Was für a Christmas Market – Edinburgh 2023

Hello! We recently visited Edinburgh to explore its Christmas markets, and it was of course, delightful with a fantastic atmosphere. What’s interesting is that there were so many tourists. We weren’t exactly sure that there would be such a large crowd, but there was. It was also interesting to hear all the different accents – German, French, Italian, along with English and American ones – thoroughly cosmopolitan. Unlike Glasgow, it wasn’t raining, or at least not too much!

What’s also intriguing is how Edinburgh easily lends itself to the experience, much more so than Glasgow. Once again, there’s a certain rivalry between the two cities, but Edinburgh boasts that castle, the huge mound, and the deep-ravine so close to Waverly train station. It’s a natural amphitheatre, and is just so much better than anything Glasgow could offer, at least in terms of atmosphere and natural topography.

We chose to stay in a nearby hotel because, from past experiences, coming back to Glasgow on the same night simply never worked out before. In this case, we could stay as late as possible and then make our way back, even if the hotel was completed overpriced (Editor: Aren’t they all!?).

I won’t disclose the exact amount because I can’t count that high, but it was a treat from someone I know.

However, after a walk of about 1 km, with a light show, you could finally get into the market, and spend a lot of money whilst in. One instance was £5.80 for gluhwein, or in this case, a Kirschwein (cherry wine). What irritated us was that some booths had a tip box for this overpriced stuff. Come on! This is utterly ridiculous. I shouldn’t need to pay a non-service tip.

If I want to tip someone, it should be for a service, such as serving my table with food, and NOT just for the point of sale. You can stick it up your ass!

As usual, there’s the atmosphere, the prices, and the fact that it was overly crowded. Where we went to, was the East Princes Street Garden market, which was the main one, but in reality it was part of the Edinburgh’s Christmas, with (see the Map above) several other places nearby.

CB