Top 5 cities for Christmas shopping

With Christmas just around the corner, shops are busier than ever as the search for that perfect present begins. Easier said than done however! With a quick break away you’ll pick up unique gifts that will delight your friends and family, plus you’ll get a few days to soak up the festive spirit in foreign climes - or escape the frenzy if it’s not really your thing. Either way, you’re sure to find somewhere to fit the bill with this list of our best cities for Christmas shopping…

Paris

Whatever you’re looking for to fill stockings this year, Paris is sure to have it. Haute couture? Tick! Head for Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Trendy boutiques and antique shops? Tick! Look no further than Le Marais. Big brands and department stores? Tick! Hit the Champs-Elysées and Boulevard Haussmann with your credit card. Stomach-tempting delights such as cheese, bread, meats and wine? Tick! Follow your nose to Les Halles and Rue de Rivoli. Special winter markets markets are also the perfect place to pick up regional delicacies and beautiful arts and crafts; Noisy le Grand Christmas Market is one of Paris’ best, offering a magical festive atmosphere for young and old, with hand crafted wooden toys, traditional glassware and horse-drawn carriages just some of the delights to look out for.

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Marrakech

Marrakech’s maze of souks is a winner if you’re after a unique and exotic stocking filler. From multi-coloured spices to stained-glass lanterns and from intricate jewellery to high quality leather goods, you will find stall after stall of crafts, foodstuffs and souvenirs to put a smile on anyone’s face. Be prepared for a bit of haggling and you never know, you may even be invited for an impromptu mint tea (thé a la menthe) if you linger for long enough. Just rip up your shopping list and go with the flow – not knowing what you might find is all part of the fun here.

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New York

You can’t help but get caught up in the Christmas spirit in New York. It’s great for shopping at any time of year, but pre-Christmas it’s a fairytale of twinkling lights, extravagantly decorated trees, roasted chestnut sellers and an appropriate chill in the air for wrapping up and feeling snug. Browse the elaborate department store window displays (Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s are a must), pick up some novel gifts at holiday markets such as the Grand Central Holiday Fair and the Holiday Shopping Market in Union Square, and top it all off with ice skating at Central Park. It’s just like you see it in the movies, but better.

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Milan

Italy’s always a winner when it comes to shopping, so why not head straight to its most stylish city and bag yourself some real Christmas treats. At any time of year Milan is a shopper’s paradise, with a wonderful variety of shops and boutiques selling haute couture, antiques, furniture, home accessories and more. In the run-up to Christmas, however, Milan really gets into the festive spirit, with many shops staying open on a Sunday and Christmas fairs such as the ‘Oh Bei, Oh Bei’ market near the castle and the Christmas craft fair of L’Artigiano in Fiera tempting you with their magnificent array of artisan goods and unique gifts.

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Munich

Munich is a wonderful place to get into the Christmas spirit. Think Christmas markets, mulled wine, crafts, sweets, cakes, twinkling trees and cosy bars. The most famous of its markets is the Christkindlmarkt at the Marienplat, open until Christmas Eve, where eating and drinking are as much a part of the experience as is shopping for people back home. Munich is heaven for shoppers away from the markets too, its shops combining international brands and designer goods with traditional Bavarian crafts. Wood carvings (Holzschnitzereien), pewter-ware (Zinn), traditional clothing (Trachten) and the famous Nymphenburg porcelain all make gifts unlike no others – plus you get to soak up all the culture and entertainment that the Bavarian capital has to offer too.

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Cactus offers language courses in more than 30 languages, in 60 countries and 500 destinations worldwide. We also run our own language courses in the UK and in the US/Canada, which are the ideal way to learn the basics or brush up on previous language knowledge in advance of a holiday or business trip abroad.