7 Tips for Visiting a Christmas Market
Christmas markets are a great way of getting everyone into the festive spirit. Whether it's a small, quaint market with the essential stalls, like mulled wine stand and a German Bratwurst sausage stall, or a huge market complete with an ice rink and an ice bar, among all of the other stalls you expect to see at a Christmas market, you need to make sure you're getting the most out of your time there. That's where I come in. I love a Christmas market, and I've been to a few over the years, so here are my top tips for visiting a Christmas market this year!
1. Dress warmly
It's usually very cold when you go and visit Christmas markets. So unless it's unseasonably warm, make sure you're wrapping up when you venture out. I like to wear layers, so if I do get too warm, I can take something off, but if I get cold, I can put another layer on.
I also like to bring a bag that I can at least stuff a hat and a pair gloves in, just in case. Either way, rule number of visiting a Christmas market is to wrap up warm! There's nothing worse than wondering around feeling cold and miserable.
2. Know when it opens & when it closes
Christmas markets aren't open all days of the week, 24 hours a day. They do open and they'll close again at the end of the day. Make sure you know when the market opens and when it closes so that you can make the most of everything the Christmas market has to offer.
While it's not always necessary, depending on the size of the market you're going to, it's definitely worth doing the research if you're looking to go to a big Christmas market, like the one at Hyde Park, for instance.
3. Carry both a payment card & a bit of cash
Most stalls theses days at Christmas markets will accept cards over cash, but there might be one or two that will only take cash. I wouldn't recommend taking more than about £15 of cash, because it might be that you won't need it anyway.
It's also not a good idea to walk around a Christmas market with a huge amount of cash on you, just in case you're pick-pocketed or lose it walking around. So bring a card to pay with, but also take a little bit of cash, just to cover all bases.
4. Don't buy the first things you see
There are likely to be lots of different stalls, all selling the same thing. There will be multiple places selling mulled wine or crepes or churros and other amazing treats and beverages. BUT don't be tempted to buy your festive favourites from the first stall you see.
Have a walk around, get an idea of the price and see which place has the longest lines. We always like to go to a stall that sells what we're looking for that's priced middle-of-the-range and that has a decent queue, but that doesn't have a line long enough to keep us there all evening.
Go and get an idea of what's being sold, because you might prefer one thing over another. For instance, I might go there with a view to buy a crepe, but I've seen something else that I'd prefer over a crepe, so I won't be buying two different things and it also will save a few inches on my waistline, haha.
I will often give myself an allowance with regards to what I eat at these things, and it's never more than one or two sweet treats, excluding drinks, because who doesn't love a Bailey's hot chocolate at Christmas? Haha. It's also a great way to a save a bit of money, especially if you have kids!
5. Find out what the area is known for
We went to Edinburgh last Christmas and they're known for selling hot, spiced whiskey beverages at Christmas, otherwise known as a Hot Toddy. We made sure that, when we went to the Edinburgh Christmas market, we gave a Hot Toddy a try, because we had never had one before and where better to have a hot scotch than in Edinburgh?!
Look up what the region of the UK is known for and see if you can grab an authentic dish or beverage that's specific to that place, trust me, it's worth doing your research before you head out to these British Christmas markets.
6. Share your food
I don't mean that you should share your food with anyone and everyone, but what you should do is share your food with the person, or people, you're going with. Not only does it save money, because you're both not getting one each, but it also means that you'll be able to try lots of different things without breaking the bank and without compromising your waistline. By the time you've shared three or four dishes between you, you'll be full up - I know I am!
7. Know about the Gluhwein mugs
Most Christmas markets will have a stall that gives out mulled wine in novelty mugs, otherwise known as Gluhwein mugs. Gluhwein is the German word for mulled wine, and because it's served hot, it often comes a lovely little collectable mug that can be clutched for added warm as you wander through the nooks and crannies of the Christmas market.
We have several of these mugs and they're well worth getting. What usually happens is, when you buy a mulled wine in these cups, you'll be charged a deposit for one, that's usually around £3 per cup. You can either take the cup home and you won't get your £3 deposit back or you can bring it back to the stall you bought it from, give them the token back and they will give you your £3 back.
I'd recommend keeping at least one of these mugs, especially if there's more than one of you. We like to swap mugs when we go in a group, depending on which one people prefer. The mugs will also have the location of the Christmas market on it and, sometimes, it'll have the year on it too!
Go and see what you can grab at the Christmas markets this year, you might be pleasantly surprised. We like to bring them home and use them again for hot chocolates or if we have mulled wine with guests. The possibilities are endless.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post? Let me know in the comments below if you have any other tips for visiting Christmas markets and I'll see you again very soon with some brand new content! Have fun at your Christmas markets this year :)
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