Valkenburg Christmas Markets

Itinerary

Highlights

• Hotel for 3 nights with breakfast
• Last night dinner in the hotel
• One evening with live music
• Leisure Time in Valkenburg
• Included visit to Aachen Christmas Market
• Arrival day porterage & welcome drink (2025 tours only)

Your Itinerary

DAY 1 From your chosen joining point your feeder vehicle will take you to your designated interchange point where your holiday begins. After joining your holiday coach, head to Dover for the short sea crossing to Calais. Drive through France and Belgium and onto your hotel in Valkenburg, Holland for your 3 night stay. First 2 nights with breakfast, last night with dinner included in the hotel.

DAY 2 - 3 At leisure in Valkenburg with one INCLUDED excursion

Visit Valkenburg town centre where you have ample time to explore the shops and the Christmas Market. Valkenburg's Christmas Market is spectacularly held in the Town Cave and the Fluweelengrot (Velvet Cave). Twinkling lights and magic illuminations reflect off the walls and soft Christmas music gently disturbs the serene silence more typical of these surroundings. You will see caverns, decorated niches, stalls with various Christmas items for sale and stalls demonstrating old Dutch trades and handicrafts. On Saturday evening the Christmas Parade passes through the centre of Valkenburg (starts at 19.30).

NB Your free day in Valkenburg is likely to be the Sunday (Saturday for 2025 departures) or Wednesday for the Monday departures and an entrance fee applies to both caves (not included). In the past few years timed entrance tickets had to be pre-booked and pre-paid online (https://www.christmastownvalkenburg.com/tickets/) with no option to buy these locally at the caves themselves. This is likely to still be the case this year but tickets should not be booked until your tour has been guaranteed to operate as once booked, the tickets cannot be amended or refunded. As a guide, entrance tickets in 2023 were Velvet Cave approx €8.50 pp and Municipal Cave approx €8.50 pp plus booking charges.

INCLUDED EXCURSION
Aachen Christmas Market
For about four weeks before Christmas, the squares and lanes around Aachen Cathedral and the town hall are transformed into a Christmas village. Twinkling lights and the scent of mulled wine and Aachener Printen (kind of gingerbread) wherever you go - and all in a unique atmosphere! It’s no coincidence that Aachen Christmas market has regularly made it to the top tenBest Christmas Markets in Europe in recent years.

DAY 4 After breakfast, travel back through Holland, Belgium and France to Calais for your return to England arriving back early to mid-evening.

IMPORTANT TRAVEL INFORMATION

EES (European Entry & Exit System).   This is the new entry and exit system for UK citizens (and many other citizens) when entering or exiting the EU. For more information, please visit travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en.

At present there is no fixed start date – planned November 2025.

The ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) 'Visa-waiver' programme is currently expected to be implemented 6 months after the EES comes into place. Please note: Once implemented ETIAS will be compulsory, like a Passport. No ETIAS - No Entry. It is your responsibility to make sure you have the required documentation in place.

For the latest information regarding ETIAS please visit: 'travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en' or 'Gov.uk'.

Passport
For advice on passports when travelling into Europe please visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/holiday-cancellations-and-compensation/travelling-in-europe/

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Accommodation

Grand Hotel Monopole, Valkenburg - 3 Star Hotel .

Stay for 3 nights at the family-run Grand Hotel Monopole, which is a firm favourite with Crusader clients. 

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