to want our own authentic German Christmas market in London?

[pmTea]

Glasgow has one (twinned with Nuremberg).
Birmingham has one (twinned with Frankfurt).
Leeds has one (no idea who they're twinned with).

London - bloody capital city has nada.

Oh, sorry, unless you count the utter crock of shite that is the Southbank "German-styled" market: nothing authentic about it whatsoever, no German stall holders to speak of, but the usual Christmas tat only sold from a wooden chalet!

I WANT A GERMAN CRISTKINDLMARKT IN LONDON PLEASE

Over and out.

I'd love to go to a real one in Germany, but only have a day's worth of time, sadly...
Apparently if they're not behind schedule) the high speed rail link to Cologne from Kings X will open in 2014, so if train prices aren't hideous, I'll go then!
In the meantime, B'ham is near enough to London and as I only really care for the food, Xmas decorations, wooden toys etc and not fun fair, I may try it. Yes, it'll be heaving, but even the ones in DE are heaving at weekends. Best to go Mon-Fri, wherever you're planning to visit.
Bah hambug to anyone who is being miserable about them

Hmm, the Manchester one used to be good but, once you've been once or twice to these things, they're all the same. It got taken over by stag do types as well so was actually really unpleasant in the evenings. And at the weekends it's too crowded to really take young kids - all they can see are legs. You usually just end up eating your food standing next to an overflowing bin. I've been to the Birmingham one quite a few times - didn't think it was as good as Manchester, tbh.

St Albans are.doing one this year, I.might go.this week to.see what it's like.

Thank you orange pudding I didn't know that so that's tomorrow sorted !

move

pmTea - I did the Aachen Christmas market as a 24 hour trip (in a car) a couple of years ago. Left home at 4pm on a Tuesday evening, stayed overnight on the far side of Holland and then drove about 45 minutes into Aachen the next morning. First stop the Lindt factory outlet :):):) and then the rest of the day in the town enjoying the markets. Left Aachen about 5pm and was home (Windsor area) by 11pm. It was a real eye opener, how far you can go in a day! Channel Tunnel was only £28 return as mid week in late November.

This year a friend and I are going to Cologne for the weekend - leaving after work on Friday night, aiming to be at the Lindt outlet by mid morning on the Saturday and in Cologne for a late lunch, and leaving mid-afternoon on Sunday to be home by 10pm.

Last year we went to the Winchester Christmas market and it was a good substitute for the real thing - just get there early as by lunchtime it was heaving and almost impossible to walk round.

We have one every year, big one that people come from all over the world for appparantly. Coaches and coaches full of them visitors blocking all the roads. I don't even travel five miles for it.

The Edinburgh one has been renamed the European Christmas Market and is more than a little bit shit now

For the past three weeks we have been to the Newcastle Continental market. Oh my god the food! All manner of luscious things from all over the world.

I fly out often. The cologne one is nice as the airport is only 15 mins away. Return from heathrow last year was only £44 I think. Morning flight out, and 9pm flight back. Only hand luggage so fast as can just go straight to gate either end.
Breakfast in cologne altstadt, lunch in the park, bratwurst and eggnog by the river and home in time for bed.

One in Manchester has gradually taken over the whole city.

I think it just shows which cities have culture in this country. ;)

I can recommend a very good cider bar down in the victorian markets near the Hilton.

'It must be horrible for anyone who lives anywhere near thete'.

I wouldn't mind to have a house by Hyde Park, i could put up with the noise once a year! (grin)

Sorry i'm not having a go at you, im just joking.

The Leeds one is shite. It was ok when it first started (novelty maybe), but now it's full of tat and I don't bother going any more. Not particularly authentic either. Can't be very German, always get blank stares if I talk German to shopkeepers (I am from that part of the world).

Birmingham one is overcrowded. Streets are too narrow and nobody can move. Not fun.

Jesus, we've left Birmingham over the summer this year. We used to go to the lights switch on Solihull each year instead - much more civilised and nowhere near as busy! And we had Alex from CBeebies last year - he hung around for ages afterwards, meeting everyone, signing things, doing photos.

The German market in Birmingham? Horrible. Just horrible. It's so crowded it takes about an hour to get from one end of New Street to the other. You can't get near the stalls unless you're willing to push or be pushed around. It's ridiculous and not worth the hassle at all.

The only people I know who go there are the ones who are looking forward to getting pissed on the beer. There is nothing 'family friendly' about loads of pissed people, no matter how it's marketed.

And it's about as German as I am! Just because it's twinned with something, that doesn't actually make it German.

Waste of time and money.

Bah humbug. I don't like them. Sausage, hot wine and rubbish tat

Anyone know of one in Scotland, other than in Edinburgh? We were thinking of going somewhere this weekend.

Or alternative, is it worthwhile stopping off in Birmingham next week on our way home from down south? Or somewhere else between Oxford and Scotland?

We need proper authentic German market though, cause DH is German.

There is some things on in perth. Handmade etc. Something else outside horsecross. Going to try a link. I have not been yet but hope to get there this year.

www.perthcity.co.uk/events/market

Is that the normal Farmers' Market in Perth? I've been to that once or twice, and it was quite nice.

Glasgow's was pretty good, MmeLindor Partner city to Nuremberg where my DH is from and the stall holders were from there. Authentic but not massive. Good food. We liked it.

Thats on as well. Others are different weekends. The Christmas market seems to be outside horsecross theatre for a week. Christmas one this weekend and 14th and the farmers markets run as usual.

Ok, you've put me off the B'ham one! Definitely not one for the weekend at least. Must be better early morning Mon-Fri, surely. Fewer pissheads?
Glasgow's (when I was going back in 2005) was good because it was/is twinned with Nuernberg. i.e.: stallholders from Nuernberg organise via the partner city link to come over to Glasgow and set up base there for a few weeks.

Haven't been to the one in leeds this year yet but I will if the fried cheese stall is there again.

Also my friend went and said there was a lady on one of the stalls who had a German accent that kept lapsing back into broad Yorkshire which I'd quite like to hear.

Mmmm, yeah, early weekday might be a good idea - will probably still be busy though, just not as busy.

Anything that crowded (and with alcohol thrown in) is my idea of hell.

I don't make the connection between Christmas and drinking until you're sick. Or sausages, either.

'We bring gold, Frankincense and Bratwurst' - must've missed that bit

Oh, but now I want fried cheese!!!