Christmas Markets **General/Annual Bumper Thread**

Hi all, I looking into going to a christmas market this December can anyone recommend any? Went to Krakow last year and it was deadly so like to try someplace different this year. Someplace not too expensive and easily within reach from hotels, bars etc. Thanks

Christmas markets are a massive thing in Germany. The one in Kraków is nice (I have been myself) but it is nothing against a proper, huge German market.

I really recommend the one we have in Dortmund every year. I know Dortmund is not exactly a popular tourist destination per se... but the Christmas market is famous and attracts visitors from all over the world. Every year, they build a ~45m tall Christmas tree out of thousands of real trees and put that in the center, surrounded by lots and lots of stalls selling crafts and food. Here is a link to some information:

http://weihnachtsmarkt-dortmund.de/

I went to the market in Dortmund last december.

very well organised & well run.
Really family orientated,plus alot of decent shops in Dortmund if u fancy some retail therapy

Lived in Dortmund for 6 months,easy city to navigate around

well worth a visit

wow, i really really enjoyed the munich market and felts there was quite a bit to buy there (saying that, i've not been to prague) i have been to berlin markets and felt they were not great, i didn't buy much in the way of presents (like i did in munich)...
saying that munich is generally more expensive than berlin, prices almost the same as dublin.

Some of the less popular (touristy) cities in Germany can have great christmas markets. Dortmund as mentioned above is good (especially love the giant christmas tree) and Cologne is nice. Essen has a pretty good market even though the city itself is nothing spectacular. Went to Frankfurt a few years ago, found that excellent as well.

This year I'm going to Brussels and Bruges for the markets, hoping it's as good as germany!

Qwerty27 wrote: »

Whats the best way to fly to Dortmund or nearby? Woudl love to go to the markets and maybe catch a football game at the same time

Aer Lingus to Dusseldorf or I think Germanwings fly to Cologne. Trains in germany are very good and there's usually good airport links. Dusseldorf has direct trains to Dortmund every 20-30 mins and it only takes 45 mins to get there.

Aye, two almost identical replies written at the same time.

"Great minds think alike," as you say so nicely in English... or "zwei Dumme, ein Gedanke," as we say not so nicely in German .

mariaf24 wrote: »

i would love to visit Auschwitz.

That sounds a bit...wrong. Anyway, Auschwitz in winter will probably be far more depressing than it already is in the summer. If you really want to feel the horror of the place, it seems like the right time to go.

Make sure to visit the Wieliczka salt mine as well. Quite a contrast to a trip to Auschwitz, Wieliczka is just beautiful and amazing.

No worries, I am not offended at all. If anything, I might have caused someone to get offended as I thought it was somewhat amusing to point out the odd combination of "love to visit" and "Auschwitz".

Vienna has a lovely Christmas Market and the Town Hall is done up like an Advent Calendar. The Market is in front of the Town Hall and quite big - magical at night. Additonally Vienna itself is beautiful, woth lots of lovely shops. If shopping gets too much, they have zillions of lovely coffee shops and lots of cakes - including the infamous Sachertorte (divine chocolate cake made to a secret recipe) at the Hotel Sacher. And if you fancy some culture, there are usually lots of things Musical, and the Schoebrunn Palace wher ethe Hapsburg lived. Also the famous Riding School of Vienna (if you are into Horses). I have been twice for the Xmas markets and loved it both times. http://www.wien.info/en/sightseeing


There are some Christmas markets in Northern France as well - Lille is especially popular (if deboating at Calais / Dunkerque with Car / Alternative is Eurostar) - I think there may be some over near Bolougne, and that area.

This website might give you some ideas for the future http://www.christmasmarkets.com/

Have lots of fun! (I much prefer the Christmas markets to actual Christmas!!)

I'll second Vienna as a great place for Christmas markets. There's also much more stuff to do there when you get fed up of hot punch and mulled wine

I'm also considering going to a Christmas Market.

I was considering Nuremberg - has anyone been?

I've been recommended to go to Germany for my first year so I probably won't venture to Austria but people seem to think it's great.

In reply to the above two posts i've been to them.

Nuremburg was my first xmas market and honesly i was dissapointed. Yes, it is massive, but i found after walking the first 5 rows of stalls that rest of the rows were all exactly the same as the few (even down to how they were decorated. It looked like they were all owned / ran by the same people) I was also expecting a market where i would be able to buy nice crafty presents etc, but it was basically all xmas decorations and food. Then add in the crowds. I won't be going back. I've also been to markets in Vienna and Salzburg. In Vienna we were there in Nov and only the market at Rathplatz (?spelling) had opened - the rest were still being set up. The setting is amazing with the building all lit up. Lots of stalls too, though a mix of some reaaly nice ones and some that seemed almost carnival and junky. Walking around at night though was beautiful. Salzburg was great - loved it. Smaller market than Vienna but loads of great Xmas stuff to buy.

Brussels / brugges didn't seem to do xmas makets on the same scale. In Brussels there was a small market on the streets leading away fom the Grand Place. You would see the stalls in half an hour or so. However, unlike Nuremburg the stalls were all little crafty things to buy.

In Brugges, the market was around the main square with an ice ink set up in the middle. I don't think i bought anything there. From memory i would put it as a cross between Nuremburg and Brussls (some xmas stuff, some craft stuff). However if you haven't been to Brussels and Brugges before then i would absolutly go. Last year there was an amazing ice sculpture festive in Brugges in Dec. I think it is there every year, so thatis worth checking out as well. Also make a stop on Ghent. Beautiful, under rated town without the crowds of Brugges (although it won't be as bad in Dec). It is on the same train line as the Brugges train. Plus no one does Waffles like they do in Belguim...a hot waffle with choc sauce on a old day is enough of a reason for a tip to Belguim for me!

Berlin has about 10 different christmas markets all over the city and there great.

If you budget is 300e for flights and accomodation, you wouldnt be able to do Berlin. Once the christmas markets start in any where in germany the prices shoot up.

If you open to other places for markets, try Tallinn in Estonia. Magical city with great markets and its half the price of christmas markets in germany. Flights are cheap for december and hotels arw cheap- plus because its only a small city ya dnt need to spend a fortune on taxi's/transport.

Thanks for all the info Mel.B. The Ice sculpture Festival in Bruges looks great. I will definitely go to Bruges, looks like a lovely city.

Ive a few days annual leave to use up before the end of the year. I always wanted to go to a christmas market in europe. does anyone know of a tour operate that offers trips for people going on their own but would like an escorted trip (on a budget)