A cosy, candlelit coach holiday to the Ardennes: six days chasing Christmas markets (Dinant base)
There’s a very particular pleasure in letting someone else steer the holiday — literally. No rearranging luggage at motorway services, no worrying about the right lane at a foreign toll booth, and none of the panic that comes with finding a car park when the town is humming with December lights. A coach holiday to the Belgian Ardennes feels like a warm, slow breath in the middle of the seasonal bustle: you travel together, arrive refreshed, and have an entire region to explore with a friendly guide, local knowledge and finely timed comfort stops. Below is the kind of trip I’d recommend — a six-day Christmas markets break based in the leafy Castel de Pont-à-Lesse, with day trips to Dinant, Namur, Durbuy, La Roche-en-Ardenne, Bastogne and Marche-en-Famenne.
Outward: the coach to Hull, the overnight ferry and the ship
You meet your coach at a convenient, pre-announced pick-up point and time. The driver’s briefing is calm and efficient — a quick run-through of safety, the planned comfort stops and the estimated boarding time for the ferry. You can expect the coach to be a modern, long-distance vehicle: reclining seats, individual reading lights, and generous underfloor luggage space. There’s a short pause for the first comfort stop to stretch legs, grab coffee and use clean facilities), then the steady hum towards Hull and the ferry port.
Arrival at Hull docks usually happens in the afternoon, hand luggage will be taken off the coach and main luggage left on-board. The coach will board the ship, every step feels practised and mellow — the kind of organisation that makes you glad you didn’t drive.
The overnight crossing to Rotterdam is about eleven and a half hours of slow maritime luxury: you walk up the gangway with your hand luggage into a ship that’s more like a mini floating hotel. There’s a friendly reception, an entertainment lounge where a pianist or a singer often brews a pleasant background hum, and multiple dining outlets (a casual buffet, a grill, cafés for coffee and cake). If you like browsing, there’s usually a compact ship shop stocked with travel essentials, local treats and the all-important duty-free. For quiet, the observation decks look out over the North Sea; on a clear night, the horizon is a line of stars and ship lights.
Cabins are available both ways for anyone who wants a proper night. Standard inside cabins are cosy and practical — a compact suite with two bunks or a double, an en-suite shower, small cupboard space and a reassuringly heavy door that shuts the world away, fall asleep to the sound of the waves and wake to the slow sunrise over the bow. Having a cabin transforms the crossing into a rare, restful ‘travel night’ rather than a cramped ferry trip; it’s a gift of sleep and calm before you start exploring.
Into Belgium: timings, scenic drives and comfort stops
Disembarkation in Rotterdam is pleasantly organised — coaches drive straight off the vessel once vehicle clearance is completed, you’re soon boarding your coach outside the ferry terminal and onto the motorway towards Belgium. The crossing and border formalities mean you usually pull away from Rotterdam in the morning. From there, the coach winds through Dutch and then Belgian countryside: neat polderland gives way to rolling hills, and as you approach the Ardennes the landscape opens into wooded valleys and limestone cliffs.
A typical schedule unfolds like this: Rotterdam departure around 09:30hrs, motorway run with a short stretch and comfort stop before crossing into Belgium (a chance for sandwiches and hot drinks). After about two hours you’ll stop for lunch at a motorway service that’s used to coach groups — efficient, clean toilets, a café and often a small supermarket for last-minute toiletries, chocolates or thermals. Expect a 45 minute break here.
Then comes the more leisurely section of the drive: country lanes, river valleys (you’ll skirt the Meuse for large portions), village markets and the occasional herd of shaggy Ardennes cattle. There’s usually a mid-afternoon comfort stop in a small roadside town where the coach drops you at a café for coffee and a leg stretch, and your guide will point out the timeline for hotel arrival. The final approach to the Castel de Pont-à-Lesse is through a 25-hectare setting of trees and quietly rolling lawns; arrival is generally early afternoon depending on traffic and ferry timings. The whole journey is designed to be as restful as possible — regular stops, and a pace that lets the region’s character seep in.
Hotel Castel de Pont-à-Lesse – three nights of style
The Castel is a converted manor — an elegant, stone-faced house that looks as though it might have been waiting all along to host winter visitors. It sits in leafy grounds with a small outdoor mini-golf, walking paths and benches, which is a funny and welcome treat in December: a breath of the country before the evening log fires.
Rooms mix heritage character with modern comfort. Expect a warm, neutral palette, thick carpets, heavy curtains and beds arranged for maximum cuddly warmth. Rooms are typically equipped with ensuite bathrooms, tea and coffee facilities, flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi — not flashy, but quietly practical. Some rooms face the parkland and have those lovely low, filtered light views; others overlook the hotel courtyard.
The public spaces are part of the hotel’s personality. There’s a drawing room with a large stone fireplace where guests gather for an aperitif; heavy wooden beams, comfortable armchairs and a library of local guides and classic novels make it easy to settle in with a glass of something warming. The bar serves local beers and seasonal cocktails; the staff are polished, quietly efficient and used to arranging packed lunches or last-minute dinner plans for coach groups.
Meals are another highlight. Breakfast is a generous, hotel-style spread: hot choices (scrambled eggs, sausages), a selection of breads and pastries, cold cuts, cheeses, fruit, yoghurt, and fresh coffee. It’s the kind of breakfast that sets you up for a day of wandering market lanes. Evening meals are three-course, comfort-forward fare — think saisonal soups, local game or river fish, and hearty stews in winter; there’s a steady nod to regional produce (cheeses, Ardennes ham, local mushrooms), and desserts are often chocolatey and warming. The dining room itself is cosy — candlelight, crisp table linen and staff who know how to time a large group service without it feeling rushed. The hotel also typically offers a sauna or small wellness area for a post-market soak.
Dinant & Namur: riverside lights and craft stalls
Dinant is small, dramatic and very musical — the birthplace of Adolphe Sax (yes, the saxophone), and a town where the Meuse reflects the Christmas illuminations like a thousand tiny mirrors. The market is compact, usually arranged along the river promenade and clustered in the old market squares. It’s exactly the kind of place you want to wander: wooden chalets with local crafts (hand-made ornaments, artisan foods, woollen caps), the smell of hot chestnuts roasting, and musicians tucked into doorways playing seasonal tunes. The citadel above the town is sometimes lit up in the evenings, creating a cathedral silhouette against the dark sky that glows in a way postcards never quite capture. If you go at dusk you’ll catch the lights reflected on the river while the stalls begin to warm up.
Namur, the regional capital, is larger and more varied. The Christmas market spreads across several squares — Place d’Armes, Place du Théâtre and along the riverfront — and includes an ice rink, live music and a broader selection of chalets. It’s where you go when you want more of everything: local gastronomy stalls, choirs, and the kind of civic lighting that turns the old citadel and the cathedral into a glittering backdrop. The market often runs through much of December and can be paired with a short bus tour of Namur’s shop streets and historic arcades.
Durbuy & La Roche-en-Ardenne: fairy-tale streets and winter cosy
Durbuy prides itself on being “the smallest town in the world,” and in winter that little cobbled cluster of streets becomes enchantment personified. The Christmas market here is theatrical: narrow lanes strung with lights, pop-up chalets, and the sort of street food that demands you buy something because it smells so good (try the local “foie gras potato” specialties that rival the better known Belgian classics). It tends to run on weekends early in the season and then more frequently in the run up to Christmas; if you time your visit for a market day you’ll find the town filled with families and local choirs.
La Roche-en-Ardenne has a more rugged, storybook feel — a ruined medieval castle perched on a rocky spur, walking trails that dip into the wooded valley, and a winter market that feels both local and celebratory. The chalets here focus on local crafts and warm, rustic cuisine: game terrines, smoked sausages, and mulled beverages that are practically required when the wind bites off the river. It’s the kind of market where you linger because the atmosphere slows you down, not because you’re trying to tick boxes.
Bastogne & Marche-en-Famenne: history and regional markets
Bastogne brings history and a certain solemnity to a Christmas trail. Known internationally for its World War II heritage, the town balances that with a warm local market and charming streets to explore. The market stalls tend to be more low-key and locally focused — perfect if you want regional keepsakes without the touristy buzz.
Marche-en-Famenne is another enjoyable stop: a mid-sized market with a pleasant selection of stalls and a strong local foodie angle. The town squares light up and there are often children’s activities and local musical groups dotting the days of the market — a nice, community-forward contrast to the larger city markets.
Final evening and return crossing
On the last full day after breakfast depart Dinant and make the return journey to Rotterdam boarding the ferry in the afternoon and another cabin night available. Disembarkation back in Hull is the next day early morning; the coach then drops you at your original pick-up points, usually mid-morning to noon, full of stories, new ornaments and the faint smell of mulled wine on your coat.