Gothenburg “The Christmas City “

Mixing a warm sense of tradition with contemporary Swedish design, Gothenburg lights the way to Christmas – literally. From 18 November, you can walk the unique 3km ‘Lane of Light’ through the city, beginning at the new Wheel of Gothenburg by the harbour and taking in shimmering outdoor light displays and the main boulevard’s Winter Wonderland. The magical journey ends at Liseberg Amusement Park, decorated with five million glimmering lights and seven hundred Christmas trees and the famous Christmas market, Scandinavia’s biggest.  Browse over 80 market stalls selling traditional arts and crafts, and sample divine festive food, including marinated herring, roasted reindeer meat served by Sami (indigenous people from Lapland), marzipan pigs and traditional mulled and spiced ‘glögg’ wine. There’s even an ice bar and ice rink.

Families will love the four-star Hotel Liseberg Heden, from £56pp per night (based on four sharing a family room), including breakfast and free entry into Liseberg Christmas market. Visit www.liseberg.com/en, www.gothenburg or www.westsweden.com for more information.   West Sweden can be reached with direct flights to Gothenburg with British Airways (Heathrow), easyJet (Gatwick), Ryanair (Stansted) and SAS (Heathrow).

Austria’s First Eco-Friendly Ski Resort

St Martin Chalets is the first environmentally friendly ski resort in Austria and, apart from the vegetable oil used for the hot water and central heating boiler, it’s entirely self-sufficient. The chalets are gorgeous.   They are constructed from local timber with triple glazing and sheep’s wool insulation with lots of small, special touches. The chalets are self-catering and run by Herby and his English wife Jodi who are always on hand for questions and organise a full programme of activities every week.   

What activities you choose for you and the family depend on how adventurous you are but some options include snowbike workshops or courses for the whole family, biathalon competitions (cross-country skating and shooting for every man, woman and child) - brilliant fun, ski-tour adventure for the fitter mountain stormers, with Herby the mountain rescue man and Jimbo his rescue dog, moon-light tours, snow shoes, ski touring and tobaganning and there’s even an option for overnight on the mountain in an igloo, snow hole or hut (it‘s all been tried and tested!) and of course there’s the ski safari-ing from mountain to mountain.

Lungau is really unspoilt and, unlike some of the larger resorts, is not just a holiday destination. It’s a real town with real people going about their business.  It is also very cheap! You will usually find evening meals and lunch on the mountain for less than 10 Euros and a beer for 2 Euros.   St Martin Chalets is about a ten-minute walk from the village of St Michael im Lungau, where there is a celebration of one kind or another for each of the four weeks of Advent, which means almost the whole of December. The St Michael Christkindl Market is a major event for the local community and it is open each advent weekend leading up to Christmas.

When St Nicholas arrives the children explain how good they’ve been and hopefully secure themselves some nice gifts. But it isn’t just St Nicholas who appears.  Krampus is a terrifying mythical creature, who accompanies St Nicholas to find, warn and usually punish the bad children. In some parts of Austria (including St Michael), young men dress up as the terrifying Krampus and run through the streets scaring anyone who falls in their path.

It is possible to visit this development for a weekend or even as a day trip (though you may well feel you need longer) from Stansted Airport. You can also fly to Klagenfurt with flights particularly inexpensive and frequent.   You can also fly directly to Salzburg from Gatwick.    The Chalets are within 1hr 30mins driving time from Salzburg airport but it is also possible to fly to Munich as an alternative. For more information go to www.stmartinchalets.at.

Christmas All Wrapped Up

For a European Christmas market you can drive to rather than fly to, why not try the Champagne-Ardenne region of northern France for  an enticing winter programme of fairs, festivals, Christmas markets, concerts and exhibitions to delight the visitor.

Less than 3 hours from London by train, or about three hours from Dunkirk (we crossed the Channel on the  Dover-Dunkirk route with DFDS) or Calais, the region is ideal for a short break to stock up on some gourmet treats and unique Christmas gifts - not to mention some excellent value champagne and wines from local producers! 

This renowned market at Reims is held annually (26 November – 24 December) in the tree-lined pedestrian streets around Place d’Erlon and the city centre, all beautifully illuminated and decorated.  It’s open every day 10.30am – 7.30pm, Sundays 2pm – 7.30pm.    There are more than 100 chalets offering a fantastic range of gourmet products, arts and crafts and creative gift suggestions.  There are also visits from Santa and a range of other activities, exhibitions and events for visitors to enjoy.  This year Reims Cathedral is celebrating its 800th anniversary. 

Now in its 12th year, Epernay’s annual Christmas festival ‘Dressed in Lights’ (‘Habits de Lumières’) from 9 – 11 December explodes in a riot of lights, colours and tastes.  Most of the festivities are based around the famous ‘Avenue de Champagne’, housing the worlds’ most prestigious champagne producers.   During the three day festival, Epernay is ‘dressed in lights’ with champagne tastings offered by the grand champagne houses.  Saturday morning sees the top chefs of the region gathering to cook their favourite dishes with free tasting sessions.  The event ends with an impressive vintage car procession.

In the charming countryside around Reims, Epernay, Châlons-en-Champagne and Fismes, forty six Champenois communities display an astonishing collection of cherished nativity scenes in a festival, ‘Noëls de Champagne: le chemin des crèches du monde’ from the end of November.   From the ancient to modern, they are fashioned from a variety of different materials, ranging from hand-knitted scenes to historic hand-carved figures, all with their own unique charm.  A festive cultural programme of events along the route includes exhibitions, walks, Christmas markets and concerts.   For more information and a downloadable route map of nativity scene sites, visit www.noelsdechampagne.com.

Hit the Slopes this Christmas

For a family-friendly ski resort to visit during the Christmas break, Skiweekends.com, the specialist in affordable short ski breaks, suggests Meribel in France’s 3 Valleys.

You can access the beginners’ slopes at the Altiport, where quiet runs have been set aside for teaching and practicing in a quiet environment.  The ski schools have English speaking instructors and there is a fun woodland ski park for children to learn about the woodland animals while learning to ski.

Children under 11 receive a 15% discount when sharing with two full paying adults on its coach-inclusive week – with six full days’ skiing in Meribel – departing 17 December, just in time for the Christmas holidays.  Price per adult is £329 inclusive of return overnight luxury coach travel (from London Victoria, Thurrock, Maidstone and Folkestone) and five nights’ half-board at the three-star Club Hotel Verseau in Brides les Bains. 

Departures from any UK mainland National Express pick-up point can be booked for a supplement of just £30 return.  Skiweekends.com can also pre-book lift passes, equipment hire and tuition with, for example, a beginners Learn to Ski package with Meribel Pass and tuition (three sessions of two hours) costs £199 extra inclusive of free equipment.  For more information or to book, go to www.skiweekends.com or call 08444 06 06 00.

Ski and Play: Santa’s on His Way

For the ultimate luxury family Christmas, ski loving families can forget the fuss and enjoy a deluxe catered Christmas ski holiday at Ferme du Ciel, Samoëns where reindeer, dogsleds, wolves and Santa Claus make for the ultimate snowy family Christmas getaway! 

In Samoëns ski resort, just an hour from Geneva airport, an arctic Christmas village is being created, with live reindeer, sled dogs and even real, live wolves to see and touch!  An aurora borealis light display and fireworks will celebrate the arrival of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.  Fulfil your children's ultimate Christmas dreams and heighten the usual ski holiday with this festive winter experience.

This is a perfect Christmas getaway for young families.  Parents and children will enjoy stunning skiing on the Grand Massif's 265km of slopes by day, with delightful Christmas festivities by night.  

Chalet Ferme du Ciel spoils children and adults alike by delivering all the Christmas trimmings without the fuss.  Imagine a 12 foot Christmas tree, a roaring fire and a full Christmas feast - all prepared for you.   A deluxe 7 night Christmas holiday at Ferme du Ciel costs £1350 per adult, £810 per child aged 3-6, £1080 per child aged 7-14.  Children under 2 years of age stay free of charge. For more details visit www.fermeduciel.com.