Best Christmas markets?

[rich85uk]

Nuremberg is rumoured to have the best Christmas market in Germany, and having spent the weekend in Nuremberg and Munich I can confirm it is also a stunning medieval city

[Fas1975]

Left field suggestion, but wife and I are exploring the Budapest Xmas market this year. 2.5 hr flight and a cheap country to visit in terms of taxis and food:

http://www.budapestbylocals.com/event/budapest-chr...

[br d]

Did Cologne last year and it was great, done Bruges before and loved it, enough to do for a couple of days at least.
Rouen this year, only 2 hours from Calais.

[Dog Star]

br d said:

Did Cologne last year and it was great, done Bruges before and loved it, enough to do for a couple of days at least.
Rouen this year, only 2 hours from Calais.

I've not been too enamoured of French ones.
Bruges hasn't got the biggest, but the thing is that it's so nice and "Christmassy" anyway that it doesn't matter. That was one of my favourites, and it's quite convenient if you have easy access to the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry as a foot passenger.

[The Mad Monk]

Cabrony said:

The Mrs is still a little girl at heart and wants a short break for some Christmas markets. 4 hours max is all I can be bothered to drive once we've taken the tunnel to Calais.

Any suggestions? We've done Bruges previously so it's looking like either Cologne or Brussels

Kempton Market?

[littlegreenfairy]

Stockholm was lovely at Christmas. Their outdoor museum (Skansen) had a great Christmas market weekend and you also get the animals too (Lynx, moose, wolverines and bears). Thoroughly loved it.

[Mobile Chicane]

Tallinn is good if not exactly huge.

The Christmas market in the Old Town central square has stalls selling funky felt hats, interesting wooden stuff, hand-knitted woollies and tree decorations, all locally made.

Beware the Gluhwein unless you can handle your drink and like spice. It's heavily laced with brandy and is bd hot from huge amounts of cinnamon.

[Silver993tt]

rich85uk said:

Nuremberg is rumoured to have the best Christmas market in Germany, and having spent the weekend in Nuremberg and Munich I can confirm it is also a stunning medieval city

It's the most marketed and commercialised xmas market in Germany, mainly aimed at the tourist segment. Many Germans don't go there because of this, including a colleague and his family who lives there. They prefer the more authentic local markets in the outlying towns which are much nicer. The same is for any large city centre market including the one in Munich which is a tourist trap.

[br d]

Mobile Chicane said:

Beware the Gluhwein unless you can handle your drink and like spice. It's heavily laced with brandy and is bd hot from huge amounts of cinnamon.

Gluhwein is a mystery to me. At Cologne everybody - and I mean every last man and woman in the town - continually glugged it down, I thought it was absolutely disgusting!
I seriously could not have kept even a mouthful of it down.

[Shaoxter]

I quite like the winter wonderland at Hyde Park

[chopper602]

shakotan said:

Pretty much every big German city has this in force now.

No big thing though, you can get the sticker on-line for about £4 and it doesn't expire. I've got them on three of our cars and only one has been to Germany so far.