Traditionally held over the first weekend of December, the Christmas Market is one of Lincoln's biggest attractions, drawing thousands of visitors from all over the world.

Please use the links below to discover all the information you will need for the Christmas Market.

Background

Accommodation for December 2007

Travel Information

Essential Knowledge

Background - The Market mirrors a similar event in Lincoln's twin town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse in Germany. The first Lincoln Christmas Market was staged in December of 1982, and the event has never looked back since, with the cobbled pedestrian area between the Cathedral and Castle the ideal setting for a Dickensian style market.

From these humble origins, the market has grown into the largest of its type in Europe, attracting an estimated 250,000 visitors to the city each year. Growing every time, the stalls now spread over much of historic uphill Lincoln, filling not only Castle Square, but much of the Castle, Minster Yard, the Lawn complex and many streets. For four days every year Lincoln is alive with the sound of carol singers, the smell of chestnuts and mulled wine, and all manner of stalls for as far as the eye can see. There is no better way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Booking Accommodation for December 2007 - Hotels for the Christmas Market are always full long before December rolls around. To stand the best chance of getting the accommodation you want, rooms need to be booked at the earliest possible time (some guests book rooms over a year in advance to ensure their places). With our 'Where to Stay' guide you'll have a great choice of the best accommodation in and around Lincoln.

Travel Information - Getting into and around Lincoln during the Christmas Market weekend is nothing short of a nightmare. Large sections of uphill Lincoln are off limits to all traffic (with the exception of coaches) therefore parking in the rest of the city becomes very dificult indeed. If you are travelling to the market by car, exploring the side streets of uphill Lincoln may yield you a lucky parking space, though the most reliable method would be to use the park and ride scheme. You will be able to see yellow "Christmas Market Cars" signs all over the City, directing you to the park and ride car park.

Essential Knowledge - To make sure you get the most from your visit, here are our insider tips for the Christmas Market weekend.

Thursday evening or Friday daytime is the best time to visit the market to avoid the queues. With over a quarter of a million people visiting over the four days the market operates, Saturday and Sunday can get very crowded indeed.

Trying to get something to eat in most of the cafes or restaurants in and around the market area can be nigh on impossible. Try visiting somewhere slightly away from the main stalls. You can find many such places in our Eating Out Guide (click here for further details).

Make sure you have a map of Lincoln handy so you know where you are. The market operates a strict one-way system which makes life very difficult if you get lost. You can print off our free map of Lincoln by clicking here.

The market area operates a strict no dogs policy, with the exception of guide dogs.

If you buy items from the stalls, buy them as late as possible. The journey around one full circuit of the market is quite a long way, so hauling around bags of Christmas presents for hours on end can be very tiring.

Make sure you visit the traditional food and drink stalls rather than the more flashy, fairground-style hot-dog vans. The FFN stall has a huge selection of wonderful German wines, while there are plenty of stalls selling hot traditional German food, along with tasty English fare.

Take time to walk around the outside of the Cathedral. With the hustle and bustle going on everywhere else, a lap of the magnificent Cathedral takes you away from the crowds and lets you bask in this wonderful building. After dark, every square inch of stonework is gloriously illuminated, giving you a refreshing break from the hurly burly. Our Guide to Lincoln Cathedral takes you on a guided tour around its exterior, pointing out all of the points of interest along the way, as well as explaining its full history. Click here for more information.

Make sure go walk down Steep Hill (well, at least some of the way). This narrow street connects uphill historic Lincoln with the downhill city centre and, as the name suggests, is on rather a large incline. But travelling fdown the first half is not too much effort (it gets steeper towards the bottom) and will reveal to you some more stalls and some of Lincoln's best specialist shops. Click here to view our map of Lincoln to pinpoint Steep Hill.

If you are visiting as a family or group of friends, arrange a meeting point beforehand should anybody get lost. We would recommend meeting outside the front of the Cathedral, as it's visible from just about everywhere.