The Best Places in the World to Do Christmas Shopping
Don’t let Christmas shopping stress you out, be a savvy shopper and turn it into a Christmas shopping holiday overseas!
It’s that time of year when we start thinking about Christmas shopping. Many of us reach for the laptop and do it all online, some of us venture out to Westfield and a guilty few grab something from a service station the night before. The smart option is to have a Christmas shopping holiday and go somewhere really exciting to do your shopping; this could be a weekend break to Europe or further afield to turn what can be an arduous experience into a wonderful shopping adventure.
Munich has lots of different Christmas markets; the most popular and touristy is in Marienplatz, Munich’s main square. Lots of little wooden huts sell craft products and ornaments which make great unique gifts for friends and family, and can also be used for decorating the tree at home. Food and drink here is incredible - you have to try the glühwein (mulled wine) and huge sausages! There are also all sorts of sweet treats such as flavoured nuts, gingerbread and cookies. Wrap up warm and enjoy the festivities as you shop and eat yourself around these wonderful markets.
You can fly direct to Munich with Lufthansa and British Airways
Copenhagen is a wonderful place to be at Christmas as it also holds several Christmas markets around the city, each with its own individual style. The Christmas Market at Freetown Christiania is a hippy style affair, mirroring its community of artists and liberal minded residents and Kronborg Castle hosts a market within its spectacular grounds – this castle was a backdrop in the famous Shakespeare play Hamlet, so you might feel a little star-struck here. Our favourite market in Copenhagen is the Hans Christian Andersen market which is decorated with thousands of Christmas lights and has a wonderful old school carousel for the kids. It really does bring home the magic of Christmas and the kids are almost certain to find Santa there.
You can fly direct to Copenhagen with British Airways
New York really is a shopping dream and the city goes all out to get into the Christmas spirit. Shop windows are dressed up to the max, Christmas carols play wherever you go and often there is snow which adds to that magical festive feeling. Macy’s is a world famous department store of New York that you have to visit; it inspired the movie Miracle on 34th Street and the toy department turns into Santaland. There are a multitude of Christmas markets around the city aswell, such as Bryant Park Winter Village which has its own skate ring, shops and eateries.
The only problem in New York at Christmas is that there are so many things to see and so - you might not have enough time for shopping as you will want to discover the Rockefeller Christmas Tree, go ice-skating in Central Park and check out all of the incredible window displays that go above and beyond displays you will have seen elsewhere.
You can fly direct to New York with Virgin Atlantic, Delta, British Airways and United
Other great places to go seasonal shopping include Paris, Prague and Vienna where Christmas markets and the spirit of Christmas are in abundance, and you will be sure to leave with a lighter wallet and a heavier waistline!
Here at Brightsun, we can book flights and hotels for that magical trip. We have even been known to give Santa a little helping hand when the reindeers are not feeling well…
