According to the Visit Birmingham website, Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market is "the largest authentic German Christmas market outside of Germany or Austria, offering a large range of traditional good and gifts and a selection of tempting food and drink.

Pretzels, bratwursts, and roasted almonds will tempt your tastebuds, all of which can be washed down with Glühwein, Weißbier (Weizenbier) (wheat beer), or tasty hot chocolate."

This year's market starts on Friday 1st November and continues until Tuesday 24th December. The stalls are located on New Street and Victoria Square  - you can access a map of the local area around the station here

From Chinley you can choose to travel via either Manchester Piccadilly or Sheffield. If you left on the 09.23 on a Saturday you only have a 19 minute wait in Sheffield and you'll arrive in Birmingham at 11.27. On the way home you can avoid a long wait in Sheffield by taking the 19.01 to Manchester Piccadilly, waiting 19 mins and arriving back in Chinley at 21.23 .

Is this day out really similar to the Weihnachtsmarkt that you could experience if you were in Frankfurt am Main? Judge for yourself by visiting their website here! The page is also in English.

The specialities that the German market describes are interesting in that the recommended hot drink is based on apple cider, and not on red wine. Here's their description for the specialities to look out for in Frankfurt am Main:

"The famous Bethmännchen, a sweet marzipan pastry, are a must during the Advent season. They pair perfectly with a cup of hot apple wine, an essential in Frankfurt – especially on cold winter days.

A lovely souvenir is the traditional Quetschemännchen. These little ladies and gentlemen are made from dried plums and nuts, held together with wire. Originally, the Quetschemännchen is a chimney sweep or musician, meant to bring good luck"

Anyway, enjoy Birmingham's market !