Nothing quite compares to wandering around a Christmas market, taking in the wooden chalet stalls, with a warming cup or pint of mulled wine in hand, for a touch of festive merriment. In the name of stepping into Christmas, I explored one of the most enchanting, less than two hours from the UK.

Near the border of Belgium and just an hour and 23 minutes on the Eurostar from London St Pancras International, I arrived in the charming city of Lille in  France. Having departed London at 9am, my train arrived in Lille at 11.24, and after an easy 20-minute walk from the train station, I found myself in the heart of Lille’s Christmas Village.

My first stop was at the city’s enclosed Christmas market on Place Rihour, following a brief bag search at the side entrance. Initially, the market didn’t look particularly big from the outside, and I wondered if I’d be done in less than an hour. But I was far from wrong.

The market was packed with traditional wooden chalets selling everything from fur hats and knitwear to every kind of Santa hat, funky baby socks, a wooden Harry Potter Quidditch pinball machine, Christmas ornaments, sculptures, candles, pop-up cards, vibrant posters, and vinyl records. It’s the first Christmas market I’ve been to where I would actually consider buying some gifts for my loved ones.

There was even a stall selling acoustic amplification wooden speakers, which were made from mango trees in Thailand, but were invented by the French, as the trader told me. Not to mention the traditional panettone on sale for €25, macarons for €1.40 each, a giant gingerbread heart for €30 and a pack of stroopwafels for €5, along with the selection of gins, cider and cured meats all available to purchase.

I tried a truffle macaron, which was a confusing yet delicious combination, followed by a champagne macaron. I was keen to buy a bag of freshly made stroopwafels, but sadly, they only accepted cash, and I later discovered that they weren’t the only ones.

But this was just the start of the mouthwatering foodie goodies on offer, as the aroma of melted French cheese and spiced mulled wine filled the market – and naturally, I couldn’t resist. I started with a dish of the croustilles de Noël, which in English means Christmas chips, but they resembled croquettes with a soft centre and a crisp layer.

I opted to have mine poured over with melted Maroilles cheese that comes from Northern France, and topped with crispy onions. Need I say more? I also sampled the raclette tourtons, which are “small doughnuts filled with a cheese puree”, as they described in French on the board, and were just as heavenly.

I could have easily spent the day eating my way around the market, with fondue, Bretzels, corn dogs, cheese-topped French baguettes, waffles, enormous doughnuts, and old-fashioned gingerbread, all on offer. It really is a foodies paradise, as I found out.

A visit to any Christmas market, be it in the UK or Europe, isn’t complete without a warming cup of mulled wine, and I tasted the best one yet. After trying one stall, which only accepted cash, I found another that poured me a cup of traditional Vins Chauds, aka mulled wine, from a steaming copper steel cauldron.

It cost me €5 for a generous 25cl measure, with an additional payment of €2 for the reusable plastic cup that was decorated with a scene from the Lille Christmas Village. If you return the cup to the stall, you’ll get the €2 back, but I couldn’t resist taking this home as a little keepsake.

Additionally, visitors can get themselves a 50cl measure, almost the same size as a full pint, of the red or white mulled wine, for just €8 (approximately £6.99). I saw numerous people walking around the market clutching their pint of warming wine, and regretted that I didn’t upgrade my own.

There are plenty of other beverages on offer, including €9 cocktails and €24 bottles of wine from the market’s fully fledged bar, along with draft beer from another stall. One standout for me was the champagne and wine bar, which also offered up a menu of salmon, caviar and oysters for something a little special.

I spent my time wandering around the market, saying ‘Bonjour’ to the friendly traders, who were always more than happy to help and explain what products they had on offer. The only downside is that I only spotted one table with benches where people could sit down and enjoy the food; otherwise, people would be at the stand-up tables, which quickly became crowded as we headed into the late afternoon.

During my visit, I felt truly immersed in the French culture, and loved the fact that there were no English signs in sight, despite the number of Brits I overheard exploring the market. Another highlight was that every stall, aside from the mulled wine, offered something different, so it really felt worth my time exploring every corner of the market.

I spent around three hours at the market, and could have happily stayed for longer, but found more jollity just around the corner – and with just a few hours left in the city, I wanted to try and get as much as I could into my day out. Along with the city illuminated in festive lights, the main square boasted a big wheel and a huge Christmas tree, but that wasn’t the only offering. 

As I walked further, I found a chalet-style Christmas bar where locals and visitors were soaking up the festive atmosphere, before I stumbled across a carousel and two festive displays in front of the Opéra de Lille. The Christmas village poured into the city with its fairytale backdrop, and I wanted to keep exploring but had to head back to catch the 6.36pm Eurostar back to London, arriving at 7pm UK time which meant I could still get home and have an early night, ready for more Christmas fun at the weekend! 

Ultimately, Lille was a spectacular location for a festive day out – and somewhere I’ll definitely be revisiting! But for now, Joyeux Noël.

• Eurostar offers direct routes to Lille from London St Pancras International – find out more and book on eurostar.com. 

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