Nine dog-friendly Christmas markets in the UK

1. Manchester Christmas Market

Location: Greater Manchester

Best for: 220 stalls for Christmas shopping

As one of the biggest markets in the UK, there’s no better place to kickstart your festive season than perusing Manchester Christmas Market. With hundreds of stalls of hand-crafted goods, all set out like snow-topped ski chalets, the market transforms the city into a winter wonderland. The chance to meet Santa, with a glass of mulled wine, is guaranteed to get you into the Christmas spirit.

2. Edinburgh Christmas Market

Location: Midlothian

Best for: A variety of activities for the whole family

With a big wheel, an ice rink and rows of traditional chalets stocking Christmas goodies, the Edinburgh Christmas Market offers festive fun for the whole family. Street food vendors dish up the very best in Bavarian treats like bratwurst and gingery lebkuchen, while open air bars serve mulled wine and cider to warm up thirsty shoppers.

3. Winter Wonderland

Location: London

Best for: Its enormous fairground

Taking over a huge part of London’s Hyde Park from November to January each year, Winter Wonderland is an epic day out. The extravaganza doesn’t just cover homemade Christmas treats, but street food, live music, fairground rides and much more.

4. Bath Christmas Market

Location: Somerset

Best for: A beautiful setting

Enjoying the festivities at the Bath Christmas Market is easy in such a beautiful setting. The historic buildings of Bath are all lit up with twinkly lights, and craft shops and stalls line the streets near the stunning Bath Abbey. Even better - the market is improving its sustainability credentials every year, and has adopted a single-use-plastic-free policy; although small, it shows that little steps can have big impacts.

5. Winchester Christmas Market

Location: Hampshire

Best for: A traditional German affair

The bustling atmosphere at Winchester Christmas Market will put you solidly in the Christmas spirit. The pretty wooden chalets are inspired by traditional German Christmas markets, and the sounds of carolling fill the air. Four-legged friends will no doubt make a bee-line for the stalls of delicious doggy treats, while their humans make the most of hand-crafted Christmas gifts.

6. Canterbury Christmas Market

Location: Kent

Best for: Events for children

The wonderful family-friendly Canterbury Christmas Market is chock a-block with gorgeous activities. Write letters to Santa with your children or even have breakfast with the man himself. Enjoy a Santa Paws visit with your little canine friend, or listen to live music with a hot toddy. As well as all this, the market has a wide variety of stalls to suit all of your present-buying needs.

7. Oxford Christmas Market

Location: Oxfordshire

Best for: Live choirs and handmade gifts

The sounds of choirs fill the air around the City of Dreaming Spires, when the Oxford Christmas Market comes to town. Rock choirs, carollers and gospel music are all on the line up in 2022. And as for the stallholders, they range from local coffee, gins and fudge producers, to top quality alpaca, beeswax and homemade candles.

8. Christmas at Waddesdon

Location: Buckinghamshire

Best for: A magical natural setting

The magnificent manor house at Waddesdon comes alive over the festive season. Christmas at Waddesdon lights up the grounds of the manor, with its tall trees sprinkled with twinkling lights, and festive chalets lining the paths. Smells of mulling spices waft through the air and local designers and makers sell perfect Christmas gifts.

9. Sheffield Christmas Market

Location: Yorkshire

Best for: Eating and drinking at the Alpine bar and lodge

Sheffield Christmas Market is a celebration of the independent making community up in the north of England. Get a bird’s eye view with a trip on the Big Wheel, and take in the sights of the Alpine lodges, where you can have a stein or two of German beer, as well as the Yorkshire pudding wraps, German grilled sausages and over 50 log cabins of local crafters.