European Christmas Markets ??? - We've finally booked!

[jjk]

have a great time, we went to a christmas market in hanover a couple of years ago and loved it

 

[tennisfan]

Have a great time. I'm thinking of going to one of the European Christmas markets. Just need to find out what my shifts are.

 

[dolphingirl47]

It's all booked now. We're off to Frankfurt - I can't wait. I'm more excited about this than about Christmas itself!!!

If I can help out with any pointers or advice, please let me know. I was born and grew up in Frankfurt and lived there until I was 21. I don't know what your plans are, but if you have time to make a little side trip to Mainz, I would recommend it. The train takes about 30 minutes. Mainz is a beautiful city at any time of year, but their Christmas market is wonderful. It is smaller than the one at Frankfurt, but less commercial as well.

Corinna

 

[Dimplenose]

We don't have a lot of plans. We will arrive quite late on the Friday (18 Dec) and have Saturday, Sunday and most of Monday. We've thought about doing a river or bus trip, obviously shopping (not sure if there will be any special Sunday opening as it's so close to Christmas) I fancy visiting the Liebeig Haus sculpture museum (closed on Mondays) if it's any good. I'll google Mainz and have that as a backup plan if we have time.

There doesn't seem to be vast amounts to do in Frankfurt, but certanly enough for a long weekend.

As I'm going with a girlfriend and leaving our DHs at home I'm sure there will be plenty of coffe, chatting and putting the world to rights.

 

[disney_princess_85]

Sounds like you have a great trip planned Libby! I was considering visiting a Christmas Market this year. Due to time constraints, it looks like I might have to go to one in France (I'd have preferred Germany). Does anyone know anything about the ones in Paris?

 

[disney_princess_85]

Bump! Could anyone possibly help me out please?

 

[Dimplenose]

I've not been to Paris but there is a lovely one in Brussels. Very easy for us to get to on Eurostar but I'm not so sure from Manchester. To be honest if you're flying why not go the whole hog and go to Germany?

I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed as we've booked our flights to Frankfurt with BA.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I will post a bit more information about Frankfurt/ Mainz on Thursday when it is my day off.

Corinna

 

[disney_princess_85]

I've not been to Paris but there is a lovely one in Brussels. Very easy for us to get to on Eurostar but I'm not so sure from Manchester. To be honest if you're flying why not go the whole hog and go to Germany?

I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed as we've booked our flights to Frankfurt with BA.

Thanks Libby. We were actually considering going on the Eurostar (spending one night in London beforehand), so that's why I've ruled out Germany. The one in Brussels does look good though, I've been on the website. Hmm, choices...

 

[bazzanoid]

I'm considering the one in Lille at the beginning of december, just have to see how much i get stored in the bank lol - from Ebbsfleet it's 1hr 10min on the Eurostar direct to Lille - easier for us to get dropped off by a relative than drive/park, as we're only just over the other side of the dartford tunnel.

According to the pricing, eurostar works out about £55 each (return) if we go early morning / late evening return

 

[dolphingirl47]

As promised, here is a bit more information about Frankfurt and the surrounding area. Although Frankfurt is relatively small as cities go with a population of only ca 670,000 there is plenty to see and do.

Frankfurt is a modern city with only a small historical district around the cities town hall (Roemer). This is the area in which the annual Christmas market takes place.

Nearby is the main shopping area called Zeil . The street is a pedestrian-only area and is bordered by two large plazas, Hauptwache in the west and Konstablerwache in the east. There is a mixture of department stores and smaller shops in this area. Near Hauptwache is a small indoor shopping centre called Zeilgallerie. Not only can some of the more quirky stores be found there, but they have a viewing platform on the top which will give you some wonderful views over the city skyline.

From a historical point of view Saint Bartholomeus' Cathedral (a beautiful Gothic cathedral), the Old Opera House and Saint Paul's Church are well worth a look. Saint Paul's Church was the seat of the first democratically elected parliament in Germany.

Frankfurt has more than its fair share of museums ranging from art, history, film to communication. The most famous museums are the Städel, which showcases European paintings spanning 7 centuries, and Goethe Haus, the birth place of the famous German author Johann Wolfgang Goethe. Both are worth a look. My favourite museum is the Senckenberg Museum, which is Frankfurt's Natural History Museum.

Another place that is worth a visit is the zoo.

The local drink is Apfelwein (apple wine) which is either drunk on its own or mixed with sparkling water or lemonade. Something worth doing is a city tour on the Ebbelwei-Express (Apple Wine Express). The trip in a historical tram takes about 1 hour and passes many landmarks. It is hop on hop off and a glass of apple wine and a pretzel is served during the trip.

Frankfurt is located on the River Main, which merges with the River Rhein nearby. There are regular river cruises lasting from 1 hour to a whole day. Again, this is well worth doing, especially river cruises that last half a day or longer.

If you get bored of Frankfurt, there are two places that I would recommend for a visit. My favourite city in Germany is Mainz, which is only about 30 minutes by commuter train. Mainz has a wonderful historical quarter around the cathedral. The cathedral itself is well worth a visit. However, it is kind of overshadowed by St. Stephen's Church nearby. This church has a full set of stained glass windows by Marc Chagall and is absolutely breathtaking.

Another must see in Mainz is the Gutenberg Museum. Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with movable types. In the basement is a replica of the printing press. On the other floors are books and manuscripts from around the world spanning 4 centuries.

Apart from the cultural stuff, it is nice just walking through the historical streets or along the river bank.

Going by train about 30 minutes in the other direction from Frankfurt, you will find the spa town of Bad Homburg. The formal gardens surrounding the springs are stunning and a visit to the castle and the nearby Church of the Redeemer (Erlöserkirche) is also highly recommended.

Corinna

 

[Dimplenose]

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me this info. I must admit we kind of chose Frankfurt by default as the plane times and cost were to our liking. I'm getting very excited and I've still got 7 weeks to go!

We'd thought about a bus tour but the Ebbelwei-Express sounds more interesting!