Christmas Markets France etc (1 Viewer)

Hania

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Usually , our camper (and us) go to sleep for the winter - but this year we fancy going to France for the Christmas Markets - anyone been?

Any recommendations?

Strasbourg looks great but quite a long drive...
 

Chris

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It's a long way to go to look at a load of tat, that's all I would say.
 
Sep 26, 2013
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It's a long way to go to look at a load of tat, that's all I would say.
I agree, went to Valkenburg one year but could have gone to the local garden centre and seen most of the same stuff.

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Feb 16, 2013
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We toured around all the northern France ones , and do you know where the best one was, gravelines on our way back!
If you don't want to travel far for a proper old time Xmas market, you can't beat this one.
 

TerryL

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Did most of the main Xmas markets when I was coach driving - best was Cologne but plenty of others around, big and small. I agree you really don't have to go that far as in the end they're all much of a muchness but presumably you don't go just for the Xmas market.

Saw Strasbourg too in the CMC magazine article and thought that might be a nice one to try - we haven't done one for a few years.
 
Feb 16, 2013
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Not pushing it, but just a few facts, you can get a threeday return on the tunnel,for about half price , which is plenty for gravelines, only twenty mins up the road, real market fills the square and the surrounding streets, real barbecue food stalls, real animals, proper bands , scating rink the lot, aire 6 euros about five minutes walk away, plus you can call in at cite Europe for all your Xmas goodies, chocolate, wine and stuff, probably save your fare on that alone.
What's not to like, you could even fit Ypres in as well which is good for the menin gate ceremony but the market there is pretty much dear tat.

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Sep 2, 2016
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We went last Christmas and we stunned at the beauty of the villages, the atmosphere etc. Yes, some of the stalls did sell a lot of tat, but we hardly bought anything. It was lovely strolling around, drinking lashings of hot wine, one of our nicest Christmases. We wrote about it on this posting

https://www.motorhomefun.co.uk/forum/threads/christmas-at-turckheim.144414/

It was freezing cold, day and night, but with the heating in the van and lots of warm clothes it was fine. Go for it!
 
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Hania

Hania

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Thanks - supposed as much - but it would be going mainly for photographing the xmas lights etc and the town rather than actually buying anything from them...
 
Feb 25, 2013
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You don't go to Christmas markets to buy, you go for the experience!

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Chris

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You don't go to Christmas markets to buy, you go for the experience!

Having had the misfortune to visit the one in Bath a few years ago it's not an experience I wish to repeat.

The thought of them is nice mulled wine and mince pies and Christmas spirit. My actual experience was a mass of people , a load of tat and a strong desire to get away from the place.

Perhaps we were just unlucky. It was a Saturday which probably didn't help.
 
Feb 25, 2013
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I went to one in Birmingham a few years ago and will never again go to one in the UK.......but on the continent they're somehow different. More atmosphere and fewer youths getting drunk on foreign lager!!
 
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Yes, totally different where we went. It's a chance to visit some beautiful villages and old town centres with the added atmosphere of Christmas lights and decs some of which are amazing, crisp frost on the trees, the aroma of mulled wine, clear dark nights and clear sunny days, struggling in and out of 3 layers of thermals every time you want a wee - oops, went a bit off piste there, sorry!

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Feb 16, 2013
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Yes, totally different where we went. It's a chance to visit some beautiful villages and old town centres with the added atmosphere of Christmas lights and decs some of which are amazing, crisp frost on the trees, the aroma of mulled wine, clear dark nights and clear sunny days, struggling in and out of 3 layers of thermals every time you want a wee - oops, went a bit off piste there, sorry!
Yeah don't want to keep harping on about it but that's what's good about the gravelines one , relitivly unknown and mostly only locals, but loads of stuff, artificial snow, log burners.
 
Sep 2, 2016
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I would definitely agree with you and say give Gravelines a try @chaser. Strasbourg was lovely but is a big city. It was the little villages with their own traditions that were the essence of Christmas for me.

In fact, throughout France the small unknown places nearly always win hands down each time. I was so disappointed with Rocamadour - dirty, touristy - whereas some of the small clifftop and cliffhanging villages are just stunning and totally passed by (luckily for us) :)
 
Sep 2, 2016
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I think we usually agree with @chaser about most things, would raise a glass to you, but as it's only 11am better just slurp on the coffee dear hubby's made me... ;)(y)

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IMG_0700.JPG
A very small corner of gravelines Xmas market two years ago
 

Nethernut

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We're planning of heading over to the Alsace for Christmas this year. Did you use aires?
 
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We used aires at Kayserberg, really well set up (but busy) and a short walk into town, aire/France Passion at Eguisheim (winemaker, right on the edge of town) and Nancy (16€ but excellent location).

Then we used the campsites at Turckheim (v close to town), Strasbourg (short walk and then tram to town centre) and Obernai.

Riquewihr is definitely worth seeing, but we just stopped off during the day. I'm sure there was an aire there though.
 

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