The Dordrecht December Days

The holidays are just around the corner and that means many cities are immersed in the magical Christmas atmosphere. For example, Deventer has its famous Dickens Festival, you can Christmas shop at the Christmas markets of Haarlem and Maastricht and even go to the special Christmas market in the caves of Valkenburg. But Dordrecht has the Dordtse Decemberdagen and they should definitely not be missed in the list!

The Dordrecht December Days

Dordrecht has a beautiful historic center, and in the run-up to the holiday season, there will be an extra special treat. A Christmas market, an ice skating rink, round trips, a winter garden, winter city walks and the breathtaking Dwaalspoor. All fun and beautiful Christmas activities spread throughout the city. At the invitation of Dordrecht Marketing and Miss Publicity, we were able to participate in the kickoff of the Dordrecht December Days with a cozy Christmas sing-a-long on the Town Hall Square and a mini-Dwaalspoor.

Christmas sing-a-long

When we arrived at City Hall Square, the Christmas sing-a-long had already started. Earlier that evening there was a Santa Run and therefore you saw Santa Clauses and Christmas women everywhere. That increased the atmosphere even more! Besides classic Christmas songs such as “let it snow” and “jingle bells”, Christmas favorites such as “last Christmas” and “do they know it’s Christmas” were also performed. It was very cozy on the square and the mulled wine and hot chocolate was not to be missed. We couldn’t stay too long, because our city guide was eager to tell us more about Dordrecht during the mini-Dwaalspoor walk.

Dwaalspoor: walking route along light artworks

Together we walked toward the Grote or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk church. The lights were on inside the church so we could see the beautiful stained-glass windows from outside. Our guide took us to the square in front of the church, where from Dec. 26 to 30 there will be a Winter Garden with good food, live music and lots of fun. The Christmas trees, tables and lights were already there, so we could get a good idea of what it will look like after Christmas. Although the Great Church itself was not part of the Wanderlust, it is a place you cannot avoid.

The story of the sack bearers

From the Great Church, walk to Maartensgat: a marina where bag carriers used to work. There you could see a beautiful light projection on a fountain in the water that tells the story of these workers. That light projection combined with the illuminated tower of the Great Church in the background was an immediately beautiful start to the walk. We walked on to the Bridgekeeper’s House from where you have a great view of the harbor. The boat owners had all done their best to dress up their boats with lights. This made the walk even more special.

Discover Dordrecht from the water

Speaking of boats, you can explore Dordrecht by land, but by water is obviously fun too! Especially in this day and age. On the website of InDordrecht you will find tips to discover Dordrecht from the water. Si Barone for example, is a team that owns 5 boats that are low enough to sail under low bridges. This allows you to get to more places than with traditional boats. You can even put together your own package. Super fun for a family day out or an outing with friends.

De Witt Brothers and Ary Scheffers

Our Wanderlust continued again over romantically lit bridges. At the Visbrug, near the place where Johan de Witt was born you will find a huge statue of the two brothers. Here, too, a beautiful light story was told in the form of projections and music. Then we went to the Scheffersplein where you really walk into a painting of this Dordrecht painter in a Dordtorama. At the Statenplein another surprise awaited us: the sparkling Dordrecht letters. Of course, a group photo had to be taken of these. Our last stop was the Kunstkerk where we had a closing drink.

Dordrecht: definitely worth a visit!

Of course, we already knew that Dordrecht was a beautiful, multifaceted city. We have already taken a wonderful Walk the City walk through the city before, but even around the holidays it is definitely worth visiting the historic center. We will definitely come back again to try the cozy shopping streets and atmospheric restaurants as well! Thank you Dordrecht Marketing and Miss Publicity for the unforgettable outing.

Credits photos: OpstapmetLisa