Christmas markets in Europe

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Mpsox

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Thinking of taking the OH to a Christmas Market on the continent in December for her birthday. Has anyone been to one and are they worth going to (from a Christmassy "experience" as much as for actual shopping) and can anyone recomened one in particuler?
 
I went to the Bremen Christmas Market a couple of years ago and would highly recommend.

The town is small, quiet and very picturesque, which added the 'Christmas' feeling :)

Food and drink is also quite cheap.

[broken link removed]
 
Went to Munich Christmas market last year for the weekend. One day would be enough, it started to drag after two...bah.
 
Cologne and Stuttgart are both among the better ones in my experience. There's a nice Christmas feel to both markets but both cities are big enough that if the whole Christmas market experience brings out the 'Bah, Humbug' in you, there's enough other things to interest (shops, bars, restaurants etc.) anybody.

If you're in Stuttgart, hop on a S-Bahn one evening and go to Esslingen which is about 30minutes away. Nice little market square etc. there too with a nice atmosphere.
 
Vienna is lovely at Christmas. There is a big market called the Naschmarkt, which includes a flea market on weekends. Dress up well, it's freezing that time of year.

There is a nice central hotel called the Regina right beside Vienna Uni. & City Hall, not too pricey either. If you want to go upmarket try the Sacher hotel, and don't miss the Sacher tort, Vienna's most celebrated cake. You might also take in the Vienna opera around the corner from there.

http://www.wien.info/en/shopping-wining-dining/coffeehouses
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachertorte
 
We did Frankfurt a few years back - Xmas markets were wonderful - lots of food and drink and the smell in the air. And a huge Xmas Coca Cola lorry "Holidays are comin'...".
Great buzz.
 
NorfBank said:
Went to Munich Christmas market last year for the weekend. One day would be enough, it started to drag after two...bah.
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I agree. We have been to about three of them. After a while you find that the stands selling the little wooden toys and the felt hats a little boring. I would suggest that you go somewhere where the city is nice with other attractions.
In Berlin we visited three of the markets that were well scattered in the city. One was small with the little wooden huts that you could walk around in a half hour. The second was more like Funderland here in Dublin, absolutely awful and the third was one where you had to pay in a couple of Euro. This was the best because this one was full of little restaurants and bars in the German style and tradition built outdoors with heaters, big wooden benches etc.
 
Vienna has several X-mas markets. The most famous just outside the Town Hall, usually there is an ice rink there as well. Lots of arts and crafts, toys, fabrics, etc lots of mould wine, roast chestnuts, very romantic. Another one is more arty (Spittelberg), more jewellry and that type of stuff. There's also markets outside the Schoenbrunn castle, and other sights. Have a look [broken link removed], it's only in German, but google translate does a good job, but more importantly, lots of pictures so you get the idea.
 
I've been to christmas markets in Dusseldorf, Cologne & Krakow and I enjoyed them all equally. The market in Karkow is really nice, its in the old square and surrounded by lovely buildings and restaurants but its very similar to the german markets.
 
Heidelberg

I have lived in Germany for a while and I think Heidelberg is one of the nicest places. I went back last year - you can fly to Frankfurt and get a shuttle down.
 
One of my favourites is Colmar in the Alsace region of France:

- [broken link removed]
- Christmas in Colmar
- Christmas Market

But as others have pointed out, it can become a bit of a bore after a day or so, so try to pick somewhere that offers other attractions.

Here is something else that I found while digging out links: [broken link removed]!
 
Best choice out of Dublin would be Zurich, but be sure to compare and Aer Lingus, as Swiss were offering some very good prices this summer.

From Zurich airport it takes about 3 hours by train to arrive there. There is nothing up there yet, but the Swiss train company usually offer special package deals including accommodation for the various Christmas markets and you could book on of them on line nearer the time. For instance right now there is an offer for that would get you to for CHF65.

Jim.
 
Yes, actually I was just thinking the same thing - perhaps in the next few days!

Jim
 
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