From mid-November, the old towns around here start to glow. The season brings candlelit squares, choirs in churches, chalet markets along the canals and a rink floating on the water, and much of it happens in the early evening, while kids are still up. Here's what we checked, close to home or a short trip away, from the Royal Christmas Fair on Lange Voorhout to Gouda's candlelit Markt.
The Royal Christmas Fair is an open-air Christmas market on Lange Voorhout, in the center of The Hague. There's nothing to book: you walk in, browse the stalls and leave when the kids have had enough.
It works as a short stop on a winter walk through the city center, and suits families who want some festive atmosphere without planning around a set start time.
A no-pressure evening walk through a lit-up Scheveningen, in support of KWF Kankerbestrijding. You pick a route along the boulevard and through the dunes, passing light spots and music on the way.
It suits families with kids who can walk a while in the cold and dark, and who like being out after bedtime for once.
Museumpark Archeon, the history museum park in Alphen aan den Rijn, fills with twinkling lights, crackling fire baskets and a covered Christmas market selling home decor, clothing and gifts.
Kids can make a candle or their own Christmas souvenir, watch the laser show and winter shows in the Arena, and hear the Dickens choir. It suits families who like browsing; kids who dislike shopping may tire of the stalls.
Lichtjesavond is the evening Delft's old center lights up for winter, part of the city's Delft Verlicht season. Families wander the lit streets and canals, stopping for Christmas choirs, concerts and theater in churches and venues, with plenty happening outdoors too.
It suits kids who are happy on foot on a cold winter evening. A silent disco and sing-alongs give them something to join in, not just watch.
Every December, Gouda receives a Christmas tree from its Norwegian sister city, Kongsberg. People gather on the Markt to welcome it, watch the ceremony and see its lights switched on together.
It suits families happy to stand with a crowd on an outdoor square on a December evening, and kids who like a big shared moment more than a sit-down show.
Leiden's Christmas market fills the historic center with a winter village of wooden chalets, where local businesses sell their own products and food trucks serve winter treats and hot drinks.
Kids can browse the stalls and see the lit Christmas tree. It is a browsing market more than an activity, so for restless kids, pair it with the ice rink or the nostalgic fair nearby.
A temporary Christmas ice rink floats on the Nieuwe Rijn in the historic center of Leiden, under the city's festive lights. Kids skate on rental skates from the rink, with the old town all around them.
The rink is part of Leiden's Winter Wonder Weeks, so a visit pairs easily with the Christmas market, the old-fashioned fair and the Christmas circus in the same city center.
From mid-November, the old towns around here start to glow. The season brings candlelit squares, choirs in churches, chalet markets along the canals and a rink floating on the water, and much of it happens in the early evening, while kids are still up. Here's what we checked, close to home or a short trip away, from the Royal Christmas Fair on Lange Voorhout to Gouda's candlelit Markt.
The Royal Christmas Fair is an open-air Christmas market on Lange Voorhout, in the center of The Hague. There's nothing to book: you walk in, browse the stalls and leave when the kids have had enough.
It works as a short stop on a winter walk through the city center, and suits families who want some festive atmosphere without planning around a set start time.
A no-pressure evening walk through a lit-up Scheveningen, in support of KWF Kankerbestrijding. You pick a route along the boulevard and through the dunes, passing light spots and music on the way.
It suits families with kids who can walk a while in the cold and dark, and who like being out after bedtime for once.
Museumpark Archeon, the history museum park in Alphen aan den Rijn, fills with twinkling lights, crackling fire baskets and a covered Christmas market selling home decor, clothing and gifts.
Kids can make a candle or their own Christmas souvenir, watch the laser show and winter shows in the Arena, and hear the Dickens choir. It suits families who like browsing; kids who dislike shopping may tire of the stalls.
Lichtjesavond is the evening Delft's old center lights up for winter, part of the city's Delft Verlicht season. Families wander the lit streets and canals, stopping for Christmas choirs, concerts and theater in churches and venues, with plenty happening outdoors too.
It suits kids who are happy on foot on a cold winter evening. A silent disco and sing-alongs give them something to join in, not just watch.
Every December, Gouda receives a Christmas tree from its Norwegian sister city, Kongsberg. People gather on the Markt to welcome it, watch the ceremony and see its lights switched on together.
It suits families happy to stand with a crowd on an outdoor square on a December evening, and kids who like a big shared moment more than a sit-down show.
Leiden's Christmas market fills the historic center with a winter village of wooden chalets, where local businesses sell their own products and food trucks serve winter treats and hot drinks.
Kids can browse the stalls and see the lit Christmas tree. It is a browsing market more than an activity, so for restless kids, pair it with the ice rink or the nostalgic fair nearby.
A temporary Christmas ice rink floats on the Nieuwe Rijn in the historic center of Leiden, under the city's festive lights. Kids skate on rental skates from the rink, with the old town all around them.
The rink is part of Leiden's Winter Wonder Weeks, so a visit pairs easily with the Christmas market, the old-fashioned fair and the Christmas circus in the same city center.
