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Much better than Ben Thanh Market. It's far less touristy and the prices are even cheaper. Good quality and not so much haggling needed.
Cho Lon (Chinatown) Market.
Google map: tinyurl.com/yb557na
In the evening the market closes but the action moves outdoors.
Huge foodstalls set up all around the market with stalls selling all manner of things in the adjacent streets.
Great atmosphere but be careful of potential pickpockets!
Cho Ben Thanh
Google map: tinyurl.com/ycufwae
From 12th to 20th December a marquee goes up in Princes Street which houses an Ethical Christmas Market where you can do all your Christmas shopping from fairtrade, organic and ethical stalls. Its free to go in and there is fairtrade tea/coffee and curries available. Loads of original ideas for presents can be found and a great atmosphere.
Princes Street / Castle Street, Edinburgh.
www.edinburghschristmas.com/content/theethicalchristmasfair/2491/
Google map: tinyurl.com/yz6fx9b
Each year Manchester has its German style market with lots of hot mulled wine Bavarian beer and bratwurst, but it can be a bit pricey and if shopping for your Christmas dinner, the range of food is limited.
For just £3.50 you can hop on a tram and get a return ticket to Bury. Only 20 minutes away where you will find a fabulous traditional market on a Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
There is a meat and poultry food hall where you can find Burys local delicacy, the black pudding as well as venison, rabbit, duck the more exotic meats such as kangaroo. There are plenty of fruit and veg stalls as well as a Greek deli katsouris for a vast range of cold meats and olives. It also does lovely coffee. If you get tired there are many small cafes dotted about, some are tiny and quite intimate and a good way to get to know the locals. There is also a flea market with books, toys, clothes, homeware and even a stall selling fossils ! Its a great day out and right next door is a indoor shopping centre with many big names such as M&S, Next and Boots
www.burymarket.com/
Google map: tinyurl.com/y935c8m
Can you find Christmas and indeed the Christmas spirit in a medieval town on a hill in the otherwise flat Lincolnshire? Yep! It's amazing
The Lincoln christmas market is set around the historic cathedral and castle area. Follow cobbled streets to pick up local sweet treats and listen to beautiful carols. I'm from an area close to the Swedish lapland and I ensure you, Lincoln's Christmas market is truly spectacular. No fake ice ala Hyde Park, instead you will find around 300 beautiful traditional and festive stalls - along with a funfair for those who fancy some thrills. I swear the historic location and the beautiful lights on the hill make this market magical. While you're there, pop in to the cathedral and listen to beautiful choir Christmas music. This market is lovely and very atmospheric - but beware, it's on a very steep hill so mobility might be an issue for some.
christmasmarket.lincoln.gov.uk/
Google map: tinyurl.com/yc2ydjc
Night market with over 200 units open between 4pm and midnight every day.
Plenty of goods worth purchasing in a relatively hassle free environment.
Off Sivatha Boulevard, one of main roads in Siem Reap.
www.angkornightmarket.com/
Sprawling beneath the Gothic grandeur of Manchester town hall, Albert Square's city Christmas market is packed full of bustling wooden food stalls selling all kinds of delicious wintery goodness. Head to the central bratwurst stall where you can wolf down a mammoth German sausage cooked on a huge smoking swing grill. If you're lucky you can eat whilst listening to festive carols performed by gifted students from the nearby Royal Northern College of Music. Those who want to remain faithful to the region, the neighbouring stall will happily serve up a hearty portion of Lancashire hotpot. Flat caps optional.
Albert Square, 18th November to 22nd December
If you enjoy local craft then this market has about 120 different stalls that only sell locally made craft.
What I like about it is that it is not just traditional African craft and curio's but all sorts of handmade items.
They also have a wellness section where you can get a massage, have your cards read or get a beauty therapy that is really cheap!
My favourite were the artists who were amazing.
Craft Market & Wellness Center
V&A Waterfront
Dock Road
+27 21 408 7840
craftinfo@waterfront.co.za
Google map: tinyurl.com/ydtmepk
Every year I return with my daughter, now aged six, travelling near two hours to capture the Christmas spirit and to buy some great Christmas presents from log versions of Rudolph the Reindeer to make a great winter garden feature, to moroccan raffia and leather shopping baskets.
It ranges from a traditional German Market to European Market and an arts and crafts market.
Travelling with children works wonders, share a bratwurst sausage in Albert Square while admiring the nodding Reindeer. Agree that they can choose one treat from one of the 200 stalls; Angelica chose a husky dog keyring this year and in return they help you with the bag carrying and the decision making. Keep the energy up with snacks along the way like delicious chocolate marshmallows sticks and you have a fantastic festive day out.
There are 200 stalls across six different sites in the city centre - Albert Square, St Ann's Square, Brazennose Street, New Cathedral Street, and Exchange Street
Manchester's Christmas Markets open on Wednesday, 18 November 2009 and run until Tuesday, 21 December 2009
www.manchesterchristmasmarkets.com
For me, the best Christmas markets in the UK are the Manchester Christmas Markets. I would guess that most Christmas markets in this country have the same basic sort of stalls. Certainly those I've seen have had. After all, people want familiarity and their favourites.
So Manchester gets lots of stollen, glühwein, beer, and handicrafts. Many stalls come from our northern European neighbours, but the Manchester market is big enough to have a good selection of domestic stalls. Plus, the quality really benefits from the creativity that thrives in the conjoined cities of Manchester and Salford.
On some days the whole market atmosphere gets a further boost from a Farmers' market, selling delicious food from the region and beyond.
The real icing on the Manchester stollen though is the way that it really fits snugly into its Manchester glove. The city's architecture really helps here, being warm and red with enough size to be impressive, while remaining on a human scale that stops it becoming impersonal. Most importantly though, the markets benefit from the way Manchester's squares have been laid out, and the overall size of the city. Like its architecture, Manchester is just the right size, a place that can be walked with ease, where a section of the markets is never too far away, and where the human side is never lost to grey commercialism.
They are creative, they are warm, they fit hand in glove, they are the best Christmas Markets in the UK, they are the Manchester Christmas markets.
Squares across Manchester's main shopping area.
www.visitmanchester.com/WhatsOnDetail.aspx?ProductId=MAN-127251
www.manchesterchristmasmarkets.com
From mid November, the Leeds Christkindelmarkt – set in the splendour of Millennium Square - offers a real alternative to the claustrophobic hustle and bustle of a pre-Christmas high street.
Lanes of garishly decorated wooden chalets stocked full of food, toys, clothes and trinkets provide alternative ideas for that last minute stocking filler. From German sausage and honey to hand crafted wind chimes and children’s toys, the market is an ideal haven for those looking for something a little bit kooky.
It’s at night, however, when the market really comes to life. The twinkling lights, the sound of the vintage carousel and the smell of frankfurters are a delight to the senses, that can’t help but put you in a festive mood.
For a real taste of Germany, end your day in the bierkeller where Oompah bands entertain a lively crowd with their own interpretations of songs written by Hamburg’s adopted sons, The Beatles.
Millennium Square, Leeds
Google map: tinyurl.com/y8q85ok
Huge farmer's and trader's market. Mostly fresh produce, with a corner for crafts. Street level is fruits and vegetables. Side building is for seafood, and a couple of floors below-ground house fresh and deli meats, and cheese.
Fantastic for assembling a cheap and delicious picnic, even better if you're buying food to cook in your self cate apartment. If you're not the DIY type, choose one of the many wine and local "tapas" bars on the perimeter to people-watch.
Open from 6am - 2pm each day, and until 3pm on Saturdays.
The Dolac Market is situated 50 metres off the main town square (Jelacic Square).
bit.ly/5mDNXz
Google map: tinyurl.com/ygwvhk7
Bath Christmas Market sits in the best location in the city - between Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths. You can wander round the little wooden chalets and see all the gorgeous wares on offer, while sipping mulled wine and sampling (my favourite) good west country cheese! Being able to look up and see the beautiful Abbey towering over you just adds to the Christmas cheer.
It’s November and already there’s one house with a flashing “Santa stop here” sign. I grumble a bit but if I’m honest, I don’t mean it. I love Christmas and can’t wait to dust off my Dickensian street scene advent calendar. If like me you love ye old Christmas and festive joy, then head to Grassington in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales for the annual Dickensian Christmas Market/Festival. The locals dress to impress in traditional Victorian costume and entertain with the toe tingling sound of a brass band, choir and nativity. Indulge in this traditional Christmas market by staying till dusk to properly soak up the magic that is Christmas.
Google map: tinyurl.com/ylcmwqq
There are several markets scattered across the city: arts & crafts, ethical, farmers'. But the daddy of them all is of course the German market in Princes St Gardens. Giant wheel, ice skating and mulled wine with the backdrop of the formidable Edinburgh Castle - unbeatable!
Princes Street
www.edinburghschristmas.com/
Google map: tinyurl.com/y8vhhs6
I’ve never visited a Christmas market on the continent – but feel as though I’ve visited several! Manchester boasts not one, but seven Christmas markets. In reality there are two large squares filled with a market each. These two markets overspill into nearby streets, and as they do so their characters morph. There is a large variety of food and drink available, as well as a wide choice of Christmas gifts. My favourite is the German market in Exchange Square (for me this has more of an authentic atmosphere than the larger, more mixed market in Albert Square). As you walk toward the Arndale Centre, the German market gives way to a number of contemporary art and craft stalls. There’s certainly something to suit everyone and if you wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the markets and shops, you can view the crowds from above by taking a ride on the Wheel of Manchester!
Manchester city centre - Exchange Square, Albert Square and nearby streets.
www.manchester.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1654
Columbia Road is probably my favourite street in London. Open every Sunday, there is a flower market and a mass of independent shops, selling a brilliant selection of everything from jewellery, antiques and cupcakes, to furniture, vintage clothing, art and toys. You can expect honest, traditional service from the shopkeepers, and the cobbled streets and period shop fronts make for a charming backdrop.
Last year in December there was live music, mulled wine and mince pies on offer ... In my opinion it's the perfect way to warm up on a winter's evening, and avoid the high street Christmas crush!
Columbia Road is in east London, between Shoreditch and Bethnal Green. For a map, go to www.columbiaroad.info
Google map: tinyurl.com/ydgzrfa
Prague's only real fleamarket 'Bleší trh' happens every Saturday morning in Kolbenova (beside Kolbenova metro).
A huge sprawling outdoor market, you'll find broken electronics, piles of clothes, paintings, communist items, furniture, jugs, quirky souvenirs, jewellery, and the odd amazing antique find for a Czech price.
It's 20 czk you pay in at the turnstile (under a euro) and well worth the finds.
Get there early (7am-2pm) and bring a phrase book so you can haggle with Czech prices. Don't expect English.
There's also plenty of sausage stalls and trailer-bars when you want to stop for a beer (pivo).
Bleší trh fleamarket in Prague
Kolbenova, Praha 9
Kolbenova (on metro line B)
Google map: tinyurl.com/yb8gl25
Best market I've seen, filled with bizarre artefacts, toys and whatnot from the last 100 years. How they ended up in the hands of these humble folk is a mystery, but there they are, for sale and waiting to make the most unusual new addition to your home! Not to be missed. Viva Colombia! "A la Orden!"
On the corner of carrera 7 (septima) with calle 18. (in the carpark behind the Mambo Museum. Sundays.
In many respects it's quite an ordinary farmers market but Olympian's are incredibly friendly and take their local produce very seriously. Grab a coffee and a gigantic slab of cake from the Marketplace Bakery, enjoy some random conversation and watch great local bands.
700 Capitol Way N, Olympia, WA
www.olympiafarmersmarket.com/
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