A visit to a Christmas market always gets you in the mood for the season and it is hard to imagine a better setting than the magical city of Milan. The Oh Bej! Oh Bej! Christmas Market is open this year from 7-15 of December and with over four hundred stalls you will be able to get your Christmas shopping done all in one go. Make sure you pack light – you’ll need all the space you can spare in your suitcase to take your presents home! The name of this market translates literally from the Italian as ‘Oh, so nice! Oh, so nice!’ and sums up the atmosphere of this great event. The stalls stock everything you could possibly imagine from flowers and food to antiques, so there is something to interest everyone. The stalls are set out in the Piazza fronting the cathedral and with a giant Christmas tree to add to the feeling that Christmas is on its way. As it happens, this market also coincides with the festival of St Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, so there will be even more celebrations on offer – the informal name of the market marks the saint’s day; Fiera di Sant’Ambrogio.
How to get there
There are three airports serving Milan – the Malpensa International Airport in Varese, the Olio Al Serio International Airport in Bergamao, and the Linate International Airport, which is closest to the city. Cheap flights to Milan via low-cost carriers are served at the Olio Al Serio and at the Linate airports specifically. First Choice fly to Italy in less than 3 hours, and from there, there are loads of shuttles and taxis or you can pre-book a transfer to make it even easier. Once in the city it is easy to get around as the public transport system is extensive and cheap. Milan train station is at the hub of a Europe-wide system, so if you worry that your purchases at the Christmas market might take you over your luggage allowance for flying, going by train is a viable option. If you fancy seeing something of Europe on your way, there is one coach a day from London which is a nice way to travel if you are not in a particular rush. This is also a good option if you think you will buy a lot, as you don’t have to worry about your luggage from loading to getting back to London.
Christmas in Milan:[youtube]http://youtu.be/LQ82OK8md-Q[/youtube]
Don’t Make a List!
Although making a list is a good idea when shopping on the High Street at home, it won’t help at all when you are shopping at the brilliant Oh Bej! Oh Bej! Christmas Market because there are so many fabulous things for sale which you won’t have seen anywhere else. There will be no risk that you will give a present that is the same as anyone else’s if you shop here – from local crafts to food, drink and antiques there is something here for every pocket and every taste; once you have shopped at the Oh Bej! Oh Bej! Christmas Market you will never want to go anywhere else.