Christmas market recommendations?

[Mooandmae1]

Hi Everyone

It's my sisters 50th birthday and she apparently doesn't need or want anything! As we both adore Christmas I was thinking to book us a Christmas market trip. We're based in the midlands and I would prefer to travel away from where we're based.

I've looked at Edinburgh which looks great and also Prague. We can gly from East Midlands or Birmingham airport. I also love travelling on the eurostar. Does anybody have any insights or recommendations?

Thank you

Valkenburg underground Christmas market. Half like a normal German style Christmas market. Half underground in fairy lit sandstone caves. With trees and Nativity scenes. It's superb.. And great value.

Edinburgh Christmas Market is too packed, last year you couldn’t move. I heard similar about Prague and I was let down as I
love Prague and wanted to see it decorated for Christmas.

I live in Edinburgh, I wouldn’t pay a visit especially for the Christmas market. It is heaving at the weekend and mulled wine and snacks are now hideously expensive. It is ok if you can come during the week though - I work in the centre and it was nice having a wander at lunchtime.

Friends and I went to Wroclaw in Poland, direct flights there and cheap central accommodation. The Christmas market was huge and some nice variety and Wroclaw was pleasant to wander round for a weekend.

Vienna.

Durham is lovely and in a beautiful setting.

Edinburgh is shite, you can’t move.

I liked Nuremberg

Edinburgh, Strasbourg, and Cologne are top picks

Couple of years ago DH and I went to Bath Christmas Market
It was the last weekend so busy
Massive queues for food in the market (we ended up going to 5 Guys )
We went on an organised trip (coach to Bath, dropped in the park where coaches were allowed to stop , picked up , hotel , Oxford the next day then home )

There was no parking in Bath, every car park had queues or closed .
Park&Ride was mega queues .

Last year we went on a short cruise (DH ,DD and I ) Bruge and Amsterdam.
Very pretty , nice market , food . Busy of course .
And cold

I;ve done with Christmas Markets now

Edinburgh was awful when we went, didn't like it at all. Tacky and you had to queue around the block just to get in, it was all fenced off - worst one I've been to. Bath was 100 times better BUT you really need to go when it's not a weekend.

I thought Bruges was pretty rubbish. Salzburg was really lovely though, I enjoyed Budapest (and the baths in the winter are wonderful), Copenhagen was quite nice. Wherever you go though, if you can visit the market on a week day, even a Friday evening, it will be a much nicer experience IME.

I agree! I used to live near Valkenburg and this is a gorgeous Christmas Market. Also Cologne, as they have several to ‘flit’ between, including a floating one right on the river.

OP…honestly, don’t bother with UK ones! None are truly authentic and all are hideously expensive! Go to Germany and experience the real thing 💖

Berlin

Agree with pp about avoiding tacky, expensive UK ones. Instead go to Vienna, Salzburg or Copenhagen - all of which have a Christmas Market (or two) and other things to see and do too. Or the German ones - Cologne, Berlin, Nuremberg etc.

11 Best Christmas Markets in Germany, Picked By Experts

If staying in the UK: Edinburgh is lovely. Bath is wonderful, and you can go for a few days and combine it with a trip to the spa!

Overseas: I have particularly enjoyed Tallinn, Cologne, Vienna, Copenhagen.

I would strongly recommend you check the dates of markets before booking - they all start and end on slightly different dates.

Prague is amazing

Wroclaw. Fabulous city

We had a great Christmas market trip last year. Used Interrail passes and got Eurostar to Brussels, train to Cologne, sleeper train to Vienna, train to Salzburg (Sound of Music and Krampus run bonus), train to Strasbourg, train to Disneyland Paris (random I know!) train to Paris and then Eurostar home. It was fantastic! We stayed one night in each place and had a very detailed plan so we didn't waste any time. Researched and booked places to eat which had good recommendations of local cuisine. Booked hotels with last min cancellation option in case of train delays. Often markets finish reasonably early so early to bed and up early in the morning to get train to next destination. Arrive about lunchtime, check into hotels, leave luggage and then head out. It was tiring but amazing. Went with DD and DSis and we agreed that there wasn't really anything we would do differently. There's a big European Christmas Markets facebook group that was very useful for hints and tips etc.

Budapest would be my reccomendation. Lovely markets and vibe, thermal spa's, easy to get around and budget friendly.

We’ve been a couple of times to Krakow and loved it.

Cologne is amazing!

Valkenburg is great. I did a trip including Monschau and Cologne which was great as well got to see huuuge markers and then smaller more ‘villages’ ones. We stayed in Valkenburg and the underground market was definitely the highlight of the trip.

We did Munich last Christmas and they were lovely! Lots of different markets scattered around the city and even at the airport when you land. I loved Munich and it felt so festive and happy.

I second this. Really authentic and incredibly cheap too

I would love to go to Vienna Christmas market!

i live in Edinburgh and find it busy and very corporate and miss what it was when i first moved here 20 years ago.

Vienna