Where's the best place in Europe to shop this Christmas?
In medieval Europe, people visited December markets to stock up for the harsh winter months.
Today, Christmas markets are all about the anticipation and excitement of the festive season; mulled wine-scented hubs where locals and visitors gather to buy hand-made products and take in the Christmas ambience.
But with so many markets throughout Europe, and indeed within individual cities, how do you choose the right one for you?
Our top tips; if you’re short on time, choose one with easy access from the nearest airport. If you have more time, indulge in a multi-city Christmas market break. Choose markets that are surrounded by excellent shopping streets (there are only so many festive baubles you can buy) and ones that aren’t afraid to put on the glitz –it’s all about that festive magic after all.
Salzburg, which just celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Sound of Music, ticks a lot of boxes on our Christmas market wish list.
The city – birth place of Josef Mohr’s ‘Silent Night’ - is beautiful on a sunny, crisp winter’s day. By mid December there’s a lovely atmosphere on Getreidegasse (the main shopping street and home to some of Salzburg’s most historic buildings) as the city’s well-heeled locals gather to promenade and shop.
The main Christmas market – brimming with hand-crafted decorations and toys – is set on Cathedral square and features traditional choirs and ‘Christkind’ figures but you’ll also find markets in smaller squares.
Salzburg centre is compact – just a few minutes from Cathedral Square visitors flock to the Christmas Store, which seems to heave with beautiful painted Christmas eggs and decorations.
The city is famous for its Mozart Kugels (chocolate Mozart balls) named after its most famous son. At the top of Getreidegasse, drop into the Confiserie Furst for delicious hand-made chocolate marzipan, Mozart balls and delicately-designed Christmas chocolates.
If you have time for a longer trip, take a bus from Salzburg to St Wolfgang to experience the magical Christmas markets on Lake Wolfgangsee. The markets of St Wolfgang, St Gilgen and Strobl are linked by ferry and the ambience is magical with baroque backdrops, life-size nativity scenes and a 12 metre high Advent candle glistening on the lake.
White wine gluhwein is the drink to order at Austrian markets right now. Also, if flying direct to Salzburg, visit the McArthur Glen shopping outlet which is less than a ten minute walk from the airport terminal.
Our other favourite Austrian Christmas markets; Vienna and the ski resorts of Kitzbuhel, St Johann and Zell Am See.
Getting there; Squeeze in a last minute trip flying Dublin to Salzburg with Ryanair from December 18.
For visits before December 18, fly to Munich with Aer Lingus (Munich Airport also has a great Christmas market). Salzburg is about 115km from Munich and getting there is easy and cheap – just take a bus (€6) from the main station. After you’ve checked out Munich’s own markets of course.
www.salzburg.info
www.advent.wolfgangsee.at
Explore Venice for a day, stay in a four star hotel on the shores of Lake Garda and enjoy the Christmas market in Bolzano (below right) – it sounds like a perfect mix of culture, relaxation and shopping.
With the mountains as a backdrop, South Tyrol’s regional capital hosts Italy’s largest Christmas market with 80 exhibitors setting out their stalls on Piazza Walther. Children are well-catered for with their own Christmas market, a puppet theatre and merry-go-round.
While Bolzano looked to Nuremberg’s famously traditional Christmas market for style inspiration, only local produce is sold at its stalls. The market has a rustic Alpine style, reflecting the fact that some of Italy’s top ski resorts aren’t far away. As well as listening to traditional choirs and ensembles, visitors can watch craftsmen at work or enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides.
Most shoppers will be too busy stuffing themselves full of strudel but environmentally-conscious visitors will enjoy the fact that Bolzano’s market is a green event with strict eco credentials.
Lake Garda is just 90 minutes away from the historic setting of Bolzano and for those who don’t want to combine Christmas markets with skiing, The Travel Department has an alternative; a five night package with accommodation at the four star Liberty Hotel in Riva del Garda, a day tour to Venice and visit to the Bolzano market.
Flights are to Milan and package prices are from 439 euro including taxes, accommodation and excursions www.traveldepartment.ie www.bolzano-bozen.it
While browsing through stalls, enjoy a warming ‘scaldadentro’ - local mulled wine.
Our other favourite Italian Christmas markets; Trento. Rome.
The Hungarian capital goes all out to celebrate the festive season with lots of things to do once the shopping is over. From November 13, Vorosmarty Square in the heart of the city turns into a festive market place with cottage-style stalls and two stages for live performances.
Here, the scents of Christmas include spiced mulled wine and traditional foods like stuffed cabbage, roasted goose leg and grilled sausage. One thing you must try as you wander from stall to stall is Chimney cake, a ‘walking snack’ made from milk bread grilled over an open fire and sprinkled with almond, walnut, cinnamon or coconut.
Next to the main market, it’s traditional to stop off at St Gerbeaud cafe which for years has featured a massive Advent calendar in its window and will this year feature festive light shows. Then, do some real shopping on Vaci Utca, one of the city’s main shopping streets.
Budapest offers so many things to do in the run-up to Christmas. As well as visiting another Christmas market on St Stephen’s Square, visitors can take a Danube cruise, go skating on the ice rink at Vajdahunyad Castle, enjoy great views from the Fisherman’s Bastion fortress, take a festive streetcar ride or relax at the Szechenyi thermal baths, which has two outdoor and fifteen indoor hot springs.
Top tip; Sample Beigli, a Christmas pastry, sip on Krampampuli (Hungarian punch) and skate for free at the market on St Stephen’s Square.
Getting there: www.gohop.ie offers packages to Budapest’s Christmas markets from 205 euro per person sharing for two nights B&B in a four star hotel, departing on December 11th.
Our other favourite central European Christmas markets; Prague.Krakow.
The traditional home of Christmas markets, Germany offers so many excellent choices, among them Cologne, whose atmospheric narrow lanes add to the magic at Christmas time.
Cleverly, the city on the Rhine offers a range of themed markets, the largest one taking place downtown. Think cathedral square, live music, a traditional carousel and 25 metre Christmas tree to get you in the festive mood.
The city’s other popular markets include the Angel market on Neumarkt (a sea ofsparkling stars) St Nickolaus’ Village on Rudolfplatz ( fairytale atmosphere) and the traditional market at Stadtgarten (romantic setting).
The biggest market features 150 stalls and while millions of visitors flock to the city for Advent each year, smaller markets offer up more unique gifts in quieter surroundings. Cologne also offers a gay and lesbian Christmas market which has a party atmosphere and diverse programme of stage events.
Beyond the markets, go skating on the vast Heinzels Wintermarchen ice rink which features curling alleys and a bridge across the ice; take a boat trip on the Rhine; go shopping in the trendy Belgian quarter or the busy Schildergasse.
Concerts, theatre performances and the Nutcracker Ballet complete the festive scene in Cologne.
Sample Feuerzangenbowle – that’s hot rum punch to you and me – at the main markets. It’s a mix of red wine, rum, spices and fruits poured over a sugar bowl.
Getting there: Ryanair flies to Cologne www.ryanair.com Our other favourite German Christmas markets; Dusseldorf, Munich, Berlin, Nuremberg.
OU only have to think of the stunning Christmas lights on Bond street, Covent Garden or Oxford street to get all festive.
London also has a number of Christmas markets to choose from with a few that will appeal even to Christmas cynics. If you have children and can somehow swing a mid-week trip, visit Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park which features 200 Bavarian-style Christmas market chalets as part of an overall package of attractions.
Go skating at night on the Zillertal rink which is set around a Victorian bandstand and illuminated with over 100,000 lights. Bring the children to the Magical Ice Kingdom, take a ride on the Giant Wheel or relax in Bar Ice. There are also two circuses to choose from. Just remember that each individual attraction has to be paid for so bring a full wallet and expect lots of people.
On a more artsy note, Bankside at the Tate Modern is set between the Tate and the Thames and offers unique Christmas gifts that can be perused while eating Bratwurst, crepes and roasted nuts.
Mayfair has a new Christmas market this year while the South Bank winter festival is pretty and features fairground rides, a mini train and Christmas tree maze for your little ones.
If design is your thing, visit the Cockpit Arts Christmas Open studios in Holborn, where you can buy gifts from 170 designers and simultaneously rejoice in your cleverness at avoiding the mainstream.
London is more accessible than ever before, and the journey is more pleasant than it has ever been: first, Terminal 2 opened at Heathrow (no more long treks through those grey airport corridors). And now CityJet is flying from Cork Airport.
It’s the little things that make a difference. The option of checking in a bag. For free. A cup of coffee, a juice, a cereal bar – even a glass of wine – at no extra charge. In a world of low-fare, no-frills flying, CityJet is a welcome addition. Weekend flight times are civilised too – 7.40 on a Saturday morning; home at 7.20pm on a Sunday. The destination airport is London City. Within half an hour, you can be at Bank tube station, courtesy of the DLR train, and in the heart of the city.
The Bloomsbury, a two-minute walk from Tottenham Court Road tube station, and within very close walking distance of Covent Garden and Oxford Street, has really embraced the festive spirit.
They’ve partnered with Elf The Musical (starring Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh) at The Dominion Theatre, just around the corner from the hotel, offering visitors 10% off their hotel room; 20% off afternoon tea; a pre-theatre dinner menu of two courses for £19.50 or three courses for £21.50; and the “Elf Cocktail”. (Rates at the hotel start at £225 per night.)
Part of the Irish-owned Doyle group, this stunning Georgian building was designed in the 1930s by British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. It’s all old-style, high-ceilinged luxury, with period architectural detail retained throughout - yet everything is contemporary and modern too (marble bathrooms are standard).
The juice bar at breakfast is already a talking point in the city (try the Ambrose) but the highlight, though, has to be the Festive Afternoon Tea: three utterly decadent tiers served in the beautiful hotel foyer.
This is something very special indeed. First come sweet treats: apple and cinnamon creme brulee, mini mince pies, orange and chocolate tarts and fruit cake.
The obligatory scones are on tier two, followed by a selection of sandwiches: turkey and cranberry on brown bread; smoked salmon on Guinness bread; cream cheese and cucumber; and egg and chive mayonnaise.
Optional extras include eggnog, mulled wine and spiced cider.
The cost? £35 – and you’ll be ready for those markets.
Top tip: Go ice-skating at London’s Natural History Museum, we think it looks enchanting.
The Travel Department, Gohop.ie. Cassidy Travel and Low Cost Holidays all offer Christmas market breaks between November and January.
www.christmasmarkets.com
www.visitlondon.com
www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com
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