Where is the best Christmas Market?

lush_walrus

Ok, strange request at this time of year..But I want to get on with organising it and I'm hoping that one of you will know of the perfect place!

For some reason Ive got it in my head that this year I want to spend a few days in a city (or town) close to Christmas with a really Christmasy atmosphere, and preferably a Christmas maket (German style) with lots of craft type things and Mulled Wine.

So my question is, do any of you know of any good destinations, Ive heard Colone is a good...But Im open to anywhere as long as it is viable for a 3 or 4 day trip...Mustnt be anywhere that just has regular shopping ie NY, more somewhere with a real Christmas vibe.

Money doesnt concern me, its a treat for my 30th birthday (Christmas baby!), and there will be about 6 or 8 of us going of mixed ages..


Thanks x

kirstyreanne

Prague has a lovely craft market in it's old town centre. I really enjoyed it there. You can buy mulled wine & a sweet pastry thing (sorry not sure what it was called - but was lovely) & sit in the square watching the bustle.

I think leading up to Christmas there are many organised trips here or alternatively you could book flight & accommodation seperately.

HTH.

Saint_Chris

It's Cologne for me, easy flights to Germany, have a look at air berlins site there are some good prices. there is a wonderful Cathederal in the city, a must to see, and it has 7 christmas markets spread all over the city. One is a medieval market with spit roast pig. You can go on a wonderful boad ride down the rhine. But beware it is cold so just drink loads off mulled wine. Oh and be prepared to put weight on the food at the markets is brilliant. Especially the roasted chestnuts.

Allexie

Bit of info here on a few Christmas Markets


http://travel.guardian.co.uk/activities/shopping/story/0,7447,413923,00.html

My vote would go to Prague though...beautiful place...and still quite cheap!

GlennTheBaker

Allexie wrote:

Bit of info here on a few Christmas Markets


http://travel.guardian.co.uk/activities/shopping/story/0,7447,413923,00.html

My vote would go to Prague though...beautiful place...and still quite cheap!

Agree totally. Mmmmulled wine...................

telly-addict

It sounds like you are set on a 3-4 day trip, just in case you fancy one of the daytrips (or anyone else) take care as ours with Thomson was cancelled a few weeks before planned departure date.

Cologne is good, over a very large area. Rudesheim is in the Rhine valley and much smaller scale. You can do a trip up the river - nearest airport is Hahn (advertised as Ryanair as Frankfurt?)

We went to Brussels in place of the Thomson trip and it was very nice, easy on the Eurostar. The Grand Place had Christmas decorations, trees and a nativity, which you tend to find at all of the markets.

Nuremburg is meant to be very good but not sure what the air connections are like.
They are all great for getting a proper Christmas feeling, especially if there is snow on the ground when you get there.

Allexie

GlennTheBaker wrote:

Agree totally. Mmmmulled wine...................

Or try the local 'medicine' - Bekarovka if you really need warming up....

albalad

without doubt Frankfurt , it's massive, really atmospheric , well organised , clean and easy to get to with ryanair flights.

In fact even some of the towns nearer to frankfurt hahn such as trier or koblenz all ahve good christmas markets just not in the same kind of scale as the frankfurt one.

although i haven't been to a xmas market in prague yet !

have a couple of gluweins for me


http://www.rozylowicz.com/retirement/xmas-market-2003/xmas-market-2003-frankfurt.html

http://www.open-eye-publishing.com/christmas_markets.htm

Allexie

Allexie wrote:

Or try the local 'medicine' - Bekarovka if you really need warming up....

Oh, and if you fancy somewhere really exotic we usually have a Christkindelmarkt (German Christmas market) here in Leeds in December!

Nile

The Lincoln Christmas market is excellent too.......with lots of continental stalls. It get very crowded so they have a one way pedestrian system in place.


My criticism is with the expensive parking. Last year, the park and ride cost £8 per car!

VickyA_2

Nile wrote:

The Lincoln Christmas market is excellent too.......with lots of continental stalls. It get very crowded so they have a one way pedestrian system in place.


My criticism is with the expensive parking. Last year, the park and ride cost £8 per car!

I was about to suggest the Lincoln Christmas Market! Lincoln is twinned with Neustadt in Germany, so there are always plenty of German stalls - and generally in the cathedral and castle squares.

For parking, park in town. I know, I sound mad, but I parked at my normal "out of the way" car park last year and drove straight in......... it's down Broadgate. However, you would have the trek up the Steep Hill.