Trains, planes and automobiles: Choosing a route to festive fun
For a festive getaway, a Christmas market is just the ticket but clients may want to access them in different ways. Debbie Ward finds breaks to fit all their needs
By air
Ljubljana, Slovenia
For a real winter wonderland experience, send clients to compact, snow-dusted Ljubljana, Slovenia. The large Festive Fair runs throughout December complemented by smaller pop-ups such as the Christmas Art Market.
Ljubljana Castle is festively illuminated and there are free events including concerts. “Ljubljana is only two hours away by plane – that’s quicker than you can travel on a train from London to Manchester, which is also renowned for its Christmas markets,” points out Balkan Holidays’ sales and marketing manager Chris Rand.
Book it: Balkan Holidays has three nights’ B&B from £290pp in a three-star hotel, or £350 in
a four-star, including Stansted flights and transfers. balkanholidays.co.uk/agents
Copenhagen and more
Jet2CityBreaks has 12 Christmas Market weekend breaks for 2017, its biggest programme ever, following a sell-out last year. “All our winter wonderland destinations are just a short flight away with the benefit of friendly flight times, departing on Fridays and returning on Sundays,” explains Alan Cross, head of trade at Jet2holidays.
Popular market cities Berlin and Vienna are offered by the operator, along with Munich, which boasts the largest Christmas market in Europe; Prague, which has a wonderful heritage backdrop; and Copenhagen, where passengers can experience the famous Danish feeling of “hygge” among the stalls and fairground lights of Tivoli Gardens.
Book it: Two nights’ B&B at four-star Copenhagen Island, costs from £369pp with Jet2CityBreaks, departing from Leeds Bradford on December 1. jet2holidays.com
By railway
Rhineland multi-centre Clients can reach the famous Christmas markets of Germany via a combination of train and ship linking A-Rosa and Great Rail Journeys.
“This product is ideal for those who don’t want to fly or who want to enjoy a leisurely trip to see more while travelling. Everything is pre-booked and includes a tour manager who travels with the group for the entire trip,” says head of A-Rosa UK Lucia Rowe.
Passengers can reach Cologne by rail and visit up to six markets there before boarding their ship for Kehl and an excursion to the festive stalls around Strasbourg cathedral, then on to Mainz for its 200-year-old market.
Book it: The Rhineland Christmas Markets Cruise costs from £775pp, departing November 24 with four nights’ all-inclusive on A-Rosa Brava, return Eurostar, and a guided walking tour and overnight hotel in Cologne. greatrail.com
Basel, Switzerland
Swiss chocolate, raclette cheese and mulled wine are among the indulgences in the Christmas markets of Basel, where halftimbered houses and illuminated pine trees add to the atmosphere. A new Ffestiniog Travel package offers rail buffs a festive trip to Basel with three included excursions taking the 750mm-gauge Waldenburgerbahn, the scenic Rhaetian Railway loop and a lake cruise to Vitznau with a train up Mount Rigi. Days at leisure in Cologne and Bonn allow for further market shopping.
Book it: Departing November 30, the eight-day Christmas Market Basel holiday costs from £1,070pp including rail to and from Basel, a four-day Swiss Pass for unlimited travel within Switzerland, seven nights’ B&B accommodation and a tour leader throughout. ffestiniogtravel.com
By river
German multi-centre
The River Cruise Line has expanded its Christmas markets voyages onboard four-star Serenity to
include a Rhine route to Rudesheim, Cologne and Bonn, where the town hall is turned into an enormous advent calendar.
“The ships berth in a central location in each city, so passengers are right in the heart of things and within a few minutes can be browsing the market stalls, picking up handcrafted gifts and sipping warming mugs of gluhwein,” says The River Cruise Line’s sales and business
development manager Mark Riddle.
Book it: The River Cruise Line’s four-day German Christmas Markets cruise costs from £399pp, full-board, departing November 29 and December 2 with a ferry crossing and return coach travel from joining points nationwide. rivercruiseline.co.uk
Multi-country cruise
A river cruise can enable clients to experience Christmas shopping and traditions in several countries on an easy trip, unpacking only once. Uniworld’s Danube Holiday Market cruise from Budapest to Passau visits Hungary, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and takes in the highlight cities of Bratislava, Munich, Salzburg and Vienna.
In Budapest, only top craftspeople sell their wares in the market. There’s also a nativity scene with live animals. In Vienna, clients are treated to a private concert of Mozart and Strauss’s
music at a palace. Many excursions go beyond the markets. There’s also a chance to learn how to make gingerbread and festive centrepieces.
Book it: Uniworld’s all-inclusive eight-day Danube Holiday Market cruise starts from £2,569pp, with a choice of excursions on six of the days. A four-day Prague extension is also possible. uniworld.com
By road
Ludlow Castle, Shropshire
The Christmas market at Ludlow Castle boasts more than 100 stalls, as well as
medieval entertainers such as jesters and strolling musicians. It’s new for Grand UK holidays this year on a coach break that also visits Abbey- Cwm-Hir – a Victorian manor house in Wales with 52 rooms decorated in a range of festive themes. “Our range of UK Christmas markets are always popular with customers who enjoy the special atmosphere of continental markets, without having to worry about exchange rates,” says sales director Harold Burke.
Another bonus is choosing from departure points across the Midlands, East Anglia, London, the south-east and south coast.
Book it: Grand UKHolidays’ four-day coach touring holiday Ludlow Christmas market and Christmas at Abbey-Cwm-Hir, with clients based at Glen Usk Hotel in Llandrindod Wells costs from £209pp, half-board. grandukholidays.com
Portsmouth
Portsmouth boasts the largest seasonal festival on the south coast – the Victorian Festival of Christmas, which can be combined with visiting the city’s historic naval attractions such as HMS Victory and the Mary Rose – great for those taking children or grandchildren.
Besides more than 150 stalls, Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard will have family-friendly diversions including a cast of colourful characters roaming the cobbles, street entertainers and seasonal refreshments. Clients may encounter Scrooge, chimney sweeps, Victorian magicians and Father Christmas himself. There’s also a family jewel-hunting trail to follow.
Book it: For those happy to selfdrive, Super Break offers rooms at the Holiday Inn, Portsmouth, which has free parking, from £39pp per night. The hotel has an indoor pool and views over the historic harbour. superbreak.com/agents
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