Cave shopping in Valkenburg at Christmas
Visit Valkenburg in the Netherlands for your Christmas shopping, and you will feel like you are in Santa’s Grotto. This is because underneath the city centre is a network of caves where a candlelit market is held at Christmas.
Every year the market has a theme, and for this year it is the Dutch legend of Reynout the Knight and the Book of Wisdom. The market runs for a full calendar month from 21st November to 21st December.
Valkenburg is in the south of the Netherlands, and is a delight for the tourists all year round – it can be visited as a daytrip from Maastricht. There is a steep hill in the centre of the town, with a ruined castle on top. In the town centre there are loads of small pubs, bars and restaurants, and plenty of good meals and drinks to be had.
If you are a lover of beer, then be sure to try a glass of Valkenburg Wit, which is a rather nice wheat beer, that has even made its way to the Cambridge Beer Festival.
Valkenburg is highly popular with cyclists in the summer, but I don’t think you will want to be cycling in the crisp, fresh winter weather – unless you are really keen.
A good way to get to Valkenburg from the UK is by Ryanair who are doing flights from around £48 return. Entrance to the cave market is €3 (£2.20) for adults, and half-price for children up to 12.
Filed under: Shopping, Beer, Christmas markets, Nightlife, Historic Sights, The Netherlands/Holland, Flights
