Copenhagen’s fairytale Christmas market in Tivoli Gardens
Europe’s oldest amusement park, the Tivoli Gardens, hosts Copenhagen’s annual Christmas market. The hundreds of Christmas trees make for a fabulous fairytale setting, with over half a million lights illuminating the stalls and park. The main lake of the park is transformed into an outdoor ice skating rink, and you can hire skates and take a spin around the lake in between shopping.
The market comprises around sixty colourfully-painted stalls, selling locally produced arts, crafts and decorations, such as Copenhagen porcelain and wooden dolls. As with most Christmas markets, there are plenty of tempting food stalls – and one of the most popular drinks is the gorgeous Scandinavian glögg, mulled wine mixed with spirits, spices, cinnamon, and even sometimes almonds. Hot apple dumplings are a popular snack with the numerous shoppers. Other attractions of the Christmas market include pony rides, and a Father Christmas in a leprechaun tent with actors dressed as red-clad leprechauns. Yes, really – it’s not the fact that you have been drinking too much glögg.
The market lasts from November 10th till December 30th, and is only closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Stupendously popular, it is visited by almost a million shoppers every year.
If you live in the UK, and fancy making a city break of it, then DFDS Seaways do a four or five-night Short Cruise Break, departing November 21 and December 7, from £257 per person, which includes an overnight crossing from Harwich to Esbjerg and train to Copenhagen, plus bed and breakfast at the very pleasant four-star Grand Hotel, and entrance to the Tivoli Gardens.
Filed under: Shopping, Parks, Christmas markets, Denmark, Scandinavia, Nordic countries, Ferries
