The loveliest Christmas markets, selected by the experts
Amid a sales boom for Christmas market tours, the team at the UK’s largest escorted coach tour operator have shared their top locations with us...
Wooden stalls, fairy lights, warming drinks and tasty local delicacies – there’s nothing quite like a Christmas market to lift your festive spirits. And they are turning into quite the gift for travel agents, with Leger Shearings Group reporting that the sale of festive market tours, across both the Leger Holidays and Shearings brands, are booming.
Head of retail sales Ashley Dellow says: “Agents have done particularly well selling the 2024 festive breaks and are still selling those with availability, as well as booking ahead to 2025.”
He adds: “The demand has been so high for some tours, including the Dusseldorf and Cologne Christmas Markets itinerary, that extra capacity has been added. Shearings has also increased the number of 2024 Christmas market tours to meet demand, with six new tours added.”
Here are four of the favourite markets chosen by the Leger Shearings team:
Bruges
Recommended by chief executive Liam Race
Belgium is a country that really knows how to get into the festive spirit in the build up to Christmas. I especially like the charming, medieval city of Bruges. The colourful architecture is stunning, and the wonderful Christmas market is situated around the iconic bell tower ‘The Belfry of Bruges’ – a truly spectacular setting. Sampling the local chocolate and famous waffles is a must when strolling through the market, and it’s worth stopping by 2be bar to see the amazing Bruges Beer Wall with 1,250 different real ales displayed.
Book it: Leger offers the four-day Festive Ghent and Bruges Christmas Markets tour, with optional Brussels add-on, from £509pp, including Silver Service or Luxuria coach transportation, for departures in December 2025; leger.co.uk
Cologne
Recommended by marketing manager Caroline Thorpe
This Christmas market tour is the perfect combination for me – a Rhine Valley cruise, combined with exciting ports of call where you can discover enchanting Christmas markets! Cologne has one of the biggest Christmas markets in Europe, set around the cathedral and the old town, with a maze of pretty stalls offering outstanding arts, crafts, gifts and local delicacies. Plus, there are eight other smaller markets in Cologne to explore.
The four-night, full-board Rhine Valley cruise is on the superb ship, the MS Serenade 1, offering rest and relaxation in the pre-Christmas madness. One of the advantages of taking an escorted coach tour is you don’t have to worry too much about shopping – you don’t have to struggle to pack purchases into a small wheelie case on an aircraft and you don’t have to carry luggage for any of the journey home until back in the UK.
Book it: Shearings offers the five-day Cologne and the Rhine Valley Christmas Markets cruise, from £799pp, with departures in December 2024 and 2025; shearings.com
Aachen and Valkenburg
Recommended by group product manager Matt Herbert
For me, Aachen is so nice, and said to be one of the most picturesque in the whole of Germany because of how unique and quaint it is – they do a very good job of fitting the volume of stalls in the town. But the real gem of this holiday is the Christmas market in Valkenburg, hosted in the Velvet Caves; it’s the world’s only Christmas market hosted in underground caves. To some this might sound small and claustrophobic, but it’s exactly the opposite! The vast caves allow lots of room with impressive tall spaces, and there are many different styles of market to appeal to all.
Book it: Leger Holidays offers the four-day Valkenburg & Aachen Christmas Markets tour with optional Cologne extension, from £589pp, which has availability in November and December 2024 and 2025.
York
Recommended by head of retail sales Ashley Dellow
The run up to Christmas is a very busy time for me at work and as time is precious, I’d choose a long-weekend, UK Christmas market tour. I love this break as the hotel enjoys panoramic sea views from its wonderful, elevated position, and it’s great to get some sea air at this time of year. York Christmas Market is set in the heart of the famous city centre with around 75 twinkling chalets selling amazing artisan gifts and festive refreshments. UK Christmas markets are well known for causing parking issues but on a coach tour there are no such worries. Back at the hotel, this break includes a Saturday night Christmas dinner and live evening entertainment.
Book it: Shearings offers the four-day Scarborough and York Christmas Market Weekend from £309pp, which currently has limited availability for November and December 2024; shearings.com
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