Over the years, Brussels’ Christmas market has grown from a few stalls to an entire Christmas village, including a winter bar, an ice-skating rink, a Ferris wheel and a food plaza with about 250 choices. For this 10th edition, Greece is the guest of honour; you can taste Greek specialities in the eight chalets on Sint-Katelijneplein. ➟➟ www.winterwonders.be
From Handschoenmarkt to Grote Markt and Suikerrui to Steenplein, you can’t miss the Christmas market on Antwerp’s central squares. The main attractions are the nostalgic carousel on Grote Markt and the Ferris wheel. Radio station Studio Brussel will broadcast from their glass house on Groenplaats between 21 and 23 December; support their Music for Life campaign by requesting a song in exchange for a donation. On Boxing Day, watch the living nativity scene on Handschoenmarkt. ➟➟ www.antwerpen.be
With regional products from Lapland, Poland, Hungary and Germany, the international Christmas market on Ostend’s Wapenplein is an excellent occasion to treat your taste buds to something new. If you’re looking for last-minute gifts, you’ll find handmade jewellery and interior objects as well. This year, the city is holding a second Christmas market, on Groentemarkt. Besides food and drink, you can buy your Christmas tree as well. Be sure to check the other stalls for decorations! ➟➟ www.eindejaarinoostende.be
For six weeks, Sint-Pietersplein in Ghent is transformed into a Winter Dream. Think skating rink, hall of mirrors, trampoline... and the highest Ferris wheel in Europe. If you fancy something special, you can book breakfast on the Ferris wheel and enjoy your croissants from high in the sky. Or how about disco ice-skating? For even more, hop on the shuttle to Sint-Baafsplein, where you’ll find the traditional Christmas Market with handicrafts, food, drink and live music. ➟➟ www.winterdroom.be
There’ll be no time for kids to get bored thanks to the vast number of events going on during the holiday break in Flanders’ museums.
The VRT series De Bedenkers (The Inventors) was aimed at adults, but it brought into the world a children’s delight, speculoos paste. An exhibition at De Wereld van Kina in Ghent based on the series will explain to young entrepreneurs how an idea is brought from the imagination to the marketplace. For kids aged six to 10 there’s a scavenger hunt, while the over- 10s get to take part in an invention workshop. ➟➟ www.dewereldvankina.be
The prolific 20th-century Flemish author Felix Timmermans once said that all his work revolved around Christmas, and his story De Ster van de Fee tells of three tramps who dress up as the Three Kings. The City Museum in Timmermans’ hometown of Lier has built an exhibition around the story, good for kids aged three and over. ➟➟ www.bruegelland.be
The Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences in Brussels, better known as the Dinosaur Museum, is invariably a success with kids, for its permanent collections (those dinosaurs!) and its temporary exhibitions, such as the current Prikkels (Sensations), which explores the five main senses and one or two you never suspected you had. For kids over six, with a special circuit for ages three to six. ➟➟ www.naturalsciences.be
Even the stony ground of modern paintings can be made accessible to children with a bit of imagination, and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp is offering a free workbook for children based on its exhibition De Modernen (The Moderns). While the kids are busy, grown-ups can enjoy the exhibition, which features the work of artists such as Theo Van Rysselberghe, Emile Claus, James Ensor and Gustave Van de Woestyne. ➟➟ www.kmska.be
Nothing gets kids interested in art more than being able to pick it up, and that’s what the travelling exhibition Raak (Touch) in Ghent’s museum for contemporary art SMAK allows them to do. With works by Panamarenko, Johan Tahon and clothing designer Christophe Coppens, the exhibition is designed by the group RASA, which specialises in making art accessible to children. ➟➟ www.smak.be
The Tivoli Domain in Mechelen is offering two outdoor trails for kids aged five and over. Eat and Be Eaten looks at the food chain from up close, and From Budding Tree to Falling Leaf examines the effects of the seasons on plants and wildlife. Visits last about 90 minutes, and both run until 31 December. Bring boots and raincoats. ➟➟ www.mechelen.be/tivoli
When it’s cold and dark outside but you’ve got cabin fever, get out and find a café that will keep you warm by the fire. Het Spijker (Pensmarkt 3) near the Graslei in Ghent has candles everywhere, with puddles of wax fighting for table space with your beer. If it’s extra cold, the stove next to the fire is filled with logs, adding even greater atmosphere to the wooden-beamed café. Or head to Hotsy Totsy (Hoogstraat 1) to while away the winter hours with board games and an always-interesting selection of jazz.
The best coffee in Brussels – really? A bold claim, but the regulars at Moka (Rijkeklarenstraat 5) sing the praises of its espresso, made on a truly antique machine. Besides the authentic coffee, the gourmet paninis and the interesting wine selection, the Moka crowd (artists, DJs, scooterists) enjoy the cosiness of this matchbox-sized place, the comforting soul and jazz sounds (vinyl of course) and its informal, retro vibe. If only the opening hours – and days – were as reliable as the coffee.
Get some fresh air in your lungs without really leaving the city: A brisk walk through Brussels’ Ter Kamerenbos gets the blood flowing as you wander its endless paths. Warm up with a hot drink at Chalet Robinson, on an island in the centre of the lake reached by a gentle two-minute boat ride. Watch out for wildlife while you’re there – rabbits and the odd chipmunk have made the wood their home.
The seawater in Ostend rarely exceeds a couple of degrees at this time of year, but that doesn’t stop thousands of people in swimsuits and fancy dress (Polar Bears, they call themselves) from running screaming into the sea every year during the first week of January. Join them and get a bracing start to the year, then treat yourself to a warme chocolademelk, preferably fully clothed, at the very posh Thermae Palace beach hotel. The New Year’s Dive is on 7 January; sign up online. ➟➟ www.nieuwjaarsduik.be
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