Manchester's Christmas markets hardly need any introduction to residents of the High Peak - they're easily accessible from Chinley via the Hope Valley line, from stations on the Buxton to Piccadilly line, and from the Hadfield to Manchester electrified line.

In a previous post we featured an alternative pre Christmas mini-break via rail, bike and ferry to Rotterdam's Green Christmas Fair in the Trompenburg Botanical Gardens/Arboretum. Allowing perhaps a couple of extra nights, the same route could be extended to take in Essen, which the 'European Best Destinations' website has voted 'Best Sustainable  Christmas Market in Europe.'

The 'top 10 sustainables' on this website are - in order of merit - Essen, Budapest, Llubljana, Zurish, Stockholm, Berlin, London's Hyde Park Wonderland, Bolzano, Vienna and Manchester.

How is sustainability defined ?

The United Nations defines sustainability in the following terms:-

"Sustainable development requires an integrated approach that takes into consideration environmental concerns along with economic development [..] in 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Manchester

This year the Manchester Christmas markets started on the 8th November and run until the 22nd December. Stalls are located in key city centre spots, including: King Street West, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, Corn Exchange, Cathedral Gardens,Market Street and Piccadilly Gardens.

Why does Manchester make the top 10 for sustainability? The text of the nomination reads:-

"As Strasbourg in France, Manchester Christmas Markets produces collector's reusable mugs every year that you can use on all the stands for a small deposit of 3 pounds.In addition to this, the Christmas huts are built from recyclable materials and the Christmas decorations used in the Christmas Market are energy-efficient."

Essen

Like Manchester, Essen is an extremely important city in its region. With a population of 586,608, it is the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Dortmund, and the tenth-largest city of Germany.  It lies 220km east of Rotterdam.

Essen's Christmas market started on the 15th November and runs until the 23rd December. The European Best Desinations website congratulated Essen's market for being attractive from a number of standpoints:-

"In addition to be awarded the title of Best Christmas Markets in Germany and several times among the 'Most Beautiful Christmas Markets in Europe', Essen won this year the title of Best Sustainable Christmas Market in Europe ahead of Vienna, Munich or Stockholm.

During Essen's Christmas market 100% of the electricity use is green. All caterers will dispense with disposable plastic tableware for consumption on site, there is an absolute ban on plastic bags and there is a deposit system for cups and glasses. There is also an absolute ban on plastic bags. In addition to this, the organisers attach importance to regional, fair trade and organic products as well as good ecological balance when choosing traders".

Getting there

Essen is easily accessible by rail from Rotterdam - either by regional railways or by Eurostar with one change in Brussels. Regional railways via Eindhoven, Venlo and Viersen tend to take about 3 hours (with 3 changes); taking the Eurostar means just one change, but actually ends up taking 4 hours. Essen's excellent Tourist Information website  has very practical information on accommodation, public transport, cycle tracks and other attractions - and its pages are available in English.

Finally...

Last year Emma Beddington's article in the Guardian challenged readers to engage with some very critical portrayals of some Christmas, such as :

"Oversubscribed seasonal stalls in York, Lincoln, Edinburgh, Manchester and more have brought the towns and cities to a standstill.

In 2024 Jessica Murray and Hannah Al-Othman have written on the same theme:

"It’s 'overpriced tat’ - Christmas markets divide opinion across the UK"

So...

Whether any Christmas market could ever be sustainable is never going to be a question which is easily answered, but hopefully CBTG's recent posts will have provided readers with a few ideas about venues, travel possibilities and the nature of the markets themselves.