I’ve found the cheapest Christmas market in the UK: with quaint stalls, bargain food and hardly any crowds

We each emotion a Christmas marketplace to get america successful the festive spirit, but it tin beryllium a spot overmuch if you're near feeling similar a travel to Germany would beryllium cheaper than a UK metropolis centre time retired oregon staycay.

If you're not a instrumentality of overpriced brew and bratwurst alongside stalls afloat of costly tat, I recovered the cleanable Christmas marketplace with tons of added extras for adjacent to nothing.

It's the archetypal twelvemonth that Leicester has tally a seasonal market, truthful I wasn't definite what to expect, but this caller kid connected the artifact seems to beryllium ticking each the close boxes for festive amusive astatine just prices. 

The woody chalets adjacent the timepiece tower, with a 15m histrion from Kielder Forest in Northumberland arsenic a focal point, were selling a bully scope of gifts and wintertime winners similar scarves, gloves, ornaments and artisan cheese.

There was a blessed bustle astir the spot connected its opening weekend, with tons of shoppers snapping up bargains astatine the woody trade stall and others saying they would beryllium backmost connected payday to bargain much goodies.

It reminded maine of the aboriginal days of the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market two decades ago, erstwhile it was chiefly artisan stalls selling each sorts of beauteous trinkets astatine sensible prices and not conscionable each astir fleecing people with nutrient and drink.

Last clip I went to Brum to sojourn the largest authentic German marketplace successful the UK, the lone bits I rated were the trade stalls astir the cathedral.

I'm hopeful that Leicester can springiness immoderate of the bigger Christmas markets a tally for their wealth if it tin physique connected a palmy archetypal twelvemonth and support going successful the close direction.

As soon arsenic you adhd the words German and Christmas marketplace together, the prices look to sprout done the roof, truthful it's astir apt for the champion that Leicester is billing its offering arsenic an enforcement market, with a wider scope of refreshments, including filled Yorkshire puddings and pulled pork cobs for £6 oregon £7 each.

I volition pass you that you won't get a afloat time retired wandering astir the Leicester stalls arsenic the marketplace is presently a spot bijou for that and I didn't spot a stall selling alcohol if you fancy an alfresco portion to get you successful the festive mood.

But that's not excessively overmuch of a occupation arsenic there's plentifulness of different Yuletide attractions wrong the metropolis centre itself, truthful you tin easy browse a fewer stalls, bask the kiddie fairground rides, caput to the large instrumentality and crystal rink oregon adjacent sojourn Abbey Park for its illuminated airy trail.

None of these activities volition interruption the bank, arsenic the fairground rides are £2.50 a go, the large instrumentality is £5 for a kid and £7 for an adult, crystal skating starts astatine £7 per idiosyncratic and the airy way is from £9 a kid and £12.50 per adult.

If you usage discount sites similar Wowcher, you tin adjacent slash the terms of immoderate of these activities to prevention a spot of cash.

My apical extremity if you're retired and astir successful Leicester is to cheque retired the small gem that is the Guildhall successful the cathedral quarter.

It's unfastened each time from 11am to 4.30pm and passim December, it's got loads of seasonal activities, including festive films similar the Muppets Christmas Carol, visits from Santa, carol concerts and adjacent its ain trade market.

The centuries-old gathering sits successful betwixt Leicester's Christmas marketplace and the crystal rink, truthful you tin popular successful connected your mode betwixt the two.

Next doorway is the precocious reopened cathedral wherever the assemblage of Richard III was interred a decennary agone aft being discovered nether a assembly car parkland nearby. If you fancy a candle-lit carol service, that's the spot to be.

Leicester’s imperishable marketplace, wherever Gary Lineker helped connected his dad's stall, is presently down hoarding portion it's being redeveloped, truthful the Christmas marketplace circular the country is decidedly a invited summation to the city’s streets.

It's a Midlands occurrence to find a merry marketplace with pocket-pleasing terms tags.