Christmas Markets- are there any good ones?

We liked Prague. There was a lot of atmosphere and much more to see in the city. Don’t go to Riga - very dull. We went to a Paris market out at La Defence one year. The market is good and it was next to a shopping mall and an Auchan hypermarket. Winchester was the worst ever and the Champs Elysee was tacky. There is now a Xmas market in Seville and we are aiming for there next year.

I've been to Lubeck in Germany twice before Christmas. Easy to get to from Stansted. It's a very ancient beautiful small city, a UNESCO city of culture, so quaint and historic. As well as the main square there are quite a few other markets dotted around - the Craftsmen's Christmas Fair at the Hospital of the Holy Spirit and others.

Wander up all the side streets - there are many very interesting individual shops selling quality items. They have quite a Scandinavian flavour as it is quite far north.

Niederegger café is expensive but worth a look - downstairs they sell the most stunning range of marzipan and other confectionary, displayed so beautifully, very Christmassy. Upstairs is a very traditional Viennese type café, a bit like a German Harrods, selling the most amazing cakes and gateaux.

There were not many English there, lots of Germans, who were very friendly to us. Not the biggest market but a lovely two or three day break. You can easily get a bus from the airport to the city.

I feel I must spring to the defence of Birmingham’s Christmas market, which, I think, was the first German market in Britain, staring with just a few stalls from Frankfurt, a twin city, in, I think, the late 70s. Yes, it’s huge now, but it generates a lot of income for the city. The stalls selling traditional wooden toys and Christmas decorations are lovely. Best to go during the day, as it’s very popular in the late afternoon and evening, when people on their way home from work stop off with their friends for a drink and some food- a nice tradition, I think.

Our son lives in Prague so we have visited the markets there a few times and they are very good.
This year we went to Strasbourg which was beautiful but like all Christmas markets it was very busy and I felt unsafe, 24 hours after our return there was a terrorist attack.
I will not visit a Christmas market again!

Not been but apparently Rochester is quite good. All the locals dress up. My favourite is Vienna - absolutely wonderful.

Several countries on the continent have stunning Christmas markets. I don't think we can equal them to be honest. And it's not just Christmas markets. We lived in Germany when our children were young and our son went to the local Kindergarten. When harvest festival came around in September families prepared various food donations. It was amazing the thought and effort that had gone into the presentation of these items. Some were works of art. Fast forward a few years and we are back in England. My son's school organised a harvest festival and asked for food to be delivered to school. I baked some loaves and put them in a basket with a pretty kitchen towel. I went into the school hall and put my basket on the harvest festival table. The other donations consisted of tins and more tins: tinned beans, tomatoes, spam, etc. That was all. Perhaps the most disappointing thing was that many of the tins had reached their best before date. I guess some saw it as a good opportunity to get rid of some unwanted tins.

Aachen was very good last year; there was even a little snow. We have enjoyed Cologne as well.

Bet I know which stall you bought your throw from Maggiemaybe! If I'm right; they really were lovely and an absolute bargain! I got pure wool sweater from the same stall.
The children's sheep skin mittens at £5.00 we're excellent value too!

That sounds like the one, Chewbacca! They’d some lovely products and I’m so pleased with my throw (currently draped round my chair and so cosy and pretty).

Does your lovely throw have lams along the edges Maggiemaybe?

My friend bought some earrings for her daughter. They'd been made from recycled car tyres and they were stunning! Very delicate and modern. You'd never have guessed that they'd originally been a tyre! She also bought a bracelet, recycled from a beer can. Again, the craftsmanship was amazing.
I bought 3 framed pictures, made from sea glass and tiny beach pebbles. Such unusual stuff and all made in the UK.

Does your lovely throw have lambs along the edges Maggiemaybe? It certainly does!

I wish we'd had longer to browse - it sounds as though I've missed some good Christmas present purchases there. Mind you, I did spend far too long hanging about the stalls that were offering free samples (I think I was shamed into buying the toffee vodka after my third taster!).

I think this is the first year I haven't been to a Christmas market! I agree with the above posts that sometimes UK ones are either expensive or same old same old! We have been to Ludlow Medieval Christmas Market twice and loved it.Ludlow is a beautiful town with lots of lovely independent shops,very foodie orientated! The market is held in the grounds of the castle with lots of medieval entertainment and activities. Lots of interesting stalls and not overpriced either. ! Highly recommend ?

I lived in Germany in the seventies. We had a Christmas market right on our doorstep. I didn't appreciate it at all. I wish i could go back and experience it all again. It was wasted on me then. We have a market in Belfast which doesn't appeal to me. Everything is overpriced and I'm not convinced it comes from the countries the sellers are supposed to be from.

Portsmouth do a lovely Victorian Christmas Fayre with stallholders dressed in period costume, chestnuts roasted in a brazier and served from a barrow and lots of very festive stalls selling locally made goods and convertibles.

* I actually typed 'comestibles but spell check had other ideas.

The one is Bath is lovely....stalls set up all around the Abbey.

It was the one in Bath that put me off far too crowded and expensive. Plus it closed on about 5th December, which meant lots of people crammed into a couple of weekends.

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Discaimer because I work for Gloucester Cathedral but honestly, our market is LOVELY. Local producers and charities, lots of handmade stuff, absoluely glorious. Only one day, normally the second Saturday in December, but check our website. Come early, come with cash (most traders can't take cards), and come with plenty of bags!

The market is under cover in our cloisters, refreshments are available in the chapter house and our coffee shop, and there are carols on the hour every hour.

When you have finished with us you can head over to Gloucester Quays for their (more commercial) Victorian market, skating rink, and designer outlet - but I can't belive you'll have any money left!

Bruges & Krakow both great.
Bruges very easy to get to if you drive too.

Edinburgh mostly made in China stuff too. There are a few individual traders with high end expensive goods. Found two- one for jewellery and one for skincare both local. Other than that the same old, same old.

I recommend looking on the Portsmouth website as Southsea also have a market and, having read the blurb, they all sell home produced goods and goods. There is also an art market there which sells locally produced artwork and ceramics plus jewellery. Read and decide for yourself. Open from 10th Nov - 24th Dec. www.visitportsmouth.co.uk ?????

I walked through the Birmingham one today as I had to go into town. It was pouring with rain so not as packed as usual which was better for having a look but bad news for the poor stallholders. I have to say it was very festive