Comfortable and convenient, coach travel in Europe is on the rise. Catherine Wylie jumps on board for an organised tour of the Christmas markets in Brussels and Valkenburg

Bus stations are great places for people watching. A man in his early 20s, seemingly still merry from the night before, is busking in London’s Victoria Coach Station. But within minutes, he has to pack up to catch the bus to Dover.

He tells us all he’s off on a trip of a lifetime, hitch-hiking around Europe.

I don’t encounter anyone in such an extreme state of merriment on my organised coach tour to the Christmas markets in Brussels and the pretty little town of Valkenburg – but that is not to say my fellow holidaymakers are boring old fuddy-duddies.

As it turns out, I find that organised stress-free holidaying also appeals to people who have yet to find their first grey hair, as there is more than just the one young couple cosied up on the coach with a Christmassy weekend of market romance in mind.

And it’s hard not to feel warm and fuzzy when you’re on a bus draped in tinsel, with a TV screening The Vicar Of Dibley Christmas Special.

I enjoy the novelty of having a married couple drive the coach, which is a good thing, because the journey to Brussels is an all-day affair. Graeme and Sue have been a coach-driving double act for years now, and we all fall for Graeme’s pranks.

On exiting the Eurotunnel in France, he very convincingly tells us to hold our passports against the window as the French have a scanning device that they use to quickly do their checks. We all fall for it!

Christmas market veterans (and there are many of you out there) will be aware of what’s on offer at just about every market throughout Europe. What makes a Christmas market great is that special something, that unique talking point that makes them that little bit different to the last one you visited.

In Brussels, it’s the fact that you follow what feels like a fairy-lit winding trail between stalls, with goosebump-inducing spectacles along the way.

As I make my way through the couples and groups of friends enjoying gluhwein and hot dogs, I’m struck by the range of present ideas on offer.

Along with delicious food and gifts for sale, there’s also festive entertainment aplenty.

A brass band is followed by a female duo on the cello and violin, that simply make me stop in my tracks. Then there are the unusual vintage carousels, where horses have been replaced with other-worldly creatures, such as fairy tale dragonflies and flying dinosaurs. I also can’t resist taking a ride on a big glistening Ferris wheel.

Our visit ends with an emotive light and music show in the Grand Place as we make our way back towards the coach. Illuminations bounce off buildings in time to classical music as we tilt our heads up and gasp in amazement.

The next day we are driven to Valkenburg – a sleepy town just over the border – where caves become an underground Christmas wonderland.

In a nutshell, it’s a claustrophobic Scrooge’s worst nightmare, but to the more festive among us, it’s an enjoyable novelty.

When we arrive, it feels like the entire population of Western Europe has descended on the small town to check out the impressive Christmas scenes created in the caves.

The most memorable is a sleeping Santa Claus, in bed, with his fat belly moving up and down.

I’m particularly impressed by the design team’s creative use of cotton wool!

After battling through crowds of slow shoppers, I make my way back to the coach.

Now all I have to do is snooze on the way back to the hotel, and dream of a white Christmas – with real snow instead of cotton wool.

The facts

Catherine Wylie was a guest of Leger Holidays (www.leger.co.uk; 0844 846 0808) who offers the three-night Brussels & Valkenburg Christmas Markets coach tour from £299 per person. Includes B&B accommodation and travel by Silver Service luxury coach