Czeching out Prague (& Brussels, too!)

Brussels Town Hall

Waffles, chocolates, Trdelník, oh my! Brussels and Prague around the winter holidays are both magical destinations. They each have a lot to offer and are a great pair for a week in Europe!

In all honesty, Brussels wasn’t at the top of my radar when thinking of a winter destination. I stumbled upon a great Delta Skymiles offer that got both Dustin and I flights from JFK to BRU for Skymiles I had saved up. Can’t beat crossing the Atlantic and paying for it in accumulated miles (ok, and some minor taxes & fees)!

We set off on a chilly December day from Atlanta to JFK. We had a crazy long layover (we’re talking…7ish hours) and Dustin had never been into NYC, so we dropped out bags for our next flight and lept from JFK into the city on the train. I forced Dustin to see Times Square and a bit of Midtown (all decked out for Christmas, too!) before we had to head back to the airport.

When traveling I tend to make lists for each place I go – I break them down into main “must see”, “see if there’s time”, and “this is probably weird but I think it’d be interesting”. Our flight arrived in Brussels around 9am, and after a flight with little sleep, we navigated straight to the hotel and took a short nap before heading out to explore. We splurged (by my euro-travel standards) and stayed at the Hilton Grand Place. The location could not have been better! The hotel was directly across a courtyard from Gare Central (train station) and right up a small hill from old town.

We bundled up and quickly were in awe at the chocolateries and the shops around us and at Les Galeries Royales St. Hubert. We grabbed a few chocolate samples and kept exploring the streets. By nightfall, the Christmas markets began to light up. Hot wine was flowing day and night, with a great 1-euro deposit to get a plastic cup to refill for 2-3 euro at each station. We found our favorite hot wine and returned to a specific stand for the following days.

We took one of the famous Sandeman’s Free Toursof Brussels the next day. These tours always help us decide what we can check off the list vs. what we want to go back and see again or enter if it’s a museum or something. These also help us get our bearings in terms of where we are going around the city. The tour started in the Grand-Place where we learned a bit of history of Brussels. Did you know that Belgium once went without a functioning government for 541 days? That’s almost two years! Belgium also has the most comic book makers per square kilometer than any other country in the world.

We snacked on our fair share of frites, had plenty Belgian waffles (covered in ice cream, chocolate sauce – you name it!), and tasted a TON of Belgian beer! Although the great flight deal was into Brussels, we felt like we could see most of the “big city” in a few days and opted to take a day trip to Bruges as well.

We walked through Bruges and admired Sint-Janshospitaal (dating back to the 12thcentury!), the ramparts (and city gates), the bridge of love (Bonifacius Bridge), Church of Our Lady, Minnewater park, the Benguinage, Historium, Markt, and of course the Belfry Tower. The Markt was magical during the holiday and was adorned in Christmas décor. We stopped in a café for lunch, popped into a brewery (ok, maybe two) for evening beers, and took photos at the Rozenhoedkaai (Quay of the Rosary). We even switched up our waffle-eating game and went for a Belgian waffle on a stick.

Rozenhoedkaai (Quay of the Rosary)

After a day in Bruges we took the later train back to Brussels and got a good night of sleep in preparation for our flight to Prague the next morning. We were able to figure out Prague’s public transportation system relatively easily, but the key thing to remember was to VALIDATE THAT TICKET. We opted to use public transportation entirely on this trip and did not use any taxis or other transportation services.

In the streets of Prague we were quickly introduced to Trdelník, which is a delectable desert made from dough wrapped around a stick over a grill and topped with sugar (and/or walnut). They are often also filled with chocolate or ice cream! We took a Sandeman’s Tour of Prague as well as the paid castle tour. After the [well worth it] tour, we visited the Strahov Monastic Brewery. This brewery dates back to the 17thcentury!

With Prague also came more very welcomed hot wine. We browsed the Old Town Square, appreciated the detail of the Astronomical Clock, tried MORE beer at uSupa, and I made a new friend – Krtek – the little mole. We dined on traditional Czech food (Goulash, pork knee) and admired the city come nightfall while keeping as warm as possible. We walked across the Charles Bridge admiring the lights from the castle.

I remembered by International Baccalaureate (IB) days as we took our tour of Prague, checking out a multitude of history related to Franz Kafka. More Czech food for lunch the next day (read: give me all the goulash) at Kozlovna Apropos Beer Restaurant. It was crowded but well worth the wait. We took a few more strolls across the Charles Bridge in the daylight to visit the Lennon Wall and stroll the streets taking in all of the amazing architecture. We wrapped up our last day in Prague with hot wine and – you guessed it – more beer.

We had one additional day in Brussels before heading back. We spent this time grabbing a few things for family and ourselves and continuing to indulge in chocolate, waffles, and warm drinks. We made way back to the Grand Place in the dark and were met with a spectacular light show throughout the square.

The holidays in Brussels and Prague were an absolutely magical time to visit and I could tell everyone I run into a million reasons to go during this time of year. Pack some hot hands and get out there! We were met back home by our fur kiddos and had plenty of time to prepare for Christmas with the family and get pumped for our recent tradition – Christmas mimosas!

xo.

stay wild.