Christmas walks near you
When the bustle of the high street gets too much, you've over indulged in festive treats and your ‘little helpers’ are thoroughly in the Christmas spirit, escape the house and come and explore.
Make the most of crisp winter days with a walk in one of English Heritage's spectacular settings. With woodland grottos, rambling park lands, manicured gardens and romantic ruins, there’s plenty to discover. Many of the properties are dressed up for the season too, so come in, warm up and explore the traditions of Christmas past.
Continental Christmas
Spend a weekend in Belfast and enjoy the popular Christmas Continental Market when it returns to Belfast City Hall from Wednesday 19 November to Saturday 20 December. The city will be buzzing with dozens of market stalls offering a spectacular range of crafts, food and decorations from across Europe and beyond, plus live entertainment at St George’s Christmas Craft Fair on December 6 and 7.
A day at the races
Why wait until Christmas day to have a fun, family day? Enjoy the thrills and spills of jumps racing at the Christmas Market Hurdle Raceday. There’s a panoramic restaurant where you can watch the action as you eat. And you can even pick up some last minute shopping thanks to its great Christmas market. Children under 16 get in free.
Get your skates on
Visit one of the UK's newest outdoor ice rinks and take the kids to see Santa at Stoke’s Trentham Estate. The magical ice rink is set in beautiful Italian gardens and surrounded by 750 acres of park and woodland. You can also shop for gifts at the Trentham Shopping Village and be sure of a warm welcome from the onsite Premier Inn.
Santa on the slopes
Treat the kids to see Santa on the real snow slopes at Sno!zone in Milton Keynes. Entry for a child and accompanying adult includes a special gift from Santa. With so much to see and do in a day, why not book a stay at Premier Inn and make a break of it?
Magical Christmas markets
Manchester comes alive at Christmas with its festive European markets. Step into a brightly lit winter wonderland packed full of unusual Christmas gifts plus a German beer tent and magical Alpine house. There’s even a talking reindeer to keep the kids happy.
Christmas in the city
Nottingham is full of festive events in the run up to Christmas and a great setting for a festive weekend break. Enjoy ice skating in the winter wonderland setting of the city's Old Market Square, then enjoy traditional Christmas carols, brass band music, mulled wine, beautifully lit trees, mince pies and much more at the Arboretum Park on December 14.
A candlelit Christmas
Candlelit Evenings at the historic Shugborough estate make a truly special start to Christmas. Street performers, fire jugglers and live music will keep the whole family entertained whilst in the fine food marquee, artisans will demonstrate their crafts and offer a mouth-watering selection of food. Plus there will be brass bands, carol singers, snow showers and more.