Sooo, I’m a big advocate of its not the festive season until December, however this needs answers now.

Mrs STR loves Christmas and is already giddy walking round garden centres etc with the displays on show. She always likes to do a Christmas Market somewhere, so I’m thinking a surprise long weekend somewhere on zee continent.

Anyone have any experience of the obvious choices and which is the prettiest/most romantic/most wondrous etc out of the obvious choices – Amsterdam/Prague/Berlin/Budapest etc?

Not holding out much hope on the grinch’s own forum but here’s hoping!

Try Barcelona as only 1hr 45mins from England shores
also they do celebrate Christmas so should be very festive, and only 20mins to get
into Barcelona from the airport.
Plus it would be warmer as I remember taking our Daughter there for her 16th Birthday for
the day in January and Gatwick was di-icing the wings of the plan here and when we landed
we was wearing t shirts and sunglasses 😉

Ihatechristmas.

HTH

Salzburg

Bah..
I thought this was gonna be the thread about a whip-round for my chrimbo pressie..

*is disappoint*

http://www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk/cologne_christmas_market.php

This one is nice. Cologne is an interesting city too. The roman museum is amazing, the glass wear looks like it was made yesterday.

Bruges!

We’re going to Dortmund. Not been during Christmas before, but I have spent 2 or 3 weeks there in the past and it’s a lovely place. From looming at the websites, it’s one of the bigger Christmas markets.
Easyjet fly there.

Amsterdam at Christmas is amazing. I spent 3 weeks there for Christmas and new year the year my dad died. The markets sell everything you could imagine related to Christmas (and many things that you couldn’t). The city itself is decked out with trees and decorations everywhere, the Dutch are the friendliest people imaginable and the treats being cooked by the numerous Christmas themed vendors are to die for, some quite literally!

Accommodation wise for me there is only one place, the Krasnapolsky on Dam square with a suite overlooking the square itself, it’s a bit spendy, but they treat you like royalty.

Whatever you do make sure your out by New Years! The Dutch are mental at new year.

Are there any Germans left actually running markets in Germany at Christmas then…?

I thought they all moved to Birmingham. 😀

Did Vienna about ten years ago. Very nice and the cakes/coffee were amazing.

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/dec/23/christmas-vienna-food-drink

Bruges!

^ This

+1 for Salzburg. One of the cleanest cities I’ve ever seen! (But perhaps that says more about Huddersfield!!)

Strasbourg, Ludlow and/or dust off the credit card and head to NYC

+1 for Strasbourg, lovely town. No idea how easy it is to get to from the UK though…

Just bear in mind its not really xmas without snow

+1 for the dam, the place is lovely at crimbo and all those lovely dutch girls wearing hats riding bikes. and a big plus point is that soem things there are legal.

Bethlehem is nice, but you need to book early

Madrid has a Christmas market, but it’s not that exciting. Nice enough city for a long weekend if you’ve not been, though.

Bethlehem is nice

You’ve not been then ?

I know you’ve already counted out Berlin, but I’ve heard from a few people who have been that it is absolutely stunning so I’d possibly look into it a little more.

Anyway, if all else fails, Manchester Christmas markets are pretty fun!

😉

Hadn’t counted out Berlin – it’s on the list. Wanted to know which is nicest

Gotta be a German one really.

You don’t need to go abroad for the whole German Xmas market experience, they come over here now. We have one every year in Cambridge…..

Hamburg! Fantastic city and fantastic market!

Birmingham?

http://www.christmasmarkets.com/UK/birmingham-christmas-market.html

I’d rather not have Christmas than go to Birmingham