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Tournai is a splendid Belgian town in Wallonia, the French-speaking area of the country, located a few kilometers from Lille and the French border. The city is characterized by a beautiful historic center with a wonderful central square, the Grand Place, and by a splendid Romanesque-Gothic cathedral (Cathédrale Notre-Dame), famous for its five bell towers and its treasury. The bell tower (beffroi), the oldest in Belgium, and the cathedral of Tournai are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During Christmas, numerous chalets usually fill the Grand Place of Tournai offering a wide range of gift items and handicrafts, as well as numerous culinary specialties of the traditional Christmas cuisine. In addition to the Tournai Christmas Market, this pretty town in Wallonia also hosts many events and activities related to Christmas traditions during Christmas. To the delight of the little ones, Santa Claus will welcome the children into Santa’s house, usually on the afternoons of every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Concerts, choirs, folklore, brass bands enliven the streets of Tournai every weekend.
TOURNAI CHRISTMAS MARKET
1) Tournai d’Hiver. The city of Tournai invites you to experience magical, festive and warm moments in the heart of the Cité des 5 Clochers. Usually on the program: a breathtaking show in the Notre-Dame cathedral, winter chalets on the Place de l’Evêché, the Christmas market in the Halle aux Draps, animations in the piétonnier and at the tourist office, gourmet tours … and above all a splendid ice rink that will take place under the starry sky of the Grand Place! To the delight of young and old, the wonderful Christmas train will take you on a magical journey to meet Santa Claus and his friends from the North Pole.
2) Indoor Christmas market in the Halle aux Draps. This market is the oldest Christmas market in Wallonia and usually takes place inside the Tournai Cloth Hall (Halle aux Draps), a beautiful Renaissance building located on the Grand Place. In this extraordinary Renaissance building you will find exhibitors, artisans and producers offering a wide range of Christmas gifts and Christmas delights.