Xmas Markets

Looking for advice.

The Lincoln Xmas market has been cancelled this year.

Looking for ideas on where to go for Best Xmas markets.

 

Chatsworth is nice.

 

Manchester gets busy but seems a lot of food stalls now

 

None of them have impressed me TBH. Go to Hamburg. Otherwise, it's just an overpriced freezing night in a tent, with substandard food & booze.

 

Dunt bother avoid like the plague ! Went to York a few years ago folk were walking on top of each of others heads

 

and expensive if you want to go round the house.

 

Seconded. From about £55 return with easyJet from Manchester.

 

Try pricing up 2 or 3 days in Berlin. My favourite city away day venue by a long way. Over the years we’ve visited Bruges, Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Tallinn and loads of others around Germany, but nothing comes close to the larger ones in Berlin. There are around 70 different sites throughout the city. If funds permit you won’t regret it.

 

We’re off to Berlin. Really excited as not had a holiday for 5 years but we’re currently between dogs so decided to take advantage. Anything you really recommend? (We’re there for 5 days).

 

Barnsley

 

Went to one in Bath a good while ago and was pretty much the same. My idea of hell.

 

If they are so congested that they are hellish in the UK, what makes the German ones better?
Genuine question as considering a weekend city break.

 

I’m presuming it’s the number of them. Our cities have one and generally none so those from other places travel to them. Berlin has over 80 and are themed so people choose the ones that suit their style.

 

Went to Liverpool last year. Bog standard; same food stalls you see at shows all year round but it snowed a bit, which made it

 

The German Christmas markets are amazing.

Up until COVID we went to Bochum, small town, and even there's was on a different level.

We also travelled to Dusseldorf, cologne and Dortmund to sample theirs and they were fab.

 

Exactly right. There are several markets spread around all the big cities, and many more in smaller outlying towns. In Norderstedt (bordering Hamburg) where my wife comes from, there are usually 3 Christmas markets, and it's a town barely larger than Penistone. Here's some info on Hamburg markets, and others. The "Santa Pauli" one looks interesting

https://www.christmasmarketsgermany.com/hamburg.php

 

Linked to that is the fact that British cities don't really have squares that are suitable for markets - they were all repurposed in the 19th and 20th centuries. In Birmingham we do actually have city centre markets, but the Xmas market isn't there - it's crammed into streets and squares half a mile away which haven't seen a market apart from this annual one for the best part of a century. Makes actually getting anywhere an absolute nightmare.

I don't know Germany well at all, but if you go to somewhere like Lyon (which I do know), a lot of the main squares are big, flat and empty - perfect for the occasional market.

 

Our favourite market is at Spandau, take the u~bahn and it starts across the road and winds its way around a few streets and at the end there is a lovely bar, just reminds me of a “local” village pub. Also highly recommended is the market at Chalottenberg palace. Book a city tour 48 hour ticket and just get on and off at any of the 20 or so stops ( including Charlottenberg Palace and Checkpoint Charlie)
It’s a great way to see the city. There are several other markets where the bus stops.
The Reichstag parliament is worth a visit and the Brandenberg gate is close by at the end of Unter Den Linden.
Two other markets that are well worth visiting are at Alexanderplatz (combined with a funfair) and another one we always start at is at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church on Kurfürstendamm.
There really is so much to see.
Try googling Berlin Christmas Markets as there are some excellent sites. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.