Let’s face it, we all become Christmas market junkies during the festive haze also known as November and December — but I’m not complaining.
As Britain descends into the passionate throes of mulled-wine-fuelled, mince-pie-eating, pigs-in-a-blanket-inhaling Christmas chaos — I figured now is the very best time to enlighten the residents of the island on which Christmas market is the undisputed overlord of all Christmas markets.
Full disclosure: I’ve been living in the UK for a little less than two years, but like any other self-respecting immigrant, I’ve made my contribution to the flailing economy of Blighty—apart from the totally insignificant £3,500 Immigration Health Surcharge—by spending obnoxious amounts of money at the daylight robberies that are Christmas markets.
And if Christmas markets are daylight robberies then you can call me The Louvre, babay, because I’m ready to lose it all. On overpriced churros, of course.
I’m not complaining though, because let’s face it, we all become Christmas market junkies during the festive haze also known as November and December.
In the last couple of years, I’ve visited Christmas markets like it’s an extreme sport. Whether they’re sprawling spectacles like Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland or seven stalls parading as a festive extravaganza (Southbank, I’m looking at you), Christmas markets are the one place where time ceases to exist and people spend as if they’re paying with Monopoly money.
Almost every little town and village across the length and breadth of the nation likes to partake in the festive cheer, and people flock from all corners to enjoy a slice of the metaphorical pie.
So, amidst the unending options available to the Christmas-crazed attendee, which corner of the UK should you head to for a truly unforgettable time?
The answer is, unsurprisingly, Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh Christmas Market recently beat stiff competition to be named UK’s best Christmas market and it’s not hard to see why. Bedazzled like a stripper at a stag do, your first look at the intricately illuminated affair is bound to take your breath away.
I visited Scotland’s most popular Christmas market back in 2023 and the fact that I’m writing a full-length article about it 2 years later should tell you all that you need to know about how much I enjoyed it.
As part of a larger ‘explore the Highlands and be mind-blown’ escapade, I stopped over in Edinburgh for two days and spent a large chunk of my time exploring the city on foot. On both days, I found myself making a pit stop at the eye-catching winter fair.
Located on the Scottish capital’s world-famous Princes Street, the Edinburgh Christmas Market takes all the things you love about Christmas markets and amps them up. For some reason, the bratwursts were tastier, the mulled-wine more boozy, the tat more enticing — and the prices more punchy.
I spent close to £16 for a smoked scottish salmon sandwich at the Edinburgh Christmas Market when I visited — and you best believe it was the juiciest salmon my mouth has ever devoured.
The churros tasted divine, the beer hit just the spot, and the German sausages were bigger (and better) than anywhere else. And don’t even get me started on the hot chocolate.
I even fell into the tourist trap of buying a cute pair of overpriced socks from one of the homegrown stalls — because who can say no to adorable knitted sheep drawings for their feet? Not I.
But it wasn’t just the food, drinks, and premium-quality souvenirs that left their mark. There was something about the stately Scott Monument, towering over the market as its iconic backdrop, that brought with it the perfect mix of eerie, whimsical fantasy that Scotland is so famously known for.
Surrounded by some of Edinburgh’s most famous landmarks, the traditional Christmas market in the centre of the town-giant Ferris wheel et al.-isn’t one to be forgotten easily. And that may have something to do with the 9 million strings of lights adorning the market, which have been imprinted in my brain like a permanent tattoo.
