Courtney Pochin
Published November 25, 2025 10:43am
Updated November 25, 2025 10:43am
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The city is known for Gothic architecture, rich history and good food (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
One of the world’s most beautiful squares enjoys a charmed existence.
Each winter, it transforms into what is often voted Europe’s best Christmas market, complete with sparkling lights, ice rinks and the scent of freshly baked waffles wafting through the air — just like a fairytale.
This magical scene unfolds at the Unesco-protected Grand Place in Brussels as part of Winter Wonders, a festival that brings the Belgian capital to life from Friday, November 28 until Thursday, January 1.
There’s mulled wine, a giant Ferris Wheel, live music and a light show that illuminates the city’s elegant Gothic architecture in dazzling colour.
The festive spirit spreads across several streets and smaller squares, and the best part is that a one-night trip is long enough to experience it.
Several airlines fly direct from the UK (including British Airways, easyJet, and Vueling), but you can also take the Eurostar direct from London St. Pancras International and be sipping hot chocolate in under two hours.
The only downside is the cost.
The Belgian capital comes to life with festive spirit in late November (Picture: Getty Images)
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Brussels did not feature in this year’s Post Office ‘Christmas Market Barometer’, which ranks the cheapest places to visit a market in Europe.
That means it’s more expensive than Baltic cities such as Riga and Vilnius, but also the likes of Berlin, Stockholm, Prague and Vienna.
Still, there are ways of doing it on the cheap, if you time your trip right.
We’ve crunched the numbers so you don’t have to.
The cheapest way to see the Brussels Christmas Market in 2025
Getting there
At the time of writing, the cheapest flights we could find in December were £100 per person with Brussels Airlines from London Heathrow, according to Skyscanner.
That’s a return trip, leaving London on Wednesday, December 10, and coming back the following evening.
@little.brusselsho ho ho °❄️⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ #brussels #brusselsfood #christmas #christmasmarket #marchédenoël
♬ i smell snow – ashley 💋🛍️
These non-refundable flights are for light economy, with only hand luggage included in the price. A checked bag costs an additional £58.
Taking the train is more expensive. The cheapest fares we found were £75 one-way, travelling mid-week in December.
It’s always worth weighing up cost against the hassle of airports: the time wasted at the gate and, of course, the cost of getting there — a return Stansted Express ticket set our Travel Editor back £75 last week.
Where to stay
A word of warning: you’ll want to move fast because on Booking.com, 74% of Brussels’ budget accommodation was booked at the time of writing.
For two adults, the cheapest option we could find was €68, checking in December 10 and checking out the next morning.
Some 2.5 million people attend Brussels’ Christmas market each year (Picture: Getty Images)
That’s for two beds in an eight-person dorm at the Meininger Brussels Gare du Midi, a highly-rated budget hotel 15 minutes’ drive or a 30-minute walk from the Grand Place.
On Expedia, we found a Black Friday deal for a €64 double room at the Ibis Brussels Waterloo, but that’s a 35-minute drive from the Grand Place.
Where to eat
A round of waffles, hot dogs and glühwein quickly stacks up, so we felt it was important to bring you some suggestions for cheap eats outside the market.
According to Tips From A Waitress, a local Brussels food blog that specailises in recommendations for meals under €15, a good place for dinner is Babbelzot, an Italian that does €12 spaghetti bolognese and €8 burgers. Plus, it’s just a four-minute walk from the Grand Place.
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She also recommends Metin Pide, Belgium’s first Turkish pizzeria, with prices from €8 to €13. That’s less than 10 minutes on tram 4 or 10 from the Grand Place.
Alternatively, eat as the Belgians do and grab a cone of fries from a street stall.
Tips From A Waitress suggests Friterie de la Barrière, Friterie du Bourdon and Frituur Steve for a truly local experience.
What do people say about the Brussels Christmas market?
Brussels is regularly named as one of the best Christmas markets in Europe by esteemed travel publications, including Conde Nast Traveller and Travel and Leisure.
Though modelled after northern European holiday fairs, its spirit is unmistakably Belgian, from waffles dotted with pearl sugar to local beers poured beneath glowing garlands.
Each year, the event attracts close to 2.5 million visitors, making it one of Europe’s most attended Christmas markets.
On TripAdvisor there are mostly positive reviews, with a woman called Ann Godwin hailing it ‘absolutely spectacular’ and another describing it as ‘a fairytale’.
Celine Haddad said it was the ‘best Christmas market in Europe’.
She added: ‘Everything was amazing about it. It really makes you feel the Christmas spirit! The lights, the music, the shows etc. All displays and yummy food and drinks were satisfying.’
The light show in the square is ‘magical’ (Picture: Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images)
Many praised the light show, saying it ‘makes’ the market, while others thought the food was ‘epic’.
However, not everyone was impressed. Some said it was ‘underwhelming’ and ‘disappointing’ with ‘just some ok stalls’ and ‘very little local crafts’.
But if Brussels doesn’t do it for you, there are plenty of other (more affordable) Christmas markets to enjoy, all across Europe.
Cheapest cities for Christmas markets in 2025
The cheapest cities for a budget Christmas break were recently revealed in the Post Office’s annual ‘Christmas Market Barometer’, with the Baltic capitals of Vilnius, in Lithuania, and Riga, in Latvia, coming on top.
Both are cheaper for a two-night weekend break than last year’s most budget-friendly destination, Slovakia’s capital Bratislava, which has seen prices rise by over 11 per cent in 2025.
Tiny, bohemian Vilnius is packed with intriguing history and great restaurants (Picture: Getty Images)
A break in Vilnius costs a total of £509, marginally lower (-0.4%) than last year.
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Our Travel Editor spent 48 hours there in November and discovered a compact but charming city, full of dark but fascinating history, moody jazz bars, and a surprising number of top-tier restaurants.
You can check out her full review here.
There’s still time to book a last-minute getaway, so here’s the full breakdown of the average price of a European Christmas market break:
- Vilnius, Lithuania: £509.06
- Riga, Latvia: £555.50
- Bratislava, Slovakia: £568.15
- Gdansk, Poland: £585.85
- Warsaw, Poland: £588.97
- Budapest, Hungary: £664.33
- Krakow, Poland: £674.17
- Berlin, Germany: £691.85
- Stockholm, Sweden: £717.23
- Zagreb, Croatia: £756.54
- Lille, France: £795.83
- Tallinn, Estonia: £841.71
- Prague, Czech Republic: £901.25
- Vienna, Austria: £926.41
- Copenhagen, Denmark: £1,056.55
* According to the Post Office Christmas Market Barometer
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