Christmas Markets

Forget your local high street, make your way to one of Europe's Chritmas market and mingle with the locals and meander through the festive stalls, tippling on mulled wine while being serenaded to by christmas carols singers.

So squeeze in a mini festive break and come home with some unusual goodies and pressies.

CHRISTMAS MARKETS

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What: BOULOGNE Christmas Market
Where: Veille Ville (within the walls of the old town), France
When: Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th December
Time: 10am-6pm

Boulogne is magical when the Christmas market is in full swing. Shop to the serenade of Carol singers and breathe in the whiff of mulled wine as it sweetens the frosty air. There is also pleny of entertainment including music, fireworks and the illumination of the Belfry.

On sale is a sumptuous choice of local produce, gifts and crafts. A must-buy is a Christmas Pudding. You can find one in most parisseries from late November to January and of course in the market. The recipe is similar to the English version but with added prunes and dry fruits laced (heavily!) with rum. It is then steam cooked in a muslin and served flambed. For a taste of this spirited pudding don't miss the traditional Christmas pudding give-away at the Enclos de l’Eveche next to the Cathedral. These look innocent enough, but they are full of rum.

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What: BERLIN Christmas Market
Where: Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church - Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, Germany
When: 26th November to 31st December
Time: Sunday to Tuesday 11am-10pm, Friday to Saturday 11am-11pm, Christmas Eve 11am-6pm, New Year's Eve 11am-1am

This is Berlin's best Christmas market. On offer are handicraft stalls, amusements and a variety of cultural events.

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What: BREMEN Christmas market
Where: Market Square, Bremen, Germany
When: 29 November to 23rd December
Time: Monday to Saturday 10am-8pm, Sunday 11am-8pm

This market takes place in the picturesque Market Square of Bremen. The elegant town hall acts as the back drop to 170 lavishly decorated stalls, and beautiful Christmas lights. Then theres the amazing atmosphere of the seasonal Christmas bazaars that are held in the lower hall of the Town Hall and in Böttcherstrasse.

What makes this even more special is the Schlachte Magic. This is an amalgamation of riverboats, antique and flea markets along with restaurants an beer gardens. These make this a very vibrant place all year round and especially so in the run up to Christmas.

There are concerts too at the time of year including nativity plays and exhibitions.

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What: DRESDEN Christmas Market - Striezelmarkt
Where: Münzgasse Street, Germany
When: 28th November to 24th December
Time: Sunday to Tuesday 10am-8pm, Friday to Saturday 10am-9pm and Christmas Eve until 2pm.

Probably the oldest Christmas Market in Germany, the Striezelmarkt is famous for its Stollenfest (a Stollen is the German version of Christmas cake made with fruit and marzipan). Bakers set about baking 3,500 kg of fruit bread which isserved to the public.

Things to buy include nutcrackers, glass art from Thuringia (you may catch glass blowers and woodcarvers doing their thing) and ceramic from Upper Lusatia.

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What: BRUSSELS Christmas Market
Where: Around the Bourse, Marche aux Poissons and Place St-Catherine, Belgium
When: 1st December to 1st January
Time: Monday-Friday, 11am - 8pm, Saturday-Sunday 11am - 10pm

If you love Belgian chocolate, this must surely be the best place and time to get some in your favourite festive character. Plates of moules or steam snails are everywhere in case you get pecking. Also, you can get your skates on enjoy gliding around what is usually the fish market.

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What: COLOGNE Christmas Market
Where: Various, Germany
When: 27th November to 23rd December
Time: 11am to 9pm daily

Cologne has a variety of Christmas markets close to each other at Alter Markt, Cologne Cathedral, Neumarkt and Rudolfplatz, as well as a floating Christmas Market which takes place on the MS Wappen Von Mainz. Visit any or all of them, then relax by taking to the ice rink on Heumarket.

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What: COPENHAGEN Christmas Market
Where: Tivoli Gardens, Denmark
When: 16th November to 31st December
Time: Sunday to Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday to Saturday 11am to 11pm, 23 December 11am-8pm

Where else can you skate on the Tivoli lake to the walkts underneath thousands of lights but in Copenhagen. Tivoli Gardens is turned into a Christmas wonderland full of Christmas trees, gorgeous lighting, Christmas shows and colourful stalls. Treat yourself or someone else to some Copenhagen procelain or wooden dolls. But don't go home without trying the traditional glögg, Danish mulled wine mixed with liquor and spices.

There's also various amusements like a skating rink, pony rides and if you head for the Leprechaun tent, you'll find a smiley Father Christmas.

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What: LILLE Christmas Market
Where: Place Rihour, France
When: 19th November to 30th December
Time: 11am to 8pm daily

This wonderfully vibrant Christmas market offers the lights, the 80 stalls, roasting chestnuts and all the fun of the fare too. There's always a merry-go-round and a ferris wheel giving thrills to the sound of Christmas songs. Don't go home without trying the waffles and gingerbread.

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What: PRAGUE Christmas Market (Vanocni trh)
Where: Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, Czech Republic
When: 1st to 31st December
Time: 9am to 7pm daily

Prague is a gorgeous city and a top notch city break, but at this time of year the city centre is ablace with light. Wooden huts sell handicraft such as wood-carved puppets, jewellry, toys, candles and Bohemian crystal.

Carol singers sing out from the central stage while musicians add to the festivity with seasonal music.

There's also a small zoo with ponies, goats and sheep.

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What: TALLINN Christmas Market
Where: Old Town, Estonia
When: 1st December to 7th January
Time: 10am to 6pm daily

A lovely market that only came on the scene in 2001. The historic Old Town tranforms into a shopping haven where you can buy traditional Estonian food and handicrafts, toys and hand makde jumpers, sheepskins and felt hats. Choirs and musician feel the air with music and carol singers entertain throughout the duration.

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What: VIENNA Christmas Market - Christkindlmarket
Where: Town Hall Square, Austria
When: 17th November to 24th December
Time: Daily 9am-9pm. Christmas Even 9am-5pm

With over a million visitors a year, this is probably the most popular Christmas market in Europe. More than100 stalls make up a motly mix of gift ideas from candied fruit, arts and crafts, scented beeswax candles. In Austria, its all about baked apples, and roasted chestnuts which must be washed down the Gluhwein, to really get into the mood.

There are amusements too like Christmas cookie-baking workshops, choirs and exhibitions.

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30 October 2008

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