Christmas markets - your opinions?

[BucksBugsy]

I'm curious to know if any dibbers ha've been to any this year ? If so which one and what were your thoughts ?

We went to Winchester yesterday and I thought it was "ok" but felt a lot of the stalls were just repeats of others. For example if you wanted a hat you were sorted.

Maybe if it had been dark that would have added to th3 atmosphere.

Just curious to know your experiences !

BB

[Smilesonfaces]

Went to Chester yesterday. I like the atmosphere but find the stalls are just selling same old tat every year. The food and drink stalls were overpriced but good. Won’t go to Manchester again mainly because of the train strikes but I just find it too busy and even though there are hundreds of stalls they all sell the same and it is too expensive.
Blackburn is trialling a small market this year so we will go there nearer to Christmas probably just for a Baileys hot chocolate.

[BucksBugsy]

Yes Winchester was extremely busy too .hardly surprising really given it's the first weekend in December!

[valegroovers]

I’ve given up going to them, I just find them very expensive.

[disney332]

The attraction for me is the food smells and atmosphere...

We went to London recently and experienced Borough Mkt, The Southbank Mkt by the eye, A small number of stalls in Somerset House where the ice rink is, and finally a smallish xmas mkt in Leicester Square.

Great day, but apart from food, purchased nothing !

Disney332

[ginger ninja]

We live in Manchester and find the markets there horrendous, they are over priced and full of tat! at nights and all weekend its full of rude people and only quickly grabbed a treat for our kids after a meal out as it was their choice for dessert. Don't get what all the fuss is about

[Gill H]

No-one does them like the Germans. The best we have ever done was Bad Wimpfen - it's a magical fairytale village with cobbled streets, and the stuff they sell is the proper hand-carved stuff, not tat from China.

[BucksBugsy]

Originally Posted by Gill H

No-one does them like the Germans. The best we have ever done was Bad Wimpfen - it's a magical fairytale village with cobbled streets, and the stuff they sell is the proper hand-carved stuff, not tat from China.

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I was sent to Munich s few years back and got to try one of their Christmas markets and enjoyed it but it was nowhere as busy as the UK ones.

On the way back home we flew over Hyde park (where winter wonderland is I believe ) but was happier I wasn't fighting with the crowds on the ground !

[StorybookCircus]

I wouldn’t usually seek them out but I was in Llandudno for a conference last winter and their Xmas market was exceptional. You had to pay to get in (around £3 I think) but I spent a lovely 2 hours wandering round by myself, chatting to friendly stall holders, stuffing myself with samples and petting owls, donkeys and Shetland ponies. They had some medieval reenactors as well as people in Dickensian costumes and traditional local dress. It completely changed my opinion of Christmas markets, which was somewhat tarnished after a very fast walk through a packed Hyde Park Winter Wonderland!
Two of my colleagues are about to go on a mini Christmas market cruise, I think they’re stopping in Germany, Belgium and maybe France. They’re both nuts about Christmas so I’m sure they’ll report back with lots of photos

[Colette-S]

Fed up of the Manchester ones, find the stuff they are selling is just cheap wholesale tat and it’s losing its magic. Went to Bath a couple of years ag and I really liked it. They only have British talks and it’s mainly handmade, small businesses etc.
Thinking if trying Chatsworth in a couple of weeks