Europe’s capital of Christmas where you can fly for £79 return 

It’s astir December, meaning ‘tis the play of mulled wine, mince pies, and twinkling fairy lights, and there’s nary amended mode to immerse yourself successful the tone of Christmas than a travel to the markets. 

While the UK has its just stock of festive fayres, there’s 1 spot successful France that has been dubbed the ‘capital of Christmas’ and good worthy a travel with instrumentality flights costing conscionable nether £80.

Every November the metropolis centre of Strasbourg transforms into a fairy-tale-like wintertime paradise, boasting implicit 300 charming woody chalets and elaborately decorated streets. 

Home to 1 of the oldest Christmas markets successful Europe, it dates backmost to 1570 and for implicit 450 years it’s maintained its festive charm.

Today, implicit 2 cardinal visitors from crossed the globe caput to the marketplace successful northeastern France for its ‘magical’ ambiance and scenery, which has been described arsenic a Christmas clip ‘must-see’.

Feeling festively inspired and privation to cognize what the fuss is each about? Here’s everything you request to cognize to program your trip. 

How to get to Strasbourg 

Located successful the Grand Est Region of eastbound France, astatine the borderline with Germany successful the historical portion of Alsace, Strasbourg is easy reachable from the UK. 

Just implicit an hr and a fractional formation from London Gatwick, the cheapest instrumentality tickets successful November and December hover astir £79 with EasyJet, according to Skyscanner. 

You could besides alert into the adjacent airdrome Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, conscionable a 90-minute thrust from the city, with tickets starting from £99 implicit the Christmas play besides being shown connected Skyscanner.  

Alternatively, you could alert to Paris, with flights from London starting at£45 successful December, and instrumentality an hr and a fractional bid to Strasbourg, tickets with tickets starting from £25.

If you fancy going by rail, you tin get a nonstop Eurostar bid from London St Pancras International.

The travel takes importantly longer – astir 5 to six hours – and tickets commencement astatine £338 for a azygous summons successful December connected Trainline. However, it’s ever worthy heading to the Eurostar website to spot if they person a woody on.

What to spot astatine Strasbourg Christmas markets

Every year, the Christmas markets airy up the metropolis of Strasbourg for 4 weeks, with the bulk of markets opening this twelvemonth connected November 27 and closing connected December 27. 

One of its astir Instagrammable spots is Maroquin Street (Rue du Maroquin) known arsenic the teddy carnivore street.

Over the Christmas period, storefronts are decked retired to the max with decorations. Dozens of elephantine baubles, wreaths, Christmas trees and stars dangle from the walls adjacent to immense teddies.

Visitors person declared it the ‘land of the teddy bears’ and a ‘must-see’ connected TikTok. 

Another worthy attraction is the Grand Christmas Tree successful the bosom of the city, astatine Place Kleber. Standing astatine 30 metres high, the ‘majestic’ and ‘glittering’ histrion is 1 of the tallest decorated earthy Christmas trees successful Europe.

The Christmas successful Alsace website describes it arsenic ‘the prima of the Alsatian Christmas’ and claims ‘seeing it for the archetypal clip is genuinely a infinitesimal of wonder’. 

Strasbourg’s marketplace stalls are dotted astir the full city, with the bulk of the woody chalets located astatine Place Broglie and astir the cathedral (Place de la Cathedrale).

You’ll find plentifulness of nutrient connected connection and since it’s truthful adjacent to the German border, overmuch of what’s disposable stems from German culinary traditions, from Bretzels to Bratwurst. 

The metropolis besides holds the OFF Market, which focuses connected sustainability. Here visitors tin find recycled and fair-trade products and gifts. 

Where to enactment successful Strasbourg

The Petite France 4th is simply a fashionable prime for tourists. Described arsenic the city’s astir ‘picturesque district’, it boasts cobblestone streets, canals and half-timbered homes. 

The Cour du Corbeau, a four-star hotel, sits successful this country and is conscionable a stone’s propulsion from the cathedral, distant from the Christmas markets.

The 16th-century gathering is 1 of the oldest hotels successful Europe, and its top-floor suites look retired crossed the medieval rooftops. Prices commencement astatine £336 per nighttime connected Booking.com.

Hotel du Dragon besides sits successful this territory and the four-star edifice lies wrong a 17th-century building, conscionable a five-minute locomotion from the city’s main attractions. Prices commencement astatine £280 per nighttime successful December connected Booking.com.

For those connected a tighter budget, determination are plentifulness of concatenation hotels, including Ibis and Hilton, ranging from £140 per night.

Hotel de l’Orangerie, successful the city’s European Quarter, is different wallet-friendly option, with prices starting astatine £105 per nighttime successful December connected Booking.com.

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