London has had Christmas decorations since Halloween, but it wasn’t until Liebling and I went to the Christmas market being held in London’s Hyde Park that I truly felt as though I was in the holiday spirit.
Last year I had a taste of Germany’s Christmas markets when Liebling took me to the Charlottenburg Schloss market in Berlin, so I was excited to see how London’s version would measure up.
Held from November 18th to January 3rd, the Hyde Park Christmas market, known officially as “Winter Wonderland”, is easily accessible via public transportation. I met Liebling at Hyde Park Corner tube stop, and, after exiting we found ourselves entering the market on foot not even five minutes later.
Upon entering we were confronted by a thick wall of revellers, which was probably a good thing as the night air was brisk, nearly frigid. We soon forgot the cold and the crowds, though. We were too mesmerized by the bright displays and the tantalizing array of succulent treats. The best part of any Christmas market for me has got to be the food. From potato pancakes, to churros, to pizza, calorie-filled, feel-good food was in abundance.
But Liebling, the good German that he is, wasn’t interested in the food just yet. He had one thing on his mind… gluhwein. Because to him, a Christmas market just isn’t a Christmas market without a bit of hot wine to warm the soul.
His desire fulfilled, we began our hunt for food. But it wasn’t long until we found exactly what we were looking for:
We ordered two white bratwurst, accompanied by a thick white bun and slathered by ketchup and mustard, and began to chow down.
We then strolled along the sprawling midway, taking in all the sights and sounds. Joy and merriment surrounded us; children laughed gaily and amorous couples smooched, held hands, and took goofy pictures. The neon lights of the rides illuminted the dark sky, and squeals of excitement and fear could be heard from the skating rink, where beginners and pros alike tried their hand at gliding on ice.
I was tempted to get on one of the rides, so enticing was the backdrop, but my very full stomach and rampant motion sickness prevented me from satisfying my desire. The roller coasters at Winter Wonderland reminded me very much of the ones I rode when I went to Stockholm last summer.
We instead took in more of our surroundings as we strolled, making a few quirky discoveries that included a bar built into a carousel and a market stall selling wooden ties.
After a couple of hours of walking through the market, it was time to head back home. But not before Liebling stopped in another biergarten to get one last gluhwein for the road. The massive beer garden was as trendy as it was cozy: it even had a DJ spinning tunes!
I highly recommend checking out the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland if you have the chance. I can officially say, after having visited the market, that I’m excited for Christmas. I love this time of year!
Are you a fan of Christmas markets? Ever been to one? What types of things get you into the holiday spirit?
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56 Comments
I'm gonna drag David to this one. The one in Birmingham is really good. I went to that a few years ago. Awesome night shots.
It's all about the christmas cookies for me and not eating them (because I generally can't) but MAKING them. Yum yum yum
I adore a great European/ British holiday market, but alas I'm in San Francisco and will go without this year 🙁
A winter market with rides? That's AWESOME! Looks like you had a great time. That grill looks so good – my husband would love to partake in that! Happy holidays =)
I have never been but I am off to Europe next year to Europe to visit a few markets and I can't wait. Thanks for getting me excited!!
P.S., looks like your locks are getting long! You will hopefully be doing an update soon?
I really want to go to a Christmas market while we're in England…maybe it'll be this one!
Well, you can't get into Christmas mood without hot wine! I'm still another week in Hong Kong and for sure Christmas is big here (every place is decorated), but I don't know if they actually do a Christmas market anywhere here.
Detroit has a yearly Noel Night (happening at this moment, actually) that I love to go to. The museum and artsy district of the city is opened up; all the museums and local businesses are open, the streets are closed to traffic, and people can go around and eat holiday treats, listen to holiday music, just a great way to enjoy the city…I'm feeling homesick right now!
Wooow!!! That looked like soo much fun!! I'll have to put that on my list of things to see when I start traveling. 😀
Cool photos! Looks like a really fun market. Max and I went to the one in Grenoble last night and it was puny compared to London's! We did enjoy some hot wine and tartiflette though 😉
Such a cute couple….can't get enough!
Oh it looks so beautiful… and cold!!
Hi there,
I'm so glad that I stumbled upon your blog!! I'm a huge travel buff and I am always looking for others who love it too 😉
I was in London in August and since I left, I have not been able to get it out of my mind!! I can see from your pics that the holiday season has seriously hit in your part of the world just like it has hit in ours in New York City… For me, I would have to say that the holiday parties are what get me into the holiday spirits 😉
Nice to meet you Oneika the Traveller 😀
http://ladyonaroof.blogspot.com/
Looks like fun. I saw posters for it when I was in London in early November and was sad my stay didn't coincide with the festivities. Oh well, hope you had enough fun for me.
London is so pretty…you and bf look too cute!
@Melissa: Thanks! Yes, it's definitely worth going! When do you leave for Canada? Let's do dinner this week!
@Deidre: LOL so sad! It's not possible to make gluten-free cookies? IC wont eat them??
@BebeJardin: That's too bad! Do they not have something similar in the Bay Area?
@Quiana: Happy holidays to you too! I'm not a big meat eater but LOVE a barbecue hehee.
@Rhona: So you're confirmed to go to Europe then!>!?!?!? Exciting! Where? Must check out your blog for the deets! I really need to do an update, my hair growing but still not long enough to do the styles I wanna do!!
@Emily: I definitely think you should. I think this one is the biggest of them all in London. You and Rodolfo would definitely enjoy!
@Jarmo: They do! Their is a German-Swiss Christmas market! Google it, it still might be happening! I've never been myself, but people have told me it's fabulous 🙂
@Mae: Lovely! Has it been going on for a few years? If so, I'm sad that I missed it- I lived right across the border in Windsor for a year, it would have been so easy to pop over!
You're awesome! Thanks for linking to us 🙂
John / T5
WOW, that's huge and awesome! I visited my first European Christmas markets this month (in Germany) and was very impressed. I'm also a fan of gluwein now. 🙂
@John: No worries!
@Tatiana: Which one did you go to?
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