Go Christmas: From a 575-year-old German market to Naples Nativities,
Mal Rogershas the lowdown on festive fairs, while
Sandra O'Connellfalls for Yuletide Copenhagen
Dresden
The baroque city of Dresden says it has the oldest Christmas market in Germany. This claim, unsurprisingly, is disputed; the history of Christmas markets stretches back to the Middle Ages, and facts are hazy. It even seems that Martin Luther had a hand in starting them.
Dresdeners began wishing their customers a very merry Christmas in 1434, and after 575 years in the business they seem to have it just about right. The seasonal stalls at Striezelmarkt stretch from the train station through the old town and across the River Elbe.
Stollen is available everywhere.This rich Christmas fruit-and-nut loaf, which originated in Dresden, will be appropriately gift-wrapped for you if you're not scoffing it down on the spot.
Dresden can get very parky – winters here are colder than the German average. But then that's part of the charm: an iron chill in the air offset by a bracing drink. After sampling the market wares, install yourself in a snug pub and order a few glasses of Jägermeister, the very strong Saxon hooch. Minus 10 outside, 40 per cent inside, as they say in these parts.
Dresden's Christmas market (weihnachtsmarkt-dresden.de) runs until Christmas Eve. Dresden is about 200km south of Berlin, which is served by Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) from Dublin and Cork and by Ryanair (ryanair.com) from Dublin
Bath
Bath's Crimbo offering is very traditional. Held in the shadow of the English city's magnificent abbey, the market stretches almost a kilometre up to the Roman Baths. More than 120 traditional wooden stalls provide all the Christmas spoils you'll need, from festive trinkets to Bath bling. The organisers say that "a strict vetting procedure ensures the quality and variety of the gifts on sale". So make sure you're getting real tinsel, not the fake stuff.
Adding to the seasonal atmosphere are circus performers, jugglers and a stilt-walking Snow Queen. There's even an all-singing stall, courtesy of Bollywood Christmas. Declaring "refine your pine" and "add some glee to your Bollywood Christmas tree", it sells Diwali- inspired decorations that are sure to be a big hit.
At the other end of the musical scale, tomorrow week – the market's final day – the Pump Room, at the Roman Baths, presents Carols by Candlelight, which should make for a romantic night in this most elegant of European cities.
Bath Christmas Market runs until December 6th. Bath is 20km from Bristol, which Ryanair (ryanair.com) serves from Belfast and Dublin
Tallinn
Tallinn's medieval cobbled streets are made for seasonal craic. The Estonian capital is a mystical place to visit in winter, especially when the narrow streets have a coating of crunchy snow. A mulled wine or a coffee and brandy in one of the old town's cosy cafes becomes an act of obligation.
The Christmas market begins this week, with more than 50 stalls selling everything you could reasonably want – and possibly much you couldn't. There's a "wall of sweaters", Russian military hats, "fog-proof compasses as used by the Estonian army", hand-carved toys – and enough decorations to snap a Christmas tree. Tallinn is big on amber. Necklaces and bracelets fashioned by Estonian craftspeople are as ubiquitous as the roast pork available throughout.
Just off the main square, the Katarina Kèik cobbled alley houses the Katarina Guild, a row of medieval-style ateliers producing jewellery, pottery and glassware. It's a place to quell any rising gift anxiety, ideal for nailing down that elusive special prezzie.
Town Hall Square also hosts performances by choirs, dance groups, poets and musicians.
Tallinn Christmas Market (christmas.ee/en) begins tomorrow and runs until January 7th. Scandinavian Airlines (flysas.com) flies to Tallinn from Dublin via Copenhagen
Salzburg
At this time of year Austria is back to doing what it does best: winter. Big fluffy snowflakes, Mozart and hot chocolate, horse-drawn traps and cobbled streets, trams rattling along graceful boulevards. With a dusting of frost it's the perfect Christmas-card scene, with outdoor concerts, carol singers and ice skaters completing the picture. Salzburg has one of the finest Christmas markets in Europe, with several squares of stalls heaving with bric-a-brac. The most famous is Salzburger Christkindlmarkt, in the cathedral and Residenz Square.
Hellbrunn Palace, in the south of the city, holds an Advent fair with a life-size calendar as its centrepiece. Windows in the castle's facade house reindeers, sheep and goats. The stalls stock beeswax candles, hand-made decorations and toys. Just be sure you don't trip over the vats of
Glühwein– pleasantly intoxicating mulled wine.
Salzburg's Christmas markets (austria.info, christkindl markt.co.at) run until Christmas Eve. Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) and Ryanair (ryanair.com) fly to Salzburg from Dublin
Berne
Christmas with style and tradition, plus all the trimmings, is guaranteed in Switzerland. Under the sandstone arches, or
Lauben, that bisect Berne's old town, covered walkways are lined with shops, bars and theatres. Come Christmas the whole enterprise is enveloped by the smell of coffee, cinnamon and mulled wine. In the cracking cold of a Mitteleuropa winter it's difficult to imagine a more seductive aroma.
The 15th-century architecture of Berne's old town is the perfect background for its market. Two central squares are packed with stalls: Münsterplatz, catering for lovers of arts and crafts, and Waisenhausplatz, offering traditional Christmas gifts. And as Switzerland is one of the world's remaining confectionery superpowers, choccy treats abound. (Remember, only 76 shopping days left until St Valentine's Day.)
Time for shelf denial – so head for Kornhauskeller, on Kornhausplatz, one of the most stupefyingly beautiful restaurants in Europe. Set in the cellars of a former corn store, it's a vaulted underground cathedral, with little bars, nooks and, indeed, crannies. Loll in the half-light alongside Berne's literary and theatrical types.
Berne's markets (berneinfo.com) continue until December 29th. Berne is about 100km from Zurich, which Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) serves from Dublin
Budapest
The mesmeric city of Budapest, with its baroque churches, art-nouveau mansions and Gothic castles, has several Christmas markets. The Hungarian tourist board says: "There is a strong chance of a white Christmas, which helps give Budapest a magical atmosphere at this time of the year." They would say that, wouldn't they? But even if the meteorology goes awry, they're spot on with the magic.
The Danube divides the city into Buda and Pest, the latter being the venue for most of the markets. Biggest and best is the extravaganza on Vörösmarty Square. The city has decreed that all crafts must be hand-made and traditional – which means wrought-iron candlesticks, elegant porcelain ornaments and intricate Christmas decorations, all keenly priced. Max out those credit cards.
In a city where self-indulgence is the order of the day, plenty of hearty Hungarian food is on offer – sample the wonderful duvet-thick pudding called
mákos guba, a sweet roll saturated in cream, honey, poppy seed and sugar. Or try
lángos, a kind of fried dough, served with sausage. You can get fat here just by breathing the air.
From December 21st to 23rd a Nativity scene comes alive on the square, with a crib and live animals. There's also a Christmas-tree-decorating competition to take part in.
The main Christmas market (budapestinfo.hu/en) runs until December 29th. Aer Lingus (aer lingus.com), Ryanair (ryanair.com) and Malev (malev.com) fly to Budapest from Dublin
Naples
Christmas markets are traditionally the preserve of northern and central Europe. You'll find the sole non-Teutonic, non-Nordic one that is in the same league in Naples. A whole area of the Italian city is dedicated to producing
presepi, or Nativity scenes.
The figures range from the Holy Family to Roman officials, not forgetting humble shepherds and their livestock, all crafted on the spot. The little statues also caricature politicians, entertainers and sportsmen. Even Elvis is there.
Via San Gregorio Armeno, in the historic district of Spaccanapoli, is the centre of Christmas proceedings, with a market from December 5th to 28th.
Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) flies to Naples from Dublin.
Bruges
Medieval Bruges, with its cobbled streets, historic buildings, cosy cafes and horse-drawn carriages, is one of a handful of European cities that provide glittering magic at Christmas. Even an avowed humbug couldn't fail to be charmed by this seasonal Belgian extravaganza. The market on the main square surrounds an open-air ice rink lit by twinkling lights. Suitably fuelled with punch and
Glühwein, you can wander through the market past stalls crammed with goodies, tables laden with elegantly packaged sweeties and alleys with shops decked out in Dickensian fashion.
Along the way food stalls will tempt you with hog roasts, barbecued pheasant, steaming goulash and roasted chestnuts. In front of the railway station the Snow Ice Sculpture Festival, which runs until January 11th, already has tons of ice and snow fashioned into amazing sculptures. Get rugged up and experience one of northern Europe's great Christmas experiences.
Bruges's main Christmas market runs until January 3rd. Bruges is 90km from Brussels, which Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) serves from Dublin and Ryanair (ryanair.com) serves from Dublin and Shannon
MR
'Danish trees are lit with real candles – never, ever coloured bulbs, and God forbid you'd even wave a bit of tinsel at them'
IS IT SAFE to mention the C-word – and not just mention it but throw it like a snowball and lie down and make snow angels in it? Oh, goody, because when it comes to Christmas nobody does it better than the Danes.
For Danish children the build-up starts on December 1st, with advent calendars revealing daily treats and gifts until December 24th, when Christmas is officially celebrated. Gifts are kept under the tree, around which the family dances hand in hand, singing traditional Christmas songs. They really do.
Danish trees are lit with real candles – never, ever coloured bulbs, and God forbid you’d even wave a bit of tinsel at them. Woven between the candles – and, presumably, not nearly as much of a fire hazard as they sound – are home-made paper hearts, hanging baskets filled with chocolates, ornate paper stars and strings of tiny Danish flags. No gaudy fairy up top, either: only a simple star.
If you’re lucky enough to be visiting Copenhagen in the month ahead, check out the street decorations – which, incidentally, are not turned on until December 1st. Don’t expect multicoloured illuminations, either, or anything as tacky as a plastic tree. Only white lights twinkle in the streets, suspended across all of which are giant garlands of spruce surrounding huge red hearts. Green, white and red are the colours of a Scandinavian Christmas, and only green, white and red.
Copenhagen has its own festive traditions. One of the biggest ones for shoppers to enjoy, the way we used to visit Switzer’s window, is the laying of the Christmas tables at Royal Copenhagen, a porcelain store at Amagertorv. Each year the upmarket shop invites six people to create a festive spread. This year it’s the turn of actors and dancers from the Royal Danish Theatre; about 300,000 people will come in to inspect them as part of their Christmas-shopping ritual.
The Tuborg and Carlsberg breweries mark December by decking their horse-drawn wagons with garlands and flags, to make annual deliveries of their Christmas brew, julebryg, and around the city brewery staff in Santa hats give samples to shoppers.
Christmas is also the time for glogg. More than an onomatopoeic name for a drink, gloggis a potent mulled wine spiced with raisins, almonds, cinnamon and cloves steeped in schnapps. You'll find some of the best gloggat Hviids Vinstue, a bar beside the city's venerable Hotel d'Angleterre. Made from red wine, port, cognac, rum, raisins and spices, it matures for eight days. Locals have been quaffing it here since 1723.
You'll be lucky to find a restaurant to get a gloggin, however, because during the run-up to Christmas they fill up pretty quickly with the other big tradition: the office Christmas lunch. Starting in the afternoon, and often continuing until dawn, it is expected to last at least seven hours. And it comes on top of all the lunches family and friends are expected to attend in December, usually on Fridays.
If you do find a table, don't be surprised to hear the place chant in unison. The tradition at Danish restaurants is for a person at one table to chant skoluntil the entire restaurant has joined in the toast. It's very communal.
Traditional festive lunches comprise herring in all its forms, salmon, liver pate, duck, cheese and Christmas rice pudding. (For the Christmas dinner proper it’s goose or duck – stuffed with apples and prunes – or pork, with lots of sweet-and- sour red cabbage and potatoes.)
To whet your appetite the city's bakeries go into overdrive in December, whisking up festive sweets and cakes, including such once-a-year treats as klejner, made of flour, butter, eggs and lemon, all knotted together delicately and then brutally deep-fried. Look out too for brune kager(gingerbread chopped with nuts) and pebbernodder(cookie dough spiced with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg). These vie for space in display cabinets among marzipan animals, candied fruit and nisser, or Danish elves.
It’s just as well there are plenty of places to walk it all off. A highlight is Tivoli Christmas Market, a fairytale pleasure park in the city centre.
Open from mid November until the end of December, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it is best experienced after dark, when it twinkles with a million fairy lights. They illuminate gaily painted Christmas stalls selling hand-crafted gifts, home-made food and lots and lots of glogg.
You’ll also find Yuletide markets along the quays at Nyhavn, a picturesque spot filled with moored yachts. Alternatively, check out the Grey Hall at Christiana, the city’s hippy commune, which is good for alternative and unusual hand-made items, sold for 10 days during December.
SO’C
Sandra O'Connell was a guest of Scandinavian Airlines (flysas.ie)
Where to stay, eat and go in Copenhagen at Christmas
Where to stay
The Square. Radhuspladsen, 00-45-33381200, thesquarecopenhagen. com. Super hotel within walking distance of Central Station (handy for the airport train), right beside Tivoli Gardens and at the top of Stroget, the city's main shopping street. Rooms from €80.
Hotel d'Angleterre. Kongens Nytorv 34, 00-45-33120095, dangleterre.com. Copenhagen's Shelbourne, this five-star institution has stood on Kings Square for 250 years. Double rooms from €419.
Where to eat
Kanal Caféen. Frederiksholms Kanal 18, 00-45-33115770, kanalcafeen.dk. The most traditional Danish meal you can buy is an open sandwich. The city is full of cosy purveyors, typically looking like your granny's sitting room, but this is one of the best.
Formel B. Vesterbrogade 182, Frederiksberg, 00-45-33251066, formel-b.dk. This restaurant's name translates as Basic Formula, but don't be deceived into thinking there's anything simple about it. One of 13 Michelin-starred restaurants in Copenhagen, it is one of the city's poshest places to eat.
Restaurant Chili. Vandkunsten 1, 00-45-33911918, restaurant-chili.dk. After you've blown the budget at Formel B, balance the books with a visit to this place. It's cheap, it's cheerful and it's the city's oldest burger bar, so they must be doing something right.
Where to go
Tivoli Gardens. Vesterbrogade 3, 00-45-33151001, tivoligardens.com. An enchanting mix of fairground rides, fountains and fireworks. Even Disney couldn't top it for festive spirit.
Nyhavn. Kongens Nytorv. Picturesque canal with a wide path lined with Christmas markets for most of December. Browse or just sit and watch other browsers from one of its cosy coffee shops.
Little Mermaid. Langelinie promenade. A short walk from Nyhavn takes you out to see the surprisingly small figurine so beloved by the Danes. Looking out over the Oresund strait, the spot is thronged, even in coldest December, with busloads of tourists all remarking on how little she looks.