COPENHAGEN, DENMARK 19th November – 31st December 2016
VIENNA, AUSTRIA 17th November- 26th December 2016
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COPENHAGEN, DENMARK 19th November – 31st December 2016
There are a number of charming Christmas markets to enjoy in Denmark, but if you’ re looking for the most famous of them all – offering a real Danish flavour head to Copenhagen and the Christmas Market of Tivoli Gardens.
Copenhagen is a Christmas city, not just because Greenland is the home of the‘ Julemand’( Santa) but because this holiday is the most eagerly anticipated by all Danes who have passed down its simple pleasures and traditions from generation to generation.
Each year the Tivoli Gardens are transformed into a winter wonderland thanks to more than 500,000 fairy lights. Although the Tivoli Christmas Market has only been running only since 1994, it attracts more than a million visitors, an astonishing figure given that Denmark has a population of 5.5 million.
Stroll around the 60 colourfully painted stalls offering porcelain and wooden dolls while sipping on a warming glögg,( Danish mulled wine) which is laden with liquor, raisins and spices, followed by a hot apple dumpling to ward off the cold chills. Warm yourself with a cup of mulled wine( gløgg) and take your time picking out that perfect Danish design gift or decoration to take home.
The Russian theme, introduced last season, is still going strong this year, although Nordic touches have returned by popular demand. While the replica of St. Basil’ s Cathedral remains, then, a traditional Father Christmas is back, residing in a nineteenth-century pantomime theatre, while stall decoration takes its lead from Danish and Scandinavian customs. The gardens also offer an ice rink, rollercoaster and theme park rides for those up for more than just a leisurely amble round the handicraft stalls. Based in the centre of the capital it attracts up to a million visitors, so expect crowds.
VIENNA, AUSTRIA 17th November- 26th December 2016
The Christmas Market season starts as the Advent season descends upon Vienna. During Advent Vienna is a city of nostalgia and romance, concerts and nativity displays and traditional Christmas markets with over 25 markets ranging from the large to the small.
Steeped in history is Vienna’ s Christkindlmarkt one of the most renowned Christmas markets in Europe dating back over seven hundred years. Follow Viennese customs and wrap up in your finest faux-fur, sip on glühwein, purchase the deliciously scented natural beeswax candles or try the crescentshaped Christmas biscuits( vanillekipferl) while soaking in the city’ s magical market atmosphere.
Other classics include the Christmas market in front of City Hall, the traditional Viennese Christmas market on Freyung, and the markets at Spittelberg. The aromas of candied fruits, cotton candy and other delicacies like Christmas punch and roasted chestnuts wafting around the small wooden market stalls still retain their magical power.
The Magic of Advent in Vienna during November and December complements the market in front of City Hall. The adjoining Rathauspark is a place of seasonal inspiration with festively adorned trees, pony-riding, trips on the Christkindl Express and fairy-tale scenes portrayed in artisticallyarranged displays.
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