Travel News Europe - #88 - November 2008 - (Page 18)

n business/ WINTER HOLIDAYS destination/ CITY BREAK 2008 Winter Holidays Switzerland’s Christmas markets FESTIVE or ALTErNATIVE WINTEr hoLIDAy IDEAS… Switzerland Travel Centre invites visitors to combine three of Switzerland’s finest Christmas markets – Basel, Bern and Montreux – on a 4-day break (on offer from between 1 – 21 December). www.stc.co.uk The Montreux Christmas Market (from 27 November) is reputed to be Switzerland’s finest Christmas Market, presenting over 130 richly decorated wooden chalet-style stands, manned by craftsmen and shopkeepers who will offer a host of unique and original Christmas gifts. The newest Montreux Noël additions, developed especially for children, are Santa’s Toy Factory and the scenic train trip to visit Santa Claus in his mountaintop home at the Rochers-de-Naye. ‘Best buys’ at Swiss markets include candles, traditional wooden toys and hand-made decorations, along with Swiss specialities, such as cuckoo clocks and fondue sets. Tasty regional food and wine will also be on offer such as Vaud and Valais wines, plus local cheese and sausage. Denmark has it all wrapped up for Christmas Aalborg (www.visitaalborg.com) is well known for its design, gourmet restaurants, specialty shops and small boutiques. Aalborg’s Christmas celebrations begin at the end of November with Santa Claus sailing in from Greenland to open the traditional Christmas market in the Old Square. Visitors can try out local specialties, like æbleskiver and pepper cookies, relax their weary feet in one of the many gourmet cafes such as Pennylane, or take the vintage train to Gistrup where the scouts of Valdemar Atterdags Trop sell the locals their Christmas trees. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without Aquavit – the Danes’ answer to Schnapps. Produced in Aalborg since 1881, visitors can go on a guided tour of Danish Distillers and taste all 17 varieties of this clear potent spirit, including the special Limited Edition Christmas Schnapps. Seasoned beer drinkers should head to Søgaards Bryghus, a microbrewery in the oldest part of the city. Claus Søgaard, a former butcher, was so passionate about the drink that he developed his own label including a special Christmas brew. Watch the brewing process over dinner before taking a guided tour by 20 TRAVEL NEWS EUROPE the brewmeister himself. Visitors to Aarhus (www.visitaarhus.com) can step back in time and discover the joys of an old fashioned Danish Christmas with a visit to Den Gamle By – The Old Town. The openair museum, comprising some 75 authentic Danish buildings, creates a living history with period costumed staff reenacting a bygone era in the streets and houses adorned in Christmas decorations. At the December weekend markets, visitors can look out for extra special gifts whilst enjoying the aromas of freshly baked ginger cakes emanating from Den Gamle By’s bakery and simmering traditional Gloegg (mulled wine). Other Aarhus attractions include the new ARoS Art Museum and the Viking displays as Moesgård Museum. Odense (www.visitodense.com) is home to infamous fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen. A Christmas Fair bearing the author’s name takes place in the old precinct near his house and museum and around the City Museum Møntergården area. Visitors strolling through these cobbled streets will run into well-known figures from Andersen’s work, such as ‘The Little Match Girl’ and ‘The Snow Queen’. With illuminated trees, Christmas decorations and torches in Lotze’s Garden creating a fairytale atmosphere, visitors will be transported back in time to the days of this famous writer. Visitors can take a nostalgic ride on the merry-go-round or join the hackney coachman as he drives around the precinct passing joyous Christmas choirs and colourful market stalls. www.visitdenmark.com Sweden’s winter holiday news A winter trip to Sweden isn’t complete without Christmas markets. Gothenburg’s Liseberg Theme Park is Scandinavia’s largest Christmas market. Visitors to the popular ski resort of Åre in northern Sweden will have more accommodation to choose from this winter. Copperhill Mountain Lodge, located at the summit of Mount Förberget, is due to open on 8 December. Already a member of the prestigious Design Hotels group, the lodge will be the first design-led offering in Åre and will boast 112 rooms and suites. The hotel offers ski-in ski-out facilities, bars, restaurants, conference facilities, a helipad and its own ski lift. Also new for this season is the value Hotell Åre Torg in the main village square. Ideally suited to independent travellers on a budget, each hostel-style room has 4 beds, which can either be booked November 2008 together as a room for four people or separately for individual travellers. Tour operator Neilson, the only UK tour operator to include Åre in its 2008-9 programme, has added a new chalet for this season. The Swedishstyle Chalet Snowvilla, which sleeps 8 - 11, has a cosy, homely atmosphere and is just 500m from the village centre and 600m from the nearest lift. After a long day on the slopes, guests can relax in the chalet’s private sauna and enjoy a gourmet dinner served by the chalet’s live-in staff. Visitors to the Icehotel in Swedish Lapland can travel with an eased conscience as the hotel is working jointly with the Swedish energy provider Gavle Energi to make the hotel carbon negative by using wind energy, bio fuel and solar power. Specialist operator Discover the World has introduced a Traditional Lapland package where guests spend one night in a snow room at the Icehotel and two nights in log cabins in the forest with views of the Northern Lights, enjoying Sami meals by a roaring log fire. More adventurous travellers might want to take part in Discover the World’s new self-drive Saab Lapland Explore package. The 7-night trip starts at the Icehotel and covers more than 800km across Lapland, passwww.travelnewseurope.com http://www.visitaarhus.com http://www.visitaarhus.com http://www.stc.co.uk http://www.visitodense.com http://www.visitaalborg.com http://www.visitdenmark.com http://www.travelnewseurope.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Travel News Europe - #88 - November 2008

Cover&Contents
NEWS
WTM News Pages
DESTINATIONS - Tanzania
DESTINATIONS - India
BUSINESS - Winter Holidays
BUSINESS - Exhibitions

Travel News Europe - #88 - November 2008