Pretty European city named best to visit from the UK by train – with amazing beer and underrated Christmas markets
A PRETTY city in Europe has been named the best to visit from the UK by train, beating the likes of Paris and Amsterdam to the top spot.
More than 1,000 holidaymakers ranked their favourite European city break destinations that were reachable from the UK by rail – and Bruges comes out on time.
Consumer champions Which? asked holidaymakers to rate cities that were less than a seven-hour train journey from London.
Factors to consider were food and drink, accommodation, cultural sights and attractions and value for money.
An overall score was then worked out for each city, based on overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend other people.
It turns out Bruges in Belgium bagged the top spot, with a score of 85 per cent.
From London St Pancras International, it takes three-and-a-half hours to reach Bruges on the train.
In the survey, Bruges scored four out of five stars for its food and drink, largely thanks to the city’s chocolate shops and quaint cafes.
Its cultural sights, accommodation, value for money and transport also scored four out of five stars.
Bruges is also known for it’s Christmas market, which takes place this year on November 22.
Running until January 5, 2025, Bruges Christmas Market will have a number of stalls selling everything from snacks and drinks to souvenirs.
Until the Christmas market gets underway, there are still plenty of things to do in the city.
Belfort Tower is one of the main attractions, with the 15th century UNESCO World Heritage Site tower having 366 steps to climb for the best views in the city.
Other attractions include the Bruges Movie Walk – a self-guided walking tour where visitors will be see filming locations.
And it is even home to the worlds ‘best free attraction’ – a museum filled with harps.
Otherwise make sure to visit Markt, the central plaza is filled with restaurants and bars.
Make sure to visit De Garre, a bar with more than 140 varieties of beer.
Editor of Which? Travel, Rory Boland, added: “You can reach some of Europe’s most spectacular cities by train from the UK in about the same time it would take to fly, and often for less money too.
“It’s easy to discount Eurostar if you don’t live in London, but with cities as far afield as Birmingham, Cardiff and Portsmouth only two hours from the capital, the train can still be quicker than the plane to many European destinations – it’s certainly more enjoyable and far better for the environment.”
Bordeaux in France took second place in the Which? study with a score of 84 per cent.
Taking six hours to reach from London, the city received a five-star rating for food and drink, with multiple respondents singling out its “superb restaurants” which “cater to all tastes and pockets”.
What is it like to live in Belgium?
SUN’S Head of Travel – Digital, Caroline McGuire, grew up in the French-speaking part of the country and here she raves about what makes the country so special for holidaymakers.
IT’S high time Bruges, and Belgium as a whole, got the credit they
deserve for being fantastic holiday destinations.
I grew up in the French-speaking part of the country and have always
wondered why the country wasn’t more popular among Brit holidaymakers.
The people are extremely friendly, the food is excellent (they
invented French fries, not the French) and the monks were doing craft
beer for centuries before the Brooklyn hipsters cottoned on.
Bruges itself is a perfect weekend break, the city is so pretty and
you can waste hours in the bars and cafes, people watching.
It is also one of the best places in Europe to go antiques shopping,
with the biggest flea market in Belgium taking place there three times
a year.
And given that it’s really easy to get from there to Brussels, you can
buy loads and take it on the train home.
Five stars were also awarded for its transport, while four stars were given to its cultural sights and attractions.
Amsterdam and Avignon were tied in third place, with a score of 82 per cent.