Covent Garden 12 Days of Christmas Luxury Food Market

Covent Garden at Christmas in London
Covent Garden at Christmas

In 2007, the Christmas Market at Covent Garden featured a special 12 Days of Christmas Luxury Food Market. While it may sound like just another tourist attraction, the food at Covent Garden’s 12 Days of Christmas Luxury Food Market was quite impressive.

Highlights of the 12 Days of Christmas Luxury Food Market included the following:

– Fabulous Ghanaian food from Spinach & Agushi, including groundnut stew with rice (watch out for the hot sauce…they’re not kidding when they say that it’s spicy!)

– Out-of-this-world mushroom risotto from Sporeboys (you can also buy all kinds of wild and exotic mushrooms at the market)

– Pancakes smothered in whipped cream and sauces, cakes, tarts, brownies, and lots of other culinary goodies

For a list of this year’s UK Christmas markets, see the Best UK Christmas Markets page.

Manchester Christmas Markets

The Manchester Christmas markets are some of the largest and most popular Christmas markets in the UK.

The markets in the city boast that they are authentic German Christmas markets, and they offer a variety of market stalls and decorations. Vendors at the Manchester Christmas markets sell everything from food and wine to crafts and Christmas decorations.

At night the markets are lit up with Christmas lights, and visitors can enjoy seeing the giant Santa and the 6-metre high Weihnactspyramide (Nativity pyramid).

Due to their increasing popularity, the Manchester Christmas markets have nine different locations in the Manchester city centre:

Albert Square: European Christmas Market

Brazennose Street: World Christmas Market

Exchange Square: Christmas Markets

Exchange Street: Arts and Crafts Market

King Street: French Christmas Market

New Cathedral Street: Christmas Markets

St Ann’s Square: German Christmas Market

The Corn Exchange: Christmas Markets

Corporation Street: Christmas Market

Manchester Christmas Market Opening Hours:

All Manchester Christmas markets are open from mid-November to late December. All markets except for the Albert Square market are open daily from 10:00 to 19:30 in November and 10:00 to 20:00 in December. Bars are open until 21:00 in both November and December. The Albert Square market is the main market, and it is open from 10:00 to 21:00 daily.

Top 10 Ways to Save Money in London

Red phone booth in London UK
Phone Booth in London

London is an expensive city, but there are ways of cutting costs. Here are my top 10 ways to save money in London.

10. Walk – London is a very walkable city. Instead of taking public transport or a taxi, get out and walk around!

9. Visit London’s markets – Borough Market and the Camden markets are my favorites, but there are many others as well. It’s free to walk around the markets, and the food and other goods are reasonably priced.

8. Get an Oyster Card – If you take the tube, make sure to get an Oyster Card. It will save you a lot of money, not to mention time!

7. Visit London’s parks – London has no shortage of parks and public spaces that are beautiful and free to explore. Don’t miss Hyde Park, Green Park, St. James’s Park, Regent’s Park, and Hampstead Heath.

6. Get a 16-25 Railcard – If you’re under 26 or a full-time student and you plan to take day trips from London on the train, a 16-25 Railcard is well worth buying.

5. Visit London’s free museums – Many of London’s museums are free of charge, and visiting them is most definitely one of the top 10 ways to save money in London. Check out the V&A museum, the British Museum, the Tate Modern, the Natural History Museum, Sir John Soane’s Museum, the Science Museum, and others.

4. Go to a pub quiz night – Many London pubs hold weekly quiz nights. Buy a pint, pay a pound to enter the quiz, and your entertainment will last all evening.

3. Bring your student ID – If you are a student, there are hundreds of discounts you can get when you show your student ID card in London.

2. Get rush tickets – Many of London’s venues offer discounted rush theatre tickets to shows on the day of the performance. Check out the booths in Leicester Square to see what’s on.

1. Fly a low-cost airline to get to London – There are many low-cost airlines that fly to London, including Ryanair and easyJet. Some of them even offer free tickets if you book well in advance. With flights being one of the most expensive parts of traveling, booking flights on low-cost airlines is definitely one of the top 10 ways to save money in London.