School Christmas Markets Trip to Bruges & Valkenburg

If you’re looking for a real festive treat for your students, a school trip to the Christmas markets in Bruges and Valkenburg is hard to beat!

You’ll receive a friendly welcome in Valkenburg in Southern Holland, with its numerous restaurants and shops. The city comes alive during the winter months, as thousands of visitors come to enjoy the Christmas markets that are famously hidden in caves underground.

During November and December, Bruges is transformed into a Christmas wonderland – with its quaint cobbled streets and pretty squares. The market stalls form a ring around an open-air ice rink, and there’s even an ice palace!

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Depart school

Afternoon

Ferry crossing

Evening

Arrive in resort

Check in to accommodation in time for evening meal

Day 2

Morning

Free time to explore Valkenberg

Afternoon

Visit to the Christmas market located in the underground caves

Evening

Evening meal in accommodation

Day 3

Morning

Travel to Bruges

Afternoon

Visit to Bruges including Christmas market visit, a canal boat trip, horse and carriage ride or a visit to the Chocolate Museum

Depart late afternoon and head back to Calais

Evening

Arrival back at school

2 nights' half-board accommodation
Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
Detailed information pack
Free staff place ratio 1:8
Itinerary planning service
Motorway tolls and taxes
Return Channel crossings
Return executive coach travel
Vamoos travel app - giving you access to all your trip documents on your phone or tablet
VAT at current rates to tour operators

Curriculum

A Level

Festivals and traditions
Aspects of French-speaking society
Cultural heritage
Individual research project opportunities

GCSE

Food, drink and eating out
Customs, celebrations and festivals
Travel and tourism

Key Stage 3

Exploring the town
Food and drink
Cultural traditions

Primary

Exploring the town
Food and drink
Traditional crafts
Festivals and celebrations

Accommodation

Hotel Dupuis

Tucked in the historic and charming town of Valkenburg is this 2-star hotel with a welcoming atmosphere. The humble rooms vary in size from singles to family rooms, making this the perfect location for all types of travellers. Guests can begin their day with an extensive breakfast buffet before wandering along into the city centre.

Educational Activities

Memling Museum

The St. John’s Hospital (now Memling in Sint-Jan Hospital Museum) is one of the oldest preserved hospital buildings in Europe.

Valkenburg Christmas Market

Valkenburg's annual Christmas Market is held in an underground grotto. Many hundreds of thousands of visitors have already passed through

Cultural Activities

Belfry of Bruges

One of the city's most prominent symbols, the Belfry formerly housed a treasury and the municipal archives, and served as

De Halve Maan Brewery

The museum offers the unique opportunity to discover the old traditional brewing methods in Bruges. Daily guided tours allow you

Horse and Carriage Ride Bruges

See this beautiful city in style with a 35 minute horse drawn carriage ride which takes you around the main

Roose's Chocolate World

On arrival, charming and professional shop assistants will lead your group to the demonstration area where they will see pralines

Wilhelminatoren (Tower)

This magnificent tower which was built in 1906, offers fabulous views of the whole of the Southern Limburg Province. On

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.

Let's chat!

Your Trip is Fully Protected

We're a fully accredited school travel company. So, booking your school trip with us offers you complete peace of mind. Our accreditations are your guarantee that:

Your trip will be fully financially protected

Your group's safety will be prioritised

Your trip will be a quality educational experience

Discover our accreditations

School Christmas Markets Trip to Bruges & Valkenburg