Christmas Markets

[nancy75]

I would really like to take my DD to a big Christmas Market. I was thinking about Lille, but after the disasters on the eurostar with snow and cold in the past couple of years I'm a bit put off. Are there any really lovely Christmas markets in the uk? We live in london, but would go for a weekend if there is a nice place that anyone could recomend?

I have been to Lille and Bruges and both had a really magical Christmassy atmosphere I'm not sure you'd get in the UK.

I went to the Hyde Park one a couple of years back, and it was ghastly.

Another vote for Manchester! Yum Yum! It is spread out over a few sections but not far to walk between the different areas. Wherever you go it will be magical and make you feel dead dead christmassy!

The Edinburgh one is great. Lovely market with delicious food and mulled wine, loads of cute stalls, ice skating in Princess Street Gardens, carosels and helterskelters and the big wheel right beside Scott Monument. A few years ago they had reindeers and a brilliant ice sculpture exhibition. Totally recommend it if your thinking of travelling that far!

A lot of the European Christmas markets are open from November, we went on an organised coach trip from DH work to Cologne, crossed the channel by Eurostar. They have at least 5 separate markets around the town, all walkable. The atmosphere was fantastic. We had 3 days including travelling days, and stopped at Bruges, a chocolate factory and a hypermarket on the return, cheap chocs, booze and gifts! You might avoid the snow if you go earlier than December.

Ludlow has a mediaeval style market in the castle, there is a Christmas market in Bath as well. I haven't been to any of the British markets myself.

Lille is awful, tiny christmas market and lots of other dc friendly things like the zoo are shut in december.

I always find the actual christmas markets sell the same things and are quite expensive and often turn out to be just a few chalets. Choose somewhere with lots of other things to do too.

Cologne is great, a 4 hr drive from Calais... has 7 christmas markets including one on a boat, a fun fair, a land train, great zoo and the lindt chocolate factory YUM! If you drive you could also stop off at Aachen which is a lovely city (and has a xmas market)too or Bruge (again small xmas market and has horse & carriage rides and an outdoor ice rink).

Copenhagen is nice in December, and we have also been to Bergen in Norway, Vienna & Salzburg in Austria all lovely at that time of year.

Please avoid Lille!!

I've not been to the Christmas markets but York is lovely at anytime. I'd go there

I can recommend Prague and Lubeck.

I like Winchester, the market surrounds an ice rink and is next to the cathedral, which is also lovely. Think you might need to book the rink on popular, ie weekend days. Winchester is a nice city anyway, lots of nice little side streets, individual shops, cafes etc.

Manchester Christmas Market is really good - I have been to the last 3. (But I do live in central Manchester so cheating really. But it does feel really Christmassy, and there are loads of good restaurants etc in the city.

hungerford is beautiful

slightly different but the Christmas Market at Chatsworth is fantastic - dp and I went last year in November and paid to go round the house as well - all done out with beautiful Christmas decorations and it was just one of those lovely days without the kids. Definitely want to go again for the day this year.

We live in brighton and have booked to go to the bath christmas market via steam train on Dec 10th, v excited. Have not been before but have been to the one in lille 3 years ago, it was really good with an excellent ferris wheel (v high). The lincoln one is good, book a city centre hotel and you get a police escort so you can park your car at the hotel and walk round the market, it is very crowded though as previously mentioned. Was feeling bad with morning sickness with DD so would have been 10 years ago.