas Day if you're not a Londoner. No tube, no buses, no shops, no museums, no restaurants. Everything's shut, everyone's home with their family. Avoid.
posted by dontjumplarry at 4:17 PM on November 5, 2010
posted by dontjumplarry at 4:17 PM on November 5, 2010
Don't pay to go up the Eiffel tower, instead pay half the price, tackle little to no queue or crowd of tourists, and head up Le Tour Montparnasse on the south side of Paris. The only skyscraper within the city, it's as tall as the Eiffel tower and has the added bonus that you get to see the Eiffel tower itself from up high.
The Paris catacombs on place Denfert Rochereau are another more off the beaten track thing to see, it's basically old quarry caverns under the city turned into ossuary for millions of bones from the old charnel pits dotted around the city which were cleared from Paris in the 19th century. A surprisingly calm, peaceful, meditative and not at all freaky place to visit, I found.
If you're remotely into him the Picasso museum in the Marais is one of the cream of the crop of the non-huge, well known art gallerys.
posted by protorp at 6:35 PM on November 5, 2010
The Paris catacombs on place Denfert Rochereau are another more off the beaten track thing to see, it's basically old quarry caverns under the city turned into ossuary for millions of bones from the old charnel pits dotted around the city which were cleared from Paris in the 19th century. A surprisingly calm, peaceful, meditative and not at all freaky place to visit, I found.
If you're remotely into him the Picasso museum in the Marais is one of the cream of the crop of the non-huge, well known art gallerys.
posted by protorp at 6:35 PM on November 5, 2010
At the Eiffel Tower for New Years, the countdown to midnight involves the stars of the EU flag being projected onto the Tower then going OUT, one after the other. Yes, you can watch and cheer as darkness rolls over Europe and one by one each country is snuffed out. The most sinister thing I've ever seen.
Restaurants are still open though. (if you want to be in a resturant in Paris or London on 24, 25, or 31st, book NOW!)
I think in London at new year people are either at house parties, or paying enormous sums to get into even the crappiest of places, or are out on the street paralytic and lairy.
Come to Berlin. It's firework madness but still terribly well behaved. There's an inch-thick layer of leftover gunpowder on the streets the next morning but very few people get punched.
Cities in Sweden have the same thing but it starts at 11.55 and stops dead at 00:05.
posted by runincircles at 7:09 PM on November 5, 2010
Restaurants are still open though. (if you want to be in a resturant in Paris or London on 24, 25, or 31st, book NOW!)
I think in London at new year people are either at house parties, or paying enormous sums to get into even the crappiest of places, or are out on the street paralytic and lairy.
Come to Berlin. It's firework madness but still terribly well behaved. There's an inch-thick layer of leftover gunpowder on the streets the next morning but very few people get punched.
Cities in Sweden have the same thing but it starts at 11.55 and stops dead at 00:05.
posted by runincircles at 7:09 PM on November 5, 2010
we want to visit London, Paris, Amsterdam, and very likely Bruges,
Don't try to cram too much in. Bruges is quite nice.
posted by ovvl at 10:48 PM on November 5, 2010
Don't try to cram too much in. Bruges is quite nice.
posted by ovvl at 10:48 PM on November 5, 2010
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posted by proj at 2:22 PM on November 5, 2010