Christmas Breaks |
What better way to start the Christmas season with a short break to a European or UK market, and what a place to buy gifts for the "hard to buy for" friends and family! We've uncovered the best deals on breaks by Coach, Rail and Air - starting from £75 including the hotel.
If you're not sure what market to visit, take a look around the rest of the site for full information and reviews on the most popular markets in the UK and Europe.
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By Air
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Taking a short break to a European Christmas market has never been quicker or easier. Booking an air package means you spend less time travelling and more time enjoying the festive atmosphere. Most packages include airport transfers, a scheduled itinerary, multiple nights in a hotel as well as a guided tour of the city to complement your wandering the Xmas market stalls.
Sample everything Europe has to offer at Christmas time with a Christmas break by air.
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£265.00 |
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Yuletide enchantment
Of all Germany's Christmas Markets, those in its capital are its most popular. Over four million visitors flock yearly to enjoy the vibrant, cosmopolitan atmosphere of what is always one of Europe's most exciting cities, but which - at this special time of year - has even more to offer.
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£319.00 |
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A festive winter wonderland
Join us in the scenic Dolomites for a festive holiday on which you'll discover the delightful Christmas Markets at Bolzano and Merano, and discover a part-Italian, part-Austrian land where you'll find pizzerias and bier-kellers side by side, where hearty food is accompanied by local wine and where desert is as likely to be apfel strudel as ice cream.
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£249.00 |
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A Yuletide paradise
Cologne at Christmas is a uniquely festive place. Seven different Christmas markets spring up in the areas surrounding the magnificent Gothic Cathedral - the Dom - offering a plethora of seasonal gifts, trinkets and decorations. See it for yourself on this wonderful festive city break.
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£259.00 |
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The Festive Fete de Noue
The Channel Island of Jersey is an especially wonderful place to visit in December. The island is often bathed in the winter sunshine for which it is well known, and even on cloudier days, there's nowhere quite like Jersey to help recharge the batteries and provide a welcome pre-Christmas break.
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£359.00 |
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Breathtaking Bohemian beauty
New Year's Eve in the fairytale Czech capital is Party Night, with fireworks at midnight over the city, best viewed from the Charles Bridge or the river itself. For stunning sights, history and modernism, as well as the warmest of welcomes, Prague is hard to beat.
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£199.00 |
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A fantastic festive fairytale
Join us for a Christmas break that's guaranteed to warm your heart. Fly to the ancient, fascinating city of Prague to enjoy the delightful stalls of the Christmas Markets in Wenceslas Square, a tradition that stretches back over a thousand years.
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£249.00 |
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Christmas markets of the German valleys
Join us for a super break based in famous Ruedesheim. Shop for traditional Yuletide gifts in the enchanting surrounds of the Rhine and Moselle Valleys, where the villages and towns, not to mention Germany's oldest city, Trier, put on a festive coat of delightful Christmas markets.
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£279.00 |
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Visit the Christmas Markets of Switzerland
Few countries exude the magic of wintertime more than the Alpine paradise of Switzerland, where snow-capped mountains, cosy wooden chalets, and colourful towns and villages create a marvellous festive atmosphere - a perfect pre-Christmas scene.
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By Coach UK
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Taking a short break to a UK Christmas market by coach is a great way to meet new people whilst keeping the cost down. Most packages include a scheduled itinerary, multiple nights in a hotel as well as a guided tour of the city to complement your wandering the Xmas market stalls.
Sample everything the UK has to offer at Christmas time with a Christmas break by coach.
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£79.00 |
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The very best seasonal shopping
Enjoy a couple of festive days away on this great-value break. Combining fine food and gifts, family fun, entertainment and Bath's spectacular Christmas lights with a short tour of the lovely Cotswolds, including a visit to the historic Stow-on-the-Wold, this promises to be an un-missable pre-Christmas weekend!
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£89.95 |
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A stately home in festive splendour
Each Christmas, Chatsworth House sparkles with lights, candles and artfully arranged decorations. With carol singers, brass bands and a seasonal gift sale - and with a visit to Chester also included - this is a pre-Christmas experience you won't want to miss.
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£145.00 |
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A magical winter wonderland
Eden is transformed at Christmastime. Braziers glow in the darkness, lanterns and flaming torches line the pathways, and the famous biomes are spectacularly illuminated. With visits to Plymouth and historic Bath's Christmas Market also included, this is a festive weekend break you won't forget.
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£189.00 |
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A magical, winter wonderland
Eden is transformed at Christmastime. Braziers glow in the darkness, lanterns and flaming torches line the pathways, and the famous biomes are spectacularly illuminated. With a visit to Plymouth also included, this is a festive weekend break you'll not want to miss.
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£75.00 |
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Step back in time
In the Yorkshire Dales village of Grassington you'll find a Victorian wonderland of streets and a square transformed by market stalls, street organs, chestnut sellers, penny-farthings, carol singers, bell ringers and residents in period costume. The result is a unique, and truly memorable, weekend away.
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£79.00 |
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Full of Victorian Yuletide cheer
Give your Christmas shopping campaign a head start at Lincoln's famous and much-loved Christmas Market. Denby Visitor Centre - which features a number of shops set around a courtyard setting - also included, this is the perfect way to pick up some pre-Christmas bargains.
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£75.00 |
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A festive break to the capital
Join us on this exceptional value break and enjoy a visit to Hyde Park's magical Winter Wonderland. Situated amid the illuminated trees of London's best-loved park, Winter Wonderland boasts a traditional German Christmas market, a huge observation wheel, the city's largest open-air ice-skating rink, carol singers, and an abundance of rides and attractions for all the family.
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£89.95 |
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Britain's "greatest medieval experience"
Warwick Castle always captures the imagination, but at Christmastime it is especially magnificent. Watch traditional decorations being made and hung in the Great Hall and State Rooms, and soak up the festive atmosphere at Worcester's Victorian Christmas Fayre.
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£89.95 |
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Seasonal splendour
See the magnificent ancestral home of the Howard family in all its festive glory. Lights and candles glimmer amid the decorations and display of seasonal foliage, and the sweet strains of carol singing fill the air. Soak up the seasonal atmosphere, and enjoy a visit to the vibrant, cosmopolitan city of Leeds, on this unmissable pre-Christmas break.
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£89.00 |
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A stately home in seasonal splendour
At Christmastime, magnificent Pollok House in Glasgow is transformed into a festive wonderland decorated from top to toe. Join us there to see the wonderful collections of Spanish art, antique furniture, silverware and ceramics, and browse the interesting and varied Christmas gifts on sale. With a visit to historic Edinburgh also included this promises to be a pre-Christmas break you'll not want to miss!
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£89.00 |
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A stately home in seasonal splendour
At Christmastime, magnificent Pollok House is transformed into a festive wonderland decorated from top to toe. Join us there to see the wonderful collections of Spanish art, antique furniture, silverware and ceramics, and browse the interesting and varied Christmas gifts on sale. With a visit to Glasgow also included this promises to be a pre-Christmas break you'll not want to miss!
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£79.00 |
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Cathedral cities at Christmas
Combine a visit to Durham's renowned Christmas Festival with a trip to beautiful and popular York, and you have the perfect pre-Christmas shopping break. Browse stalls of fine crafts, gifts and food, wander the marquee and enjoy a host of other attractions and entertainment at Durham's festive fete.
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£79.00 |
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A weekend of Yuletide cheer
Get your Christmas shopping off to a flying start with this overnight break to the hugely popular St Nicholas Christmas Fayre in the heart of historic York. The finest crafts, gifts, food, festive fun, musical entertainment, shops and stalls combine to make this a really memorable weekend.
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By Coach Europe
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Taking a short break to a European Christmas market by coach is a great way to meet new people whilst keeping the cost down. Most packages include airport transfers, a scheduled itinerary, multiple nights in a hotel as well as a guided tour of the city to complement your wandering the Xmas market stalls.
Sample everything Europe has to offer at Christmas time with a Christmas break by coach.
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£85.00 |
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Continental Christmas celebrations
Join us at two of the most enchanting seasonal markets in Europe. Marvel as Lille's picturesque medieval alleys and squares are transformed by beautifully decorated stalls offering fine festive fare and superb seasonal gifts, and see the canals and cobbled streets of Bruges shimmer with Yuletide market magic.
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£99.95 |
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A fantastic-value festive break
Enjoy two fun-filled nights on-board P&O Ferries' impressive cruise-ferry, with its great entertainment facilities, and spend the day in-between enjoying the Christmas Market in the 'Chocolate and Lace' city of Bruges. It's a magical combination and the ideal way to get the Christmas shopping off to a flying start!
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£129.00 |
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Discover the Christmas markets of Belgium
Visit two of Belgium's most famous cities, and soak up all the magic of their enchanting Christmas markets. Brussels is flooded with festive cheer, and you simply couldn't get a more beautiful setting for a Christmas market than Bruges. Be sure not to miss this great-value festive weekend break.
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By Rail
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The Eurostar christmas breaks are a great way to see some of the best European markets. Brussels is just 3-4 hours away, and no need to worry about all the hassle associated with flying. Most packages include airport transfers, a scheduled itinerary, multiple nights in a hotel as well as a guided tour of the city to complement your wandering the Xmas market stalls.
Sample everything Europe has to offer at Christmas time with a Christmas break by rail.
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£125.00 |
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Between the 9th & 27th December The Grote Markt hosts a Christmas market where visitors can stock up on decorations and gifts. Ice skating in the square is a must do with the awe- inspiring backdrop of the Gothic cathedral.
For the young at heart take a visit to the Winterfoor, the city's winter funfair. With its vintage carousel and other retro rides, and try out the delicious Belgian funfair treat - smoutebollen (balls of deep-fried dough generously sprinkled with caster sugar).
Or simply sip mulled wine and enjoy the carol concerts in the evenings, soaking up the Christmas merriment.
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£117.00 |
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There can't be many settings more beautiful at Christmas than medieval Bruges, with its cobbled streets, historic buildings and horses and carts plodding by. The Christmas market which run from the 20th November until 3rd January are located on the main square surrounding the open-air ice rink. Colourful lights illuminate festive stalls crammed with Christmas goodies, where shoppers can browse tables laden with elegantly-packaged chocolates, brightly-coloured sweets and unusual hand-made decorations. Bruges also hosts the magical Snow and Ice Sculpture Festival which is definitely worth a visit while enjoying your festive weekend away.
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£103.00 |
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From the 27th November to 3rd January in the Place Sainte Catherine and the Marche aux Poissons you will find a warm and friendly welcome at Brussels Winter Wonderland, with an array of delicious aromas and a vast number of stalls promising Christmas delights.
The ice skating rink offers fun for all, this year for the first time offering a separate small rink for toddlers. And the holiday atmosphere would not be complete without a visit to the Grand Place decorated in festive lights for the occasion.
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£133.00 |
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Ghent welcomes the festive season with a charming Christmas market. Visitors can wander among the 50 wooden huts in search of decorations, candles, cards and gifts, serenaded by a choir singing carols. You’ll find all the festive fun in St Baafsplein Square between the 11th and 30th December.
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£114.00 |
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Leuven’s Christmas Market was one of the first and has existed for 21 years, this year the two large squares in the histoirc town -centre will be steeped in Christmas atmosphere for 10 days from the 11th December. One can enjoy nice tasting stalls as well as good shopping in the handicraft markets.
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£128.00 |
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Visitors to this market in the Place Rihour quickly get into the festive spirit, between the 18th November and 30th December , where the whole of the Place is taken over by stalls selling arts and crafts and local cuisine, with a chance to sample traditional French Christmas delicacies. There's entertainment for children in the shape of theatre and games and a chance for a photograph to be taken with Father Christmas, who attends the market and participates in a spectacular event on Saturday 19th December - when he "falls" from the Chamber of Commerce's 80 metre-high Belfry.
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£114.00 |
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Mechelen's Grote Markt in the centre of town, hosts a three-day Christmas market between 18th to 20th December . Visitors can browse the stalls selling special Christmas foods, records, books, clothes, antiques and stock up on Christmas decorations. Sip some glühwein under the Christmas tree, while enjoying the carol concerts in the evening, a bustling and festive atmosphere not to be missed.
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