{"id":672,"date":"2012-12-20T20:46:34","date_gmt":"2012-12-20T20:46:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/blog\/?p=672"},"modified":"2013-01-10T15:47:30","modified_gmt":"2013-01-10T15:47:30","slug":"europes-8-best-christmas-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/?p=672","title":{"rendered":"Europe’s 8 best Christmas markets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Exert from CNN Travel<\/strong> – For something intended to bring pleasure to loved ones and keep the economy of the entire Western world afloat, Christmas shopping in the Internet age can be a peculiarly joyless and atomized activity.<\/p>\n

Online shopping is all very well for sociopaths and agoraphobes, but here are eight destinations to put the gl\u00fchwein and gluttony back into your seasonal splurge.<\/p>\n

Just lay off the gingerbread if you like your teeth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Berlin: Festive fashions and hipster hangouts<\/h2>\n

\"Christmas<\/p>\n

You know you’re in the right place when your outfit matches the decor.<\/p>\n

You hardly need an extra reason to visit the fashionable German capital, but ice rinks, Ferris wheels, fairground rides and toboggan runs are among some of the attractions competing for attention at more than 60 markets scattered around the city.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Gendarmenmarkt\u00a0<\/a>is considered one of the most beautiful.<\/p>\n

Buy:<\/strong>\u00a0Original works by the next big things of art, design and fashion, idiosyncratic decorations and contemporary jewelry at\u00a0TrendMafia’s Christmas Design Market<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Drink<\/strong>: With so many markets to see, a currywurst-fueled gl\u00fchwein (mulled wine) crawl should keep the cold at bay, loosen the purse strings and liberate the legs for an evening of moving and shaking in some already pass\u00e9 Kreuzberg pop-up nightspot.<\/p>\n

Sing along to<\/strong>: Traditional German carols are hard to beat. \u201cStille Nacht\u201d (the song so imbued with Christmas spirit it briefly halted World War I on the Western Front) and \u201cOh Tannenbaum\u201d will get the festive endorphins flowing in even the most battle-hardened Yuletide veteran.<\/p>\n

Birmingham, England: Glam rock and gl\u00fchwein<\/h2>\n

\"Birmingham<\/p>\n

Germany comes to England.
\nPretty much every self-respecting British city these days goes Deutsch-verr\u00fcckt for December, but Birmingham’s\u00a0Frankfurt Market<\/a>\u00a0claims to be \u201cthe largest authentic German market outside Germany and Austria.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buy:<\/strong>\u00a0The adjacent\u00a0Christmas Craft Fair<\/a>\u00a0sells an array of local produce for your Christmas table, including organic sausages and homemade chutneys and cheeses. Or you might pick up a Birmingham edition of Monopoly for those long winter nights in with the family.<\/p>\n

Drink:<\/strong>\u00a0Gl\u00fchwein and German beers aplenty here, but a short walk to The\u00a0Old Contemptibles<\/a>\u00a0pub will get you seasonal English ales including \u201cDing Dong\u201d and \u201cElves’ Bells.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen out for:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cMerry Christmas Everybody\u201d and \u201cI Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day,\u201d by local bands Slade and Wizzard. It’s traditional in the UK for these festive glam rock stompers to be played on loop in every department store, as increasingly dead-eyed shoppers desperately scour the emptying shelves.<\/p>\n

Nuremberg, Germany: From brat to wurst<\/h2>\n

\"Nuremberg<\/p>\n

Gold, frankincense and brrrr.
\nOne of the most fabled markets in Germany, the\u00a0Christkindlesmarkt\u00a0<\/a>dates to the mid-sixteenth century with more than 180 wooden stalls set amid the picturesque surroundings of the Bavarian city’s old town.<\/p>\n

Buy:<\/strong>\u00a0You can indulge your inner child with lebkuchen (spiced gingerbread), locally produced wooden toys and zwetschgenm\u00e4nnle (traditional decorative figurines made of prunes).<\/p>\n

Eat:<\/strong>\u00a0The gl\u00fchwein here is stronger than average so it’s smart to fill your stomach with plenty of local speciality N\u00fcrnberger Rostbratw\u00fcrste, traditionally served on a heart-shaped tin plate. TheBratwurstk\u00fceche zum Goldenen Stern<\/a>\u00a0has been serving sausages here since 1419.<\/p>\n

Look out for:<\/strong>\u00a0It’s hard to miss the Christkind, a local teenage girl dressed in a gloriously Wagner-esque crown and golden robe. Selection criteria for the role include a \u201cwillingness to work in any weather.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copenhagen, Denmark: A fairy tale festive wonderland<\/h2>\n

\"Tivoli<\/p>\n

In Denmark, the seals hate Christmas as much as the turkeys.<\/p>\n

The Danish capital’s\u00a0Tivoli Gardens<\/a>\u00a0fun park this year celebrates Nordic and Russian traditions with Christmas-themed rides, reindeer, an illuminated miniature replica of Moscow’s Saint Basil’s Cathedral and half a million fairy lights.<\/p>\n

Buy:<\/strong>\u00a0You can support the Inuit people of Greenland by buying a sealskin accessory from the Inuit Sila stall. In Greenland, seals are hunted sustainably for meat and every part of the animal is used.<\/p>\n

Eat:<\/strong>\u00a0Aebleskiver are donuts baked in a special pan with round holes. They’re traditionally served with gl\u00f6gg, hot wine flavored with almonds and raisins.<\/p>\n

Watch out for:<\/strong>\u00a0The nisse. These mischievous pixies were traditionally believed to live in attics and barns, bringing good luck to those who cared for them. Many Danes still leave out a bowl of porridge on Christmas Eve to keep them sweet.<\/p>\n

Strasbourg, France: Alsatian treats and Christmas trees<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Strasbourg<\/p>\n

Foie gras with Christmas beer made by Alsatian monks, anyone?<\/p>\n

With a market dating to 1570, the French border city of Strasbourg has adopted the title of \u201cCapital of Christmas.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

Fir trees have formed a part of festivals in this forested region since pagan times, a tradition symbolized by the largest natural Christmas tree in Europe in the town square.<\/p>\n

Buy:<\/strong>\u00a0Regional delicacies, including foie gras and traditional Christmas biscuits known recettes de bredele, abound for those seeking gifts for gourmands.<\/p>\n

Drink:<\/strong>\u00a0Alsatian monks, and recently breweries, have been producing malt-heavy Christmas beers — spicy in flavor and amber in color — since the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n

Say:<\/strong>\u00a0Alsace has its own regional language, recognized as vulnerable by UNESCO. Give it a boost by wishing locals \u201cE gueti Wnchte & E glecklichs Nej Johr” (“Merry Christmas”).<\/p>\n

Vienna: Grand old aristocrat of Advent<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Vienna<\/p>\n

Traditional handicrafts best bought here.<\/p>\n

The former Habsburg capital shakes off its otherwise haughty reputation during lavish festivities, with baroque architecture that makes for a stunning backdrop as the decorative lights ofChristkindlmarkt<\/a>\u00a0twinkle amid snowflakes.<\/p>\n

Buy:<\/strong>\u00a0The\u00a0Adventmarkt<\/a>, in front of the Karlskirche, is the place to go for handicrafts, ranging from stained glass sculptures to handmade wooden instruments, with workshops in glassblowing, leather work and other traditional techniques.<\/p>\n

Drink:<\/strong>\u00a0Weihnachtspunsch, accompanied by roasted chestnuts, is the Austrian capital’s spirit-fortified variation on the hot alcohol formula. The mugs are considered collector’s items.<\/p>\n

Watch out for:<\/strong>\u00a0The Krampus — looking like extras from A Christmas Nightmare on Elm Street, these gruesome goat-headed long-haired monsters maraud menacingly through the markets at night.<\/p>\n

\"Gothenberg<\/p>\n

Reindeer on roofs is a sign of a great Christmas market.<\/p>\n

Gothenburg, Sweden: Northern lights and smorgasbords<\/h2>\n

Sweden’s \u201cChristmas City\u201d is a blaze of light, warmth and color in the dark Scandinavian night, with the dazzling, illuminated market at the\u00a0Liseberg\u00a0<\/a>amusement park among the season’s central attractions.<\/p>\n

Buy:<\/strong>\u00a0For cutting edge and playful Scandinavian future design classics, the place to be is the ever-popular\u00a0Julform<\/a>\u00a0Popup market. It’s now an annual December fixture.<\/p>\n

Eat:<\/strong>\u00a0You can gorge on a multi-course Christmas smorgasbord, the Julbord, a table laden with dishes including pickled and smoke fish, meats and cheeses, and the hearty Janssons frestelse, a casserole of anchovies and potatoes.<\/p>\n

Listen to:<\/strong>\u00a0Gothenburg’s tourism website has put together a classy\u00a0Christmas playlist<\/a>\u00a0(Cliff Richard aside) featuring hirsute local rockers The\u00a0Soundtrack of Our Lives<\/a>, currently rounding off their last-ever tour with a six-night stand in Stockholm.<\/p>\n

Hamburg, Germany: Kinky Christmas fun<\/h2>\n

\"Hamburg<\/p>\n

Santa Claus is coming to town.<\/p>\n

Hamburg’s legendarily louche\u00a0St. Pauli<\/a>\u00a0district offers \u201cSanta Pauli\u201d — its ribald take on the traditional German market, with strip shows, drag queens and \u201csexy angels.\u201d Probably not one for the kids.<\/p>\n

Buy:<\/strong>\u00a0The handmade wooden toys that sell here are not the sort that you’d usually associate with Santa’s little helpers. Those crafted by\u00a0WaldMichlsHoldi<\/a>, a long-running famuily business, are the most famous.<\/p>\n

Drink:<\/strong>\u00a0The Amaretto-laced hot apple wine packs a dangerous punch.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

…Read More Here<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exert from CNN Travel – For something intended to bring pleasure to loved ones and keep the economy of the entire Western world afloat, Christmas shopping in the Internet age can be a peculiarly joyless and atomized activity. Online shopping is all very well for sociopaths and agoraphobes, but here are eight destinations to put [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[216],"tags":[230,1373,231,350,232],"class_list":["post-672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-christmas-in-europe","tag-europe","tag-holiday-markets","tag-news-2","tag-the-best-markets-in-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=672"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1242,"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/672\/revisions\/1242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ididgo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}