The UK's 7 best Christmas markets

Celebrate the festive season in the UK at one of our 7 top picks...

1. Bath

Set before the backdrop of the city's Roman baths and magnificent 16th century abbey, Bath Christmas market is a cracker. It's home to 150 traditional wooden chalets with stalls selling hand-made jewellery, gingerbread, local cheeses and wreaths scented with Somerset lavender. Carol singers and street entertainers add to the festive atmosphere.

Christmas cheer runs from... 27 November to 14 December 2014

2. Winchester

Located in Winchester Cathedral’s historic Inner Close and surrounded by an open-air ice rink, Winchester German Christmas Market attracts over 350,000 visitors a year. With traders selling stollen and mulled wine, delicate glass-work and painted textiles, it's easy to see why. Though the market has a German theme, British craftsmen are strongly represented. A lantern parade takes place on the 28th of November.

Christmas cheer runs from... 20 November to 21 December 2014

3. Birmingham

Inspired by its twin town of Frankfurt, Birmingham lays claim to the largest German market in the UK. Banish the winter chill with a mug of warming glühwein and browse among stalls selling  wooden toys and Christmas decorations. There are plenty of Bavarian treats on offer too, from bratwurst to brezel.

Christmas cheer runs from... 13 November to 22 December 2014

4. Glasgow

With gifts from as far afield as Kenya and Ecuador, Glasgow's market is a great place to track down stocking fillers with a difference. Painted Russian dolls, Italian nougat and woollen jumpers from Lapland are also among the highlights. A Bavarian beer house is a further draw. So too is the Glühwein House run by Markus Kochems of the Mosel valley, one of the world's top wine producers.

Christmas cheer runs from... 16 November to 23 December 2014

5. Belfast

Complete with a snow dome, Santa's grotto and old-fashioned carousels, Belfast has plenty to keep tiny tots entertained, with stalls selling locally-made trinkets and clove-scented mulled wine for the grown-ups. Word has it that it tastes even better when drunk from one of the markets signature glühwein mugs.

Christmas cheer runs from... 15 November to 21 December 2014

6. Caerphilly

Christmas in Caerphilly has a distinctly medieval slant with a Christmas Fayre held in the grounds of the town's 13th century castle. The market plays host to medieval pageantry, cookery demonstrations and fairground rides along with continental food and craft stalls and produce from local farms.

Christmas cheer runs from... 13 to 14 December 2014

7. Leeds Castle, Kent

Equally festive and fortified is the Christmas market held during The Twelve Days of Christmas at Leeds Castle. Husky sleigh-rides, visits from Santa and an enchanted forest are all on offer along with stalls decorated with colourful garlands selling gifts and local delicacies. Christmas wreathes fill the frosty air with the delicate scent of pine needles.

Christmas cheer runs from... 14 November to 20 December 2014