Guides – Christmas

The dates move every year. Here are the patterns that hold, and the traps that catch people planning a trip.

Germany has hundreds of Weihnachtsmärkte and they are not variations on one theme. What distinguishes the famous ones.

Where the money actually goes at a Christmas market, and which savings are real rather than false economies.

How the tour works, when the route gets announced, and what a stop is really like when you get there.

They last one evening, they are usually free, and the dates are published in the most obscure places imaginable.

Christmas markets sit in old city centres, which is exactly where trains go. How to plan a multi-city trip that works.

Which markets work for children, what to do about the queues, and how to leave before it all falls apart.

You will be standing still outdoors for hours in December. Dressing for that is different from dressing for a walk.

Pfand, the refundable mug deposit, catches out almost every first-time visitor. Here is exactly how it works.

The UK markets are not interchangeable. A guide to picking one that matches what you actually want from the day.