Pre-Christmas traveling guide

Are you impatiently looking forward to Christmas and Christmas holiday? Do you miss the right Christmas mood in your city? Read about the best destinations that are well-known for its festive spirit. Christmas markets are not only about buying present, but also about some relaxation from all the rush.

Vienna

The most beautiful Christmas markets are traditionally in the Austrian capital. Buy yourself a cup of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts and start on a journey. The busiest place is in front of the Vienna Town Hall. The neo-Gothic building is surrounded with a park which is from middle November full of stalls. Vienna at Christmas is not just a market at the town hall. There are many interesting places.

Fill in your wine again, buy a baked potatoes and go towards the Mariahilferstrasse. Back streets like Sigmundgasse or Guttenberggasse are perfect for a slow promenade and enjoying the peculiar atmosphere. Vienna has one of the busier airports so it is not a problem at all to find some cheap flights and reach this beautiful city.

Nuremberg, Germany

Nowhere does it better than Germany, where Nuremberg is just one among more than 2,500 markets. Other great German venues include Dresden, Augsburg, Dusseldorf and Baden Baden. The Christmas market in Nuremberg is arguably the most famous one. The 180 or so wooden stall, with their jaunty red-and-white striped awnings, that line Nuremberg´s main square compete for the prize of best design. There are no plastic wreaths or tinny Christmas muzak. This is real deal! Handmade candles, carved wooden toys, Christmas tree angels, wooden and enameled music boxes and also the city´s famous spicy gingerbread. In particular, look out for the cute Nuremberg Plum People – little figures made from prunes.

When you get hungry, try the roast bratwurst and mulled wine, it will keep you going when you need sustenance. There´s a special children´s market near Hans-Sachs-Platz too. Children can enjoy old-fashioned carousels, steam train and get really messy baking cookies and making candles. Don't you know how to travel to Nuremberg? Just catch one of the airfare deals before Christmas and fly very cheaply.

London

Do you have a soft spot for pre-Christmas London? Check the airfare deals from many low cost airlines that fly there and visit London. Many routes are operated to London e.g. by easyJet, Ryanair and Wizzair. The festive atmosphere is ravishing, famous Oxford Street is illuminated by thousands of little light bulbs and Trafalgar Square is decorated with a traditional Christmas tree. The city of Oslo presents every year a tree for London as a thank for the help during the World War II. The tree is then decorated with white candles in a Norwegian style.

London also offers an inexhaustible amount of museums and exhibitions. If you want to spend your time in the city more originally, go a try some sport. You may visit one of the temporarily open ice rinks - Natural History Museum Ice Rink, Tower of London Ice Rink or Hampton Court Ice Rink. The best end of a long day is in a typical London pub with a glass of mulled whiskey with clove and orange and with a real Christmas pudding. London is waiting for you.