ESCAPE to…

CHRISTMAS MARKETS

In the market for

Chr stmas

■ Christmas in Augsburg
Bavaria Tourism

Traditional Christmas markets in towns and cities

throughout the Continent and farther afield are now
hugely popular for festive get-away breaks.
Dave Richardson explores their attraction

C
onsidering that I’m not
much of a shopper, my
first experience of a tradi-
tional Christmas market
came as a revelation. It was
nearly 20 years ago in the
ancient Polish city of
Krakow, and the tem-
perature was 20ºC
below freezing.
Yet more snow dust-
ed Krakow’s many spires ■ Children with toffee apples in Lemgo German National Tourist Board

November/December 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 15

 Cologne's
market and
cathedral
Leonardo Mediabank
Bruges at Christmas
Dertour
as darkness fell in mid afternoon, creating a
true Christmas card scene. I followed the
crowds to the vast Market Square – said to
be the largest in Europe – and made straight
for a stall selling hot mulled wine.
Everyone around me seemed happy and
soon I forgot about the cold as I wolfed
down sausage and fried cheese, before buy-
ing some woollen slippers and wooden toys
at bargain prices. I went away feeling warm
and also the warmth of humanity, and ever
since I try to visit a European Christmas
market far from the blandness and rip-off
prices in Britain.
I’m not alone in wanting to flee these
shores as Christmas approaches, despite the
increasing number of festive markets in this
country. According to research by Leger
Holidays, nearly one person in four is plan-
ning a festive break and a key reason is
wanting to escape the over-commercialisa-
tion of Christmas.
Krakow is actually a fairly unusual
choice, as the most popular traditional mar-
kets are in Germany. The website
Christmasmarkets.com offers information
on over 400 markets in 22 countries,
16 The Travel & Leisure Magazine
Prague
Christmas
market
Leger Holidays
Rostock
market
German National Tourist Board
■ Christmas in Liege
although many of these are not traditional Jesus. This is the case at Nuremberg, one of
and as far away as Japan, Canada and the the best markets, also home of gingerbread
USA. Germany and France both have about which is one of the favourite festive foods.
80 listings, with Austria having 29 and The market at Munich, held on the
Belgium 16. Marienplatz in front of the guildhall, is one
In Germany – as in Krakow, no doubt – of the most impressive with over 120 stalls.
this year’s markets will have an extra reason Many stalls still concentrate on traditional
to celebrate. November marked 20 years toys and festive fare, although inevitably
since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end they have been infiltrated by modern gadg-
of Communism in Europe, which led to the ets and clothing.
revival of many traditions including a festive Look for regional variations, such as a
Christmas. Glühwein (a warm mulled wine) Christmas pastry at Frankfurt’s Christmas
and eierpunsch (an alcoholic drink with market. Bethmännchen is made from marzi-
eggs) can be found everywhere. pan with almonds and sugar, and young men
used to send it as a token of their love. If a
“Nearly one person in four is girl kept it they could remain hopeful – if
planning a festive break” not, they had to look elsewhere.
Cologne is another highly popular German
Christmas markets started around 1400 in market, being held near the immense cathe-
the German-speaking part of Europe, with dral which is one of the world’s largest. Many
Dresden (1434) being one of the first and of the most charming traditional markets are
now attracting two million visitors a year. in smaller places, such as Trier, Mainz,
Opening of the markets in early December Koblenz, Kaiserslautern, Speyer and Worms
or late November coincides with the Advent – which call themselves the Romantic Cities
religious festival, and some are called of Germany. Historic Highlights of Germany,
Christkindel Markt (Christ child market) a group of 14 cities, has four recommended
with a child playing the role of the boy routes taking in the markets.
November/December 2009
 ■ Tallinn
Christmas
market

Estonia Tourist Office

Belgian Tourist Office
Christmas markets in Belgium, in its central
■ The Christmas square and adjacent Place du Marché. In the
angel at
Nuremberg Flanders part of Belgium you will find mar-
kets in every city, including Bruges (a great
city break destination in itself) and – just
across the Channel – Ostend. The snow and
ice sculptures in Bruges are an added attrac-
tion from November 20-January 10, while in
the Belgian capital Brussels, a large ice rink
can be enjoyed as well as the market.
You can reach Brussels in less than two
hours by Eurostar train from London, while
German National Tourist Board
Out of the
Ordinary
Here are a few more ideas for a
Christmas market break with a
difference:
Tallinn, capital of the tiny Baltic country
of Estonia, has revived a festive market
which was popular long ago but abolished
during Soviet rule.The 64 wooden stalls
are set out in the medieval Town Hall
Square around a huge Christmas tree, as
Father Christmas and his elves – Scribble
and Scrabble – work the crowd. Choirs,
dance groups, poets and musicians keep
you entertained.The market runs from
November 29-January 7.
Just across the Baltic from Tallinn is
Helsinki, capital of Finland, a country
which claims Santa Claus for its own (as
does Greenland, among others).The
Ladies Christmas Market runs from
December 2-6 with handicrafts made by
Finnish women, followed by the main
market in Esplanade Park.
The Hungarian capital of Budapest is
another ex-Eastern bloc city to revive its
Christmas traditions.The venue is
Vörösmarty Square, which is decorated

the journey to Lille in northern France is with a huge Christmas tree and an
even faster at 80 minutes. Lille’s market is advent calendar.
one of the best in France, a highlight being
when Father Christmas descends an 80- ■ Traditional
metre-high belfry on December 19. Christmas tree
decorations
If you prefer to fly then there are more
countries to choose from, where you can
Many visitors gravitate towards larger combine a Christmas market with a histori-
cities as there is so much more to do, espe- cal city or even some skiing. Markets are
cially during the long evenings at the darkest held in most Austrian cities including
time of the year. Another reason some cities Vienna (a very cultural choice in the run-up
are very popular is ease of access from the to Christmas), Salzburg and Innsbruck.
UK , which is why Belgian and French mar- Vienna’s market is in front of City Hall,
kets come into their own. where children can create their own presents
Liege holds one of the oldest and largest at Santa’s Workshop, and dispatch them German National Tourist Board

November/December 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 17

 ■ Salzburg Christmas market
from a special post office without the possi-
bility of postal strikes! Musical programmes
with choirs and pastoral plays are performed
on the steps of Salzburg Cathedral, while in
Innsbruck, a daily attraction at 5.30pm is the
Turmbläser, a brass band which plays
Christmas songs from the city tower.
Innsbruck’s main market is in the medieval
Old Town by the 14th century balcony
known as the Golden Roof, with dozens of
stalls decked out with Christmas decora-
tions, locally-crafted wood and glassware,
and typical Tyrolean clothing.
Prague has several Christmas markets,
the most important being in Old Town
Square and Wenceslas Square. Brightly-dec-
orated wooden huts sell traditional Czech
products from handicrafts to corn on the
cob, sausages and other local specialties, and
in Old Town Square children can stroke
sheep, goats and even a llama – although
what connection a llama has with Christmas,
or the Czech Republic, is not clear. As with
most markets, however, it has a Bethlehem
crib scene depicting Mary, Joseph, baby
Jesus and the Three Kings.
Whether the Three Kings arrive on
camels or even llamas, you can be sure of a
lot more atmosphere when visiting a
European market than if you stay in Britain
– despite the best efforts of home-grown
Christmas markets such as York, Lincoln or
Bath. They operate throughout December
and fares are usually low at this time of year
– especially midweek. Most cities’ other
main attractions are a lot less crowded than
in the summer.
Maybe, like me, you’ll find that visiting
Christmas markets becomes the habit of a
lifetime. You certainly won’t be pining for
Britain’s dreary shopping malls, with a glass
of steaming glühwein in one hand and a siz-
zling bratwurst sausage in the other! TL
Dave Richardson got fed up with Christmas
shopping in Britain at a very early age, when he
had to queue for an hour to meet Santa at a
department store in Liverpool. In over 30 years
of travelling he has visited nearly every country
in Europe, and has a particular interest in Central
Europe including the former Communist
countries.
18 The Travel & Leisure Magazine
Salzburg Tourist Office
Christmas market facts
When to go
Christmas markets take place from late November or early December. Many
close just before Christmas but some continue until New Year’s Eve and even
into January.
Getting there
German National Tourist Board
You can fly from main UK airports to major German
cities including Munich and Frankfurt, and Frankfurt
airport has an inter-city rail terminal for trains all over
the country. Brussels and Prague also have good UK air
connections, but remember that low-cost airlines have strict
limits on baggage with big supplements to pay if you stock up on Christmas
goodies.This makes rail a good option, including Eurostar to Lille and Brussels,
with easy connections in Brussels to Cologne and other German cities.Also
consider coach tours, or drive yourself using Eurotunnel or ferries. Fred Olsen
is one of the cruise lines with a Christmas Markets theme departure.
Tour operators include
Shearings (0844 824 6352, www.shearings.com), Dertour (020 7290 1105,
www.dertour.co.uk or www.christmasmarkets.co.uk), Leger Holidays
(0845 408 07 69, www.legerbreaks.info),Travelsphere (0800 567 7372,
www.travelsphere.co.uk), Newmarket Holidays (0845 226 7756,
www.newmarket.travel), Short Breaks Ltd (0844 482 2940,
www.short-breaks.com),Titan HiTours (0800 988 5823,
www.titanhitours.co.uk), Great Rail Journeys (01904 521 936,
www.greatrail.com)
Sample prices
Dertour’s huge choice in Germany and other countries includes a two-night
break to Nuremberg by air costing from £339 and extra nights from £53.
Leger Holidays’ two-night break to Brussels and Bruges, by coach, costs from £149.
Great Rail Journeys features a three-night trip to Cologne for £445, including
first-class travel by Eurostar and a Rhine cruise to Rudesheim market.
More information
German National Tourist Board
The website www.christmasmarkets.com has a
comprehensive listing, with hotel and travel offers.
German National Tourist Office: 020 7317 0908,
www.germany-tourism.co.uk and
www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk
Historic Highlights of Germany: www.historicgermany.com
Romantic Cities of Germany: www.romantic-cities.com
Austrian markets: www.christkindlmarkt.co.at and
www.weihnachtsmarkt-salzburg.at
Bruges: www.winterinbrugge.be
Tallinn Christmas Market: www.christmas.ee
November/December 2009