Go Away! To Munich Christmas Market

Here in Scotland spring has made its way seamlessly into autumn and the forecast remains at 'pish'. Dismally, the Met Office definition for a British White Christmas appears thus; ‘a single snow flake (perhaps amongst a shower of rain and snow mixed) to be observed falling in the 24 hours of 25 December.’ Not much to look forward to, is it? Hardly makes the Barras sound like a Dickensian Christmas.

Looking for a weekend getaway? Of course you are. How about somewhere that at the very least does winter properly? We recommend Bavaria in the South of Germany and more specifically its capital Munich where you can find one of the best Christmas markets, in the country famed for its Christmas markets. That's a pretty great Christmas market. 

Sample a proper winter and combine it with a touch of shopping and drinking. In the markets there will be snow, lots of it; also woolly hats, carols, photogenic red noses and steaming Glühwein glowing mellowly in the candlelight. Stamp your way around the markets off the Marienplatz sniffing that heady combination of roasting almonds and obscene but delicious sausage as well as the fresh pine tang from the vast Christmas trees. Put the finishing touches to your shopping and then polish off your evenings by downing your bodyweight in good German beer, smug in the knowledge that the reinheitsgebot purity law will keep your hangover to a minimum.

The Munich Christmas markets run from 11 November to 12 December and are a miracle of soft focus festive glitz. Easyjet flies from Edinburgh and Munich is full of great, cheap hostels.

Christ, if you’re the type, you could even ski. [Jan Webster]