Considering that I’m notmuch of a shopper, myfirst experience of a tradi-tional Christmas marketcame as a revelation. It wasnearly 20 years ago in the

ancient Polish city ofKrakow, and the tem-perature was 20ºCbelow freezing.

Yet more snow dust-ed Krakow’s many spires

November/December 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 15

Traditional Christmas markets in towns and citiesthroughout the Continent and farther afield are now

hugely popular for festive get-away breaks.Dave Richardson explores their attraction

In the market for

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■ Christmas in Augsburg

CHRISTMAS MARKETS

ESCAPE to…

■ Children with toffee apples in Lemgo German National Tourist Board

Bavaria Tourism

as darkness fell in mid afternoon, creating atrue Christmas card scene. I followed thecrowds to the vast Market Square – said tobe the largest in Europe – and made straightfor a stall selling hot mulled wine.

Everyone around me seemed happy andsoon I forgot about the cold as I wolfeddown sausage and fried cheese, before buy-ing some woollen slippers and wooden toysat bargain prices. I went away feeling warmand also the warmth of humanity, and eversince I try to visit a European Christmasmarket far from the blandness and rip-offprices in Britain.

I’m not alone in wanting to flee theseshores as Christmas approaches, despite theincreasing number of festive markets in thiscountry. According to research by LegerHolidays, nearly one person in four is plan-ning a festive break and a key reason iswanting to escape the over-commercialisa-tion of Christmas.

Krakow is actually a fairly unusualchoice, as the most popular traditional mar-kets are in Germany. The websiteChristmasmarkets.com offers informationon over 400 markets in 22 countries,

although many of these are not traditionaland as far away as Japan, Canada and theUSA. Germany and France both have about80 listings, with Austria having 29 andBelgium 16.

In Germany – as in Krakow, no doubt –this year’s markets will have an extra reasonto celebrate. November marked 20 yearssince the fall of the Berlin Wall and the endof Communism in Europe, which led to therevival of many traditions including a festiveChristmas. Glühwein (a warm mulled wine)and eierpunsch (an alcoholic drink witheggs) can be found everywhere.

Christmas markets started around 1400 inthe German-speaking part of Europe, withDresden (1434) being one of the first andnow attracting two million visitors a year.Opening of the markets in early Decemberor late November coincides with the Adventreligious festival, and some are calledChristkindel Markt (Christ child market)with a child playing the role of the boy

Jesus. This is the case at Nuremberg, one ofthe best markets, also home of gingerbreadwhich is one of the favourite festive foods.

The market at Munich, held on theMarienplatz in front of the guildhall, is oneof the most impressive with over 120 stalls.Many stalls still concentrate on traditionaltoys and festive fare, although inevitablythey have been infiltrated by modern gadg-ets and clothing.

Look for regional variations, such as aChristmas pastry at Frankfurt’s Christmasmarket. Bethmännchen is made from marzi-pan with almonds and sugar, and young menused to send it as a token of their love. If agirl kept it they could remain hopeful – ifnot, they had to look elsewhere.

Cologne is another highly popular Germanmarket, being held near the immense cathe-dral which is one of the world’s largest. Manyof the most charming traditional markets arein smaller places, such as Trier, Mainz,Koblenz, Kaiserslautern, Speyer and Worms– which call themselves the Romantic Citiesof Germany. Historic Highlights of Germany,a group of 14 cities, has four recommendedroutes taking in the markets.

16 The Travel & Leisure Magazine November/December 2009

“Nearly one person in four isplanning a festive break”

Cologne'smarket andcathedral

Rostockmarket

PragueChristmasmarket

Bruges at Christmas

■ Christmas in Liege

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Many visitors gravitate towards largercities as there is so much more to do, espe-cially during the long evenings at the darkesttime of the year. Another reason some citiesare very popular is ease of access from theUK , which is why Belgian and French mar-kets come into their own.

Liege holds one of the oldest and largest

Christmas markets in Belgium, in its centralsquare and adjacent Place du Marché. In theFlanders part of Belgium you will find mar-kets in every city, including Bruges (a greatcity break destination in itself) and – justacross the Channel – Ostend. The snow andice sculptures in Bruges are an added attrac-tion from November 20-January 10, while inthe Belgian capital Brussels, a large ice rinkcan be enjoyed as well as the market.

You can reach Brussels in less than twohours by Eurostar train from London, whilethe journey to Lille in northern France iseven faster at 80 minutes. Lille’s market isone of the best in France, a highlight beingwhen Father Christmas descends an 80-metre-high belfry on December 19.

If you prefer to fly then there are morecountries to choose from, where you cancombine a Christmas market with a histori-cal city or even some skiing. Markets areheld in most Austrian cities includingVienna (a very cultural choice in the run-upto Christmas), Salzburg and Innsbruck.

Vienna’s market is in front of City Hall,where children can create their own presentsat Santa’s Workshop, and dispatch them

November/December 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 17

Out of theOrdinaryHere are a few more ideas for aChristmas market break with adifference:Tallinn, capital of the tiny Baltic country

of Estonia, has revived a festive marketwhich was popular long ago but abolishedduring Soviet rule.The 64 wooden stallsare set out in the medieval Town HallSquare around a huge Christmas tree, asFather Christmas and his elves – Scribbleand Scrabble – work the crowd. Choirs,dance groups, poets and musicians keepyou entertained.The market runs fromNovember 29-January 7.Just across the Baltic fromTallinn is

Helsinki, capital of Finland, a countrywhich claims Santa Claus for its own (asdoes Greenland, among others).TheLadies Christmas Market runs fromDecember 2-6 with handicrafts made byFinnish women, followed by the mainmarket in Esplanade Park.The Hungarian capital of Budapest is

another ex-Eastern bloc city to revive itsChristmas traditions.The venue isVörösmarty Square, which is decoratedwith a huge Christmas tree and anadvent calendar.

■ TallinnChristmas

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■ The Christmasangel atNuremberg

■ TraditionalChristmas treedecorations

18 The Travel & Leisure Magazine November/December 2009

from a special post office without the possi-bility of postal strikes! Musical programmeswith choirs and pastoral plays are performedon the steps of Salzburg Cathedral, while inInnsbruck, a daily attraction at 5.30pm is theTurmbläser, a brass band which playsChristmas songs from the city tower.Innsbruck’s main market is in the medievalOld Town by the 14th century balconyknown as the Golden Roof, with dozens ofstalls 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 TownSquare and Wenceslas Square. Brightly-dec-orated wooden huts sell traditional Czechproducts from handicrafts to corn on thecob, sausages and other local specialties, andin Old Town Square children can strokesheep, goats and even a llama – althoughwhat connection a llama has with Christmas,or the Czech Republic, is not clear. As withmost markets, however, it has a Bethlehemcrib scene depicting Mary, Joseph, babyJesus and the Three Kings.

Whether the Three Kings arrive oncamels or even llamas, you can be sure of alot more atmosphere when visiting aEuropean market than if you stay in Britain– despite the best efforts of home-grownChristmas markets such as York, Lincoln orBath. They operate throughout Decemberand fares are usually low at this time of year– especially midweek. Most cities’ othermain attractions are a lot less crowded thanin the summer.

Maybe, like me, you’ll find that visitingChristmas markets becomes the habit of alifetime. You certainly won’t be pining forBritain’s dreary shopping malls, with a glassof steaming glühwein in one hand and a siz-zling bratwurst sausage in the other!

Christmas market facts

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Dave Richardson got fed up with Christmasshopping in Britain at a very early age, when hehad to queue for an hour to meet Santa at adepartment store in Liverpool. In over 30 yearsof travelling he has visited nearly every countryin Europe, and has a particular interest in CentralEurope including the former Communistcountries.

When to goChristmas markets take place from late November or early December. Manyclose just before Christmas but some continue until NewYear’s Eve and eveninto January.

Getting thereYou can fly from main UK airports to major Germancities including Munich and Frankfurt, and Frankfurtairport has an inter-city rail terminal for trains all overthe country. Brussels and Prague also have good UK airconnections, but remember that low-cost airlines have strictlimits on baggage with big supplements to pay if you stock up on Christmasgoodies.This makes rail a good option, including Eurostar to Lille and Brussels,with easy connections in Brussels to Cologne and other German cities.Alsoconsider coach tours, or drive yourself using Eurotunnel or ferries. Fred Olsenis one of the cruise lines with a Christmas Markets theme departure.

Tour operators includeShearings (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 pricesDertour’s huge choice in Germany and other countries includes a two-nightbreak 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, includingfirst-class travel by Eurostar and a Rhine cruise to Rudesheim market.

More informationThe website www.christmasmarkets.com has acomprehensive listing, with hotel and travel offers.German National Tourist Office: 020 7317 0908,www.germany-tourism.co.uk andwww.germany-christmas-market.org.ukHistoric Highlights of Germany:www.historicgermany.comRomantic Cities of Germany:www.romantic-cities.comAustrian markets:www.christkindlmarkt.co.at andwww.weihnachtsmarkt-salzburg.atBruges:www.winterinbrugge.beTallinn Christmas Market:www.christmas.ee

■ Salzburg Christmas market

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