Christmas Markets UK & Europe (2014) [Help me find some fab ones please!]

[ChippingInAutumnLover]

So, I am determined to find some good Christmas Markets this year! Please help me

Europe

We have a few days prior to Christmas (18th to the 21st) when I would like to go somewhere in Europe to a/some lovely Christmas Market/s.

Lots of pretty lights, mulled wine, atmosphere and preferably grapes in toffee (The ones in Bruges were A-May-Zing). I'm not looking for somewhere to 'shop' but a couple of nice decorations would be good (but definitely not a priority), I just want the atmosphere and to go somewhere new/different.

UK - I'd like to book up some weekends so we don't end up 'busy' & not able to fit them in!

I live in the SE & we'll be going to Winchester (flexible with this as we can either 'make a weekend of it' or just go for the day).

Happy to travel for the weekend as long as it's worth it

Where do you love/hate & why? Thank you x

Oops, sorry Chipping, my PC was so slow this thread moved on before it managed to chug up and post! Forget the parking at Ashford then!

Carly Gendarme, Berlin does look lovely!

York would be nice too...

Esmum sorry that you typed it all up for me!! It does sound like a good option, but it's a 2 hr drive from here :/

Night - Lincoln to be avoided? Magpie said she loved it! LOL Horses for courses I guess! I can't make it this year anyway as we have a wedding that weekend :/

Having lived in Berlin for over 20 years, I've been to most of the markets here at some point over the years. Almost every district will have its own market, some of them are more 'traditional', others are more commercial and plasticky, some of them have fairground rides and outdoor ice-rinks. It really depends on what you want. However, the advantage of all these markets is that you can combine them. For instance, in the Mitte district you could arrive by underground train at Gendarmenmarkt for the traditional Christmas market there called Weihnachtszauber(this is one of the few that charge entry for admission, but it's only a euro per person), that one has lots of traditional craft stalls and handmade stuff. From there you would wander over to the Nostalgic Christmas Market at the opera house. Then you would end up at the Berliner Weihnachtszeit market which is more commercial with a big wheel, an ice rink around the frozen fountain, etc, and just across the way is the
www.weihnachteninberlin.de/weihnachtsmaerkte/1018390-955635-zwischenjannowitzbr%C3%BCckeundalexanderplat.html Wintertraum am ALEXA]] market on Alexanderplatz, which is even more fairgroundy. All four of those markets are a couple of minutes walk away from each other, and added together they're HUGE. Any and all markets will have the usual suspects though: Glühwein, fruit in chocolate, candied nuts, crepes and an outrageous array of hats and scarves. Oh, and the market at Potsamer Platz always has this whacking great ice slide on tyres - great fun.

"Berlin markets are great, but Berlin can be extremely cold and windy, so be prepared!" Quite, you do need to to be properly dressed for a real winter here, but isn't that a prerequisite for a Christmas market? You have to really earn your Glühwein by freezing your arse off first in the biting cold. Surely that's the biggest problem with a Christmas market in the UK?

What Berlin can't offer you is the cutesy chocolate-box style city to go with the markets - it might be more generally atmospheric in somewhere like Salzburg or Prague.

Thank you Arch that's really helpful.

I can see I'm going to have to save this thread and plan the next few Christmases!!

And if you're around on 6th and 7th December you might pop into the unspeakably cool Holy.Shit.Shopping market. I won't be able to go, though, I'm not cool enough.

Just wanted to say, Cologne is not a big place, the markets are all central so I don't think it would make too much difference where you stayed. I stayed in Dusseldorf when I was there and just did a day trip to Cologne so don't have any recommendations I'm afraid!

Arch thanks as well for brilliant run down there.

Op dont know about you but I have been sold on vienna.

Dd1 has been to the Berlin markets & St Petersburg, she said the St Petersburg markets were better, the quality of the items was higher.

oh...just seen you said flights to V pricey

Any views on Brussels?

Frankfurt has a lovely market and and is a great city to spend the weekend.

I've been to Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, Vienna and Rome Christmas markets. I've bought some beautiful decorations for the tree over the years, and I just love hanging them up with all those memories in mind.

The best out of that list was Dusseldorf, closely followed by Frankfurt.

I prefer the egg nog stuff to Gluwein.

I'm very at you going to all these Xmas markets.

I was coming to say what Arch said -- that the advantage of Berlin is you have lots of different markets.

I think the one at Potsdam is closer to the very traditional, atmospheric kinds (have you been Arch?) and that's just a short train ride outside the city, so you could get that style in too.

Berlin is really really lovely at xmas, there are a million cafes and lights everywhere... it's cheaper than Vienna or Cologne too (I'm pretty sure).

We went to cologne and loved it though I didn't find the city itself was very pretty, there is some good shops and the markets were great but my god it was cold. I remember there was a few markets but one was right next to the cathedral so I would stay pretty central.

Muddiboots, we lived in Brussels and wouldn't rate their christmas market in comparison to Bruges or the German ones. It was very small, located at the grand place

Prize pudding, thank you, will check out Bruges

"I think the one at Potsdam is closer to the very traditional, atmospheric kinds (have you been Arch?) and that's just a short train ride outside the city, so you could get that style in too."

Yes, we've been to the one in the centre of Potsdam a few times. The nice thing about that one is the 'small town' feeling which is missing from a big city like Berlin. And you can combine a visit to the Potsdam market with a trip to Sans Souci and the parks there (which are conveniently at the end of the the main shopping street). There's an S-Bahn (local train) every 10 or 20 minutes straight to Potsdam, takes about 45 minutes from the centre of Berlin. We've also been to Potsdam Bornstedt several times, which is very compact and atmospheric, but you really need a car to get there.

oooh thanks Arch, we have family coming next month so we'll definitely be checking that out!

Thank you everyone, I have loads of tabs open looking at markets and accommodation! Still undecided!

Vienna does look fab, but £400 pp for flights is a bit more than I wanted to spend. Maybe next year if I can book far enough ahead!?

I echo Nightboattocairo comments. We're local and don't go. There are so many people (and 10 deep is not an exaggeration), they herd you round in a one-way route, so you can't browse and nip back for something you like - you'd have to go back to the start and do the whole thing again. The quiet time is Friday morning and sunday morning - but you then lose the evening atmosphere.

^^ Sorry that was in relation to Lincoln Christmas Market.

We love going to Christmas markets in Germany

Personally I prefer smaller markets, in cities or towns a little bit more off the beaten track, than those in the major cities, they're just a bit less busy and quieter-paced, but still atmospheric, and with lots of food and drink (I am mainly there for the food and drink).

I absolutely loved Aachen, Salzburg, Regensburg and Marburg, all stunningly beautiful and Christmassy. I think Marburg was my favourite, but DH reckons Regensburg had the best Gluwein and sausages (his personal benchmark for quality).

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is supposed to be very quaint and atmospheric, but I have never been. Maybe next year...

We've only been to Berlin and Vienna so far but I much preferred Vienna. Berlin was fine but the city itself is like a big building site so it wasn't the prettiest :-/ did enjoy KaDeWa and went to a Cirque Du Soleil show (in a car park) so that was good. Stayed at the Radisson Y which has a huge fish tank in the atrium.

Vienna seemed much prettier, lights were amazing and atmosphere v picturesque. Stayed at 25Hour Hotel in the museum quarter, walking distance to all the markets. Also could walk to the Spanish Riding School of Vienna and see a show, and lots of nice antique shops around there :) the markets seemed much more varied than the Berlin ones.

Not going abroad this year :( but next year thinking of Zurich or Copenhagen???

The south bank ones are crap.