Looking for a dose of Yuletide fun from a bygone era? Simple, says John Hillman, just take a ferry to the continent and head to the Bruges Christmas Market

The magical city of Bruges, in the Flemish region of Belgium, is a spectacular sight to behold at any time of the year but arrive during the month of December and you’ll think you’ve stepped into a child’s Yuletide fantasy.

The city already boasts stunning medieval architecture, wrapped in ribbons of ancient canals, which long ago won it the title of ‘Venice of the North’. Visitors to the city are often shocked that a city this picturesque isn’t as well regarded as its glamorous Italian relative.

Bruges is an important city, once the seat of the Count of Flanders and is now a spiritual hub of Flemish culture. Local traditions, responsible for spectacular food and music festivals throughout the year, really come into their own during December.

The Flemish community hold traditional concerts and spectacles throughout the city, during this month, the centre of town is illuminated with thousands of lights and candles and an enormous Christmas market pulsates all around them. The result is a feast of shimmering joy in the depths of the winter’s darkness.

Anyone looking to escape from the commercial glittery razzmatazz of our own Christmas shopping experience and head to something altogether more traditionally atmospheric should pencil in a day or two at Bruges’ incredible Christmas Market.

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