TRAVEL
Surrey’s Premier Lifestyle Magazine

Magical markets

Forget skiing – the most magical travel experience to partake in this winter is a trip to one of Europe’s top Christmas markets. Hanna Lindon looks at the best places to buy your bratwurst this festive season.
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Hamburg

Almost every major town in Germany has its own seasonal market, but Hamburg really pulls out the stops with an incredible selection of 15 separate events – and they range from the traditional to the downright bizarre. For a true taste of Yuletide, make a beeline for the City Hall Market: a large selection of stalls gathered beneath a huge illuminated tree outside the Rathaus. Winterwald on the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz aims to bring the feel of a snowy forest into the centre of the city, while the Fleet Island market with its surrounding of canals has a quirky, maritime air. For something a little more racy, then try the X-rated Santa Pauli market in Hamburg’s red light district: an eccentric, adults-only take on the festive theme. For families, the Fairytale Ships on the Inner Alster will keep children entertained with everything from Christmas biscuit baking classes to theatrical performances.

Image courtesy of: www.mediaserver.hamburg.de
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Innsbruck

This charming little city with its spectacular mountainous surround is the perfect setting for a romantic festive shopping trip. Innsbruck’s biggest Christmas market takes place in the Aldstadt beneath the 500-year-old Golden Roof, with dozens of stalls selling everything from gingerbread and wooden toys to ornaments made locally from hand-blown glass. The best time to visit is at dusk, when trumpeters gather on the Golden Roof to serenade crowds below with carols. For those with children in tow, visit the petting zoo at the Market Place or take the Nordkettenbahn cable car up to Hungerburg Castle where there is a small selection of tasteful, fairylight-garlanded stalls. Keen to escape the crowds? One of the world’s most magical Christmas markets takes place high in the Alps against the backdrop of Lake Millstatt, a few hour’s drive from Innsbruck, with a handful of pretty stalls and mulled wine served around open fires.

Image courtesy of: Osterreich Werbung, Ascher
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Amsterdam

The Amsterdam Light Festival provides the perfect foil for this historic city’s eclectic selection of seasonal markets. Starting on 28 November and running all the way through to January 17, the Festival sees the streets illuminated by spectacular sculptures and light displays contributed by international artists. Amsterdam also hosts an incredible total of 26 Christmas markets every year, making it one of the best places in Europe to gift shop. Get a fix of locally produced organic produce at Beatrixpark’s Pure Winter Market, browse the best in Dutch craft and design at the famous Funky Christmas Market, or take a short train ride to the postcard-ready city of Haarlem to see nineteenth-century charm channeled at the Dickens Christmas Market. Another gem within day trip distance is the market at Valkenburg Castle in the south of the Netherlands, where stallholders ply their wares in a beautifully lit underground cave.

Image courtesy of: iamsterdam
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Strasbourg

Sometimes billed as the oldest Christmas market in Europe, the Strasbourg Christkindelsmärik can trace its origins all the way back to 1570. It consistently wins the ‘Best Christmas Market in Europe’ title thanks to its fabulously authentic feel – think traditional decorations, twinkling fairylights and stalls selling spiced bread, caramelised apples and mulled wine set against a charming backdrop of half-timbered houses and winding streets. The sprawling market is divided into 11 different ‘villages’ in individual locations across the old town, each with its own line-up of bands, street parades and light shows. If travellers take just one thing home from the Christkindelsmärik, then make it a selection of ‘bredele’: a locally famous biscuit flavoured with orange, cinnamon, hazelnut or coconut made for hanging on the Christmas tree.

Image courtesy of: © Ifeelstock | Dreamstime.com

Rovaniemi

Recognised in 2010 as the ‘Official Hometown of Santa Claus’, the Finnish city of Rovaniemi delivers at once one of the most kitsch and most charming festive experiences in Europe. Its main attraction is the Santa Claus Village, which attracts eager families throughout the winter season with its ice sculptures, igloo hotels, reindeer rides and, of course, its resident Father Christmas. Gift shopping is available at the wide selection of boutiques and stalls, from Santa’s Swarovski Topshop with the largest collection of Swarovski crystal in Finland, to the locally-made handicrafts and Lappish foods on offer at the Christmas House. Rovaniemi might not have the traditional feel associated with some older market towns, but one thing’s for sure, children are guaranteed to love it.
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London

Don’t fancy flying? The festive spirit can be channelled closer to home at one of London’s Christmas markets. For traditional charm, head for the Southbank Centre Winter Festival, where picturesque wooden stalls sell artisan food and crafts against the backdrop of the fairy-lit Thames. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland is the biggest, brashest and busiest of London’s markets, with a giant ice rink and two circuses, as well as an observation wheel, themed bars for adult revellers and, of course, plenty of gift stalls. For something a little more alternative, visit the Cockpit Arts Christmas Open Studios. With over 170 designers lining up to sell everything from furniture and lighting to fashion accessories and tree decorations, plenty of stocking fillers can be found here.

Image courtesy of: VisitBritain / Simon Winnall
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Vienna

The Austrian capital is at its most charming in December, with glittering light displays adorning the historic centre and a liberal sprinkling of snow on the rooftops. The main Christmas market – a bustling collection of 150 stalls – takes place in the Rathausplatz, but there are smaller, classier markets scattered throughout the city. Visit the Altwiener Christkindlmarkt at the Freyung to browse homemade wares from a collection of talented local artists, introduce the children to Alpine curling at the Christmas village in the Old AKH, admire the romantic backdrop at the Schonbrunn Palace market, or take a ride around the Rathauspark on the Christkindl Express. Don’t miss out on the chance to try a glass of the local Punsch and a spicy Viennese Christmas cookie.

Image courtesy of: © Adellyne | Dreamstime.com
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Prague

Home of the original good king Wenceslas (actually a duke and now the patron saint of the Czech state), Prague really knows how to celebrate Christmas in style. The highlights of the festive season are undoubtedly the markets in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, but forget chestnuts and mulled wine – popular Czech seasonal delicacies include carp, honey liqueur and grog. From the brightly decorated wooden stalls, buy a selection of locally-made gifts and souvenirs, with embroidered lace, glassware, ceramics and traditionally dressed dolls and puppets all on offer.

Image courtesy of: Prague City Tourism
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Edinburgh

Christmas in Edinburgh is a spectacular affair, with over 100 stallholders from across northern Europe packed into Princes Street Gardens and the Mound Precinct alongside a brightly-lit Big Wheel, an ice rink below the Scott Monument and a magical ‘Santa Land’ with a train, Christmas Tree Maze and of course a grotto where children can meet the man in red himself. This year, singer Susan Boyle is set to switch on the city’s Christmas lights on 22 November at a free event on George Street, where around 1,300 local performers will entertain crowds of over 20,000. Other winter highlights include a programme of circus, comedy and cabaret in the Paradiso Spiegeltent, St Andrew’s Day celebrations on 29 November with performances from a fabulous line-up of bands, and an architectural installation of more than 60,000 lights stretching along the Royal Mile. Festive celebrations are quickly followed by Hogmanay, with three days of partying, live music and fireworks taking place between 30 December and 1 January.

Image courtesy of: Lloyd Smith
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Berlin

Few cities can rival Berlin when it comes to sheer festive variety – the city has 60 Christmas markets, with around two million visitors each year attending the main event at Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche alone. There are plenty of more eclectic markets to enjoy as well, such as the rooftop Klunkerkranich Weihnachtsmarkt with spectacular views across Berlin; the Winter World on Potsdamer Platz complete with a toboggan run, outdoor skating rink and curling; and the ‘Feuerzangenbowle’ at Nikolaiviertel, which wows the crowds with a free open-air cinema and the best festive punch in the city.

Image courtesy of: Visit Berlin, Wolfgang Scholvien