Our European Christmas by Train
A 15 day holiday through England, Belgium, and Germany
Traveling through Europe by train in December turned out to be one of our favorite ways to experience the season. Christmas markets, historic cities, winter landscapes, and effortless rail travel made this trip feel both magical and relaxed. Here’s our full day-by-day itinerary.
Day 1 London
We arrived in London and made our way to the Hampton Inn Waterloo, a journey of about an hour and twenty minutes involving plenty of stairs navigating the Underground a true London initiation.
After dropping our bags, we headed to Covent Garden to take in the sights before continuing on to the British Museum, where we explored historic artifacts including the Rosetta Stone.
That evening, we walked toward St. Paul’s Cathedral, stopped for a beer at The Cockpit, and enjoyed dinner at The Black Friar, a beautifully historic pub and a perfect first night in London.
Day 2 London
We took a taxi to the Tower of London, touring the grounds and viewing the Crown Jewels. Afterward, we walked across the river to Winter by the River, a Christmas market along the Thames. I had purchased tickets for the Tower of London in advance.
When we finished at the market, we took a cab to the Churchill War Rooms. Before our timed entry which I had purchased in advance, we stopped for lunch at Two Chairman, which everyone loved.
After the museum, we walked to Trafalgar Square to see the Christmas tree and listen to holiday music. There was also a Christmas Market here. We continued down the Strand, stopping for a beer at The Old Bank of England, and had dinner at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese before taking a taxi back to our hotel.
Day 3 London
We walked across the bridge to see Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, then watched a full Changing of the Guard, beginning at the barracks and seeing both the old and new guards. Rick Steves London guide helped me navigate all of this.
Next, we headed to Borough Market by taxi, where we enjoyed fresh pasta from La Tua Pasta. Afterward, we took a taxi back to the London Eye. We walked along the river before heading to the London Eye.
We booked the London Eye Afternoon Tea, which included time in the VIP lounge beforehand. The tea was so much fun and a wonderful way to see the city from above.
After warming up back at the hotel, we stopped at Wahaca for nachos the kids wanted a snack and thought it was fun to have nachos in London, then had dinner at Rosa’s Thai, close to our hotel.
Day 4 London (Christmas Day)
Everything we’d read about London on Christmas Day was true museums, shops, and many restaurants were closed. Despite that, the streets were packed.
We walked from Waterloo to Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey, then continued to Buckingham Palace, Harrods, and through Hyde Park, where we saw the Christmas market which was closed.
Back at the hotel, we listened to The King’s Christmas Message, which felt uniquely special. That evening, we had reservations at GŎNG at the Shangri-La in The Shard, enjoying cocktails and sushi before returning to the hotel for festive wood-fired pizzas inspired by Christmas flavors. We took an uber/taxi to get there.
Day 5 London to Brussels
We departed early for Belgium, taking an Uber XL to the station and boarding the Eurostar, traveling under the English Channel to Brussels in about two hours. Tickets were purchased in advance.
After dropping our bags, we had lunch at À La Mort Subite. I had soup and a Belgian beer, while everyone else enjoyed salads and ham-and-cheese sandwiches.
We spent the afternoon walking through the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert, Mont des Arts, Gran Place and the Royal Palace of Brussels, passing Hotel Tassel, now open for tours. It was a bit of a walk to go by Hotel Tassel and we used an uber to return to our hotel
That evening, we returned to our hotel for appetizers/drinks, then had dinner at Chez Léon, enjoying mussels and pomme frites. We finished the night walking around Place Sainte-Catherine, which was lively and festive Christmas Market. While in Brussels we stayed at Brussels Hilton Gran Place.
Day 6 Brussels
After breakfast, we walked to Manneken Pis, then stopped at Élisabeth Chocolatier, where we sampled what has been named the world’s number-one chocolate in the world.
We took a taxi to the Horta Museum, followed by another taxi to Cantillon Brewery for a self-guided tour. From there, we went to Delirium for a beer and lunch before wandering the square and taking in the Christmas festivities.
We ended the day with waffles from Waffle Factory.
Day 7 Brussels to Brugge
We took the train from Brussels to Brugge, then an Uber van to the Crowne Plaza Brugge, where I was upgraded to a junior suite.
We explored Market Square and the Christmas market, enjoying bratwurst with curry ketchup, a Belgian chocolate crêpe, and fries from Friterie 1900 with Andalouse sauce. We sampled chocolates from Pralinette and The Chocolate Line. We visited Dille &Kamille which Im obsessed with.
We continued sightseeing at Markt Square, the Belfry of Brugge, the Church of Our Lady, and Rozenhoedkaai. We stopped for a beer at Brouwerij De Halve Maan and had dinner at Cafe Cambrinus — I ordered Flemish stew with applesauce.
After dinner, we followed the Winter Glow walking route which included Minnewater Park, which led us through Brugge beautifully decorated for the holidays.
Day 8 Brugge
We spent the day wandering Brugge at a slower pace, taking in more of the city’s charm. We revisited favorite spots, enjoyed Belgian waffles at Chez Albert, and spent more time at the Christmas markets. We also did a brewery tour at Brouwerij De Halve Maan, walked thru Begijnhof, .
That evening, we had dinner at a Restaurant Diligence featured in It Happened in Brugge, which made the experience especially fun and memorable.
Day 9 – Brugge → Cologne
We had an early morning, traveling by train from Brugge to Cologne with a transfer in Brussels. On the way we passed thru the famous train station in Liege. We checked into Hilton Cologne where we were upgraded to a room with view of the Cathedral. After lunch at Fruh and Dom where we experienced Kolsch beer, we visited Cologne Cathedral, walked through the city Alter Market and Heumarkt, stopped at a perfume shop 4711 for the very first cologne, explored the Christmas markets. Heinz’s Wintermarchen was still open even though Christmas had passed. We ended the day with dinner at a local brewery Paffgen Bauhaus. We stayed at the Hilton Cologne.
Day 10 Cologne to Mainz
We traveled by train along the Rhine from Cologne to Mainz, enjoying views of castles along the river. After dropping our bags at the Hilton Mainz, we took the train to Rüdesheim, walked through town, followed a vineyard path, and ended with a wine tasting.
Back in Mainz, we visited Mainz Cathedral, listened to an organ performance, and walked through the shopping area, though many places were closed for New Year’s Eve. We had a wonderful dinner at Eisgrub-Brau. At midnight, we woke to an unforgettable Mainz fireworks display people everywhere and fireworks filling the sky.
Day 11 Rhine Valley & Marksburg Castle
We took the train back up the Rhine while listening to Rick Steves’ Best of the Rhine, then walked up to Marksburg Castle for a tour. We returned by train and had dinner at our hotel. We spent the night again at Hilton Mainz. This time of year things were closed in the villages along the Rhine and I had hard time finding accommodations so I based out of Mainz both nights.
Day 12 Heidelberg
We explored Heidelberg, walking across the bridge and up to Heidelberg Castle for a tour. There was still a Christmas market going on. I was obsessed with the flower shops Oranje Blume and Blume 2000. That evening, we had dinner and beer at Vetter’s Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus, home to one of the strongest beers in the world. In Heidelberg we stayed at the Hilton Heidelberg.
Day 13 Heidelberg to Munich
We took the train from Heidelberg to Munich and upgraded to first class, learning firsthand that seats aren’t guaranteed unless you reserve them in advance.
Once in Munich, we dropped our bags and did the Rick Steves walking tour seeing all of the Munich sites, ending the day at Augustiner-Keller.
Day 14 Munich
We took an Uber to Dachau Concentration Camp, using the €5 audio guide. We were there for a couple of hours. With temperatures around 23°F, we focused on indoor activities in the afternoon, touring the Munich Residenz. We ended the day at Hofbräuhaus.
Day 15 Travel Home
We flew home — a very long travel day, but the perfect end to an unforgettable journey. Couldn’t of left Munich without eating our last German meal at AirBrau.
Highlights from This Trip
Traveling through England, Belgium, and Germany by train allowed us to experience many of Europe’s most iconic cities, landmarks, and historic sites all during the Christmas season.
London
- British Museum, including the Rosetta Stone
- Tower of London and the Crown Jewels
- Westminster Abbey
- Big Ben
- Churchill War Rooms
- Borough Market
- London Eye
Brussels
- Grand Place
- Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert
- Horta Museum
- Cantillon Brewery
- Pomme Frittes, Chocolate and Waffles
Brugge
- Historic Centre of Brugge
- Belfry of Brugge
- Rozenhoedkaai
Cologne
- Cologne Cathedral
Rhine Valley
- Upper Middle Rhine Valley
- Marksburg Castle
Heidelberg
- Heidelberg Castle
- Old Bridge Heidelberg
Munich
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
- Munich Residenz
- Hofbräuhaus
- Muncih Old Town Sites
Tips
I had reservations made in advance at all restaurants, hotels and museums. It was a very busy time of the year