The Best Christmas Market Breaks To Book Right Now
From Sweden to Germany, get into the festive spirit with these getaways
28 October 2018
This festive season, swap Dubai’s desert for snowy Christmas markets full of festive charm, gifts and treats to indulge in.
It’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas –especially when shops are already piled high with festive goods.
Travel during November and December can be pricey, so you need to start planning your Christmas getaways now. Particularly if you want to travel to a Christmassy destination for the most magical time of the year.
See Also: The Cheapest Time To Book Festive Flights From Dubai
So if you want to get in the festive spirit and wander through European markets, ice skate and buy gingerbread hearts, here are 5 Christmas-inspired breaks to explore…
Cruise into the festive season
If you love the festive period, then an eight-night Christmas market cruise is for you! Take a trip that visits three traditional yuletide cities in Germany and Denmark, with a cruise on the Balmoral. Pick up handicrafts in Bremen and Hamburg, sail along the Kiel Canal and admire the attractions at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.
Visit Denmark
Market hop in Germany
Germany boasts some of the best festive markets in Europe, with glühwein, steamy bratwurst and gingerbread hearts on tap. Pick a German Christmas Market trip that visits the famous Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg; the Eisenach Christmas market in the UNESCO World Heritage Wartburg Castle; Erfurt’s medieval market; and Dresden’s Striezelmarkt, Germany’s oldest Christmas market.
Spend Christmas in an ice hotel
Those looking for something a bit different should try the white Christmas at Sweden’s Icehotel, where festive ice sculpting and other events will take place on the frozen River Torne. Spend Christmas chasing the aurora, sledding with huskies and joining a torchlight procession through Jukkasjärvi village for a traditional carol concert.
A touch of class in Vienna
Enjoy elegant festivities in Vienna, where a Christmas village is set up in the grounds of the Belvedere Palace and it’s possible to ice skate at the City Hall Park.
The stuff of fairytales in Budapest
Budapest’s historic city centre tranforms into a magical kingdom from November, with more than 100 stalls selling a range of festive arts and crafts, and a giant advent calendar erected on the façade of the Gerbeaud building.
