Every year I visit Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market. It’s the one thing that instantly makes me feel Christmassy and I love going. However, I do also love visiting Christmas markets in other cities to see how they compare and I am trying to visit quite a few this year. Last weekend I stayed at the lovely Hazlewood Castle in Tadcaster, which is in between Leeds and York. As we were in the Yorkshire area already, we decided to drive to York to check out their Christmas market and see how it compares to Birmingham’s.
Driving to a Christmas market
We had quite a long drive from Lincoln to Tadcaster on Sunday evening. Then it was around half an hour into York the next day. We obviously had to make sure that the car was ready for these two journeys before we set off. As we had not done either journey before, we made sure that we had the route planned out on Google Maps to ensure that we didn’t get lost on the way.
Leigh has a Ford Focus which is a very reliable car, however in case of any problems he has made sure to have decent car insurance. It’s obviously illegal to drive a car without any form of insurance, but it is best for you to find a company that offers breakdown cover too. If we had broken down in the middle of nowhere, at least we would have known that we were able to get back home. This is so important if you are travelling to any Christmas markets over the festive period, especially any over on mainland Europe. Aviva offer great travel insurance options which can be used in most European countries.
Checks to make before you drive to a Christmas market
- Check you have enough petrol for the journey or if you can stop off at a petrol station on the way.
- Check your tyres and your breaks before you leave.
- Ensure you know the route or you have a GPS to guide you.
- Make sure you have your insurance details and know who to contact in case of an accident or a breakdown.
- Find a car park that doesn’t cost the earth before you set off.
- Make sure you have enough snacks and drinks for the journey.
- Make sure you have your best Christmas cd for a singalong along the way.
York Christmas Market
I was surprised at how small York’s Christmas Market actually is. Maybe I am a bit spoilt because I have the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market right on my doorstep. I was quite impressed with the usual Christmassy stalls. However, it seemed like that I had a lot of stalls that weren’t Christmas related. They were selling a lot of gifts which weren’t particularly Christmassy. My visit to the market didn’t really get me into the spirit of things. I think that York Christmas Market is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. However, if you are planning to drive somewhere especially for the market then try Birmingham instead.
Are you planning on going to any Christmas markets this year?
