ONE shopping weekend until Christmas and still wondering where to go for that special gift for that special someone?

It’s not too late to make tracks for the Continent and take in a Christmas market.

Although I was definitely not born to shop, I accepted an invitation to visit the markets in Brussels and Frankfurt on a whistle-stop tour, using Eurostar high-speed trains and their German cousin, the ICE (Inter City Express).

After crossing a snow-covered landscape both sides of the English Channel, Frankfurt’s magnificent central station provided a dramatic introduction to Germany’s business capital.

The city centre is compact, with a host of hotels and the main shopping areas within walking distance.

The city’s Christmas market dates back at least as far as 1393 and is still held on its traditional site in the Romerberg square and surrounding streets down to the banks of the River Main.

More than 200 stalls jostle for space with carousels big and small and the air is thick with the scents of hot sausages, steaming mugs of gluhwein and – a Frankfurt speciality – hot apfelwein, the local cider.

There are gifts galore, from tasty treats like decorated gingerbread hearts to wooden toys and other handicrafts. In the small St Paul’s Square you can visit the “honey house” a 300-year-old half-timbered house which is put up for the market each year and is packed with all sorts of honey and beeswax candles large and small.

Be warned, the Frankfurt market can get very busy during the evening. If you prefer something a little more relaxed and the chance to see something of Germany outside the city, two options lie south-east of Frankfurt, alongside the River Main.

Seligenstadt, a little over 30 minutes from Frankfurt by train, grew up around the former Benedictine abbey that still dominates the town centre. There are half-timbered buildings, some dating back to the Middle Ages, while the central square provides an intimate setting for the Christmas market.

Aschaffenburg, also a 30-minute train trip away, is worth a visit just to see the beautifully-restored Johannisburg Castle. Left in ruins by air raids and artillery in 1945, along with much of the town, it has been rebuilt and turned into a museum.

The castle also provides a spectacular backdrop to Schlossplatz, where Aschaffenburg’s Christmas market is held, offering the same seasonal treats and gifts as its big city counterpart.

Back across the border in Belgium, courtesy of an ICE journey through driving snow which forced the closure of Frankfurt airport, the next port of call was Brussels’ main Christmas market, which presents a slightly more regimented air than its German cousins.

This may have something to do with its setting, the elongated rectangle of the Old Fish Market, framed at one end by St Catherine’s Church and at the other by a ferris wheel set up each year for the market. Needless to say, the big wheel was clearly a hit with younger visitors, not forgetting two carousels, which had some rather more exotic creatures on board than the traditional horses, plus that essential modern winter festival feature, an ice rink.

And there’s just enough time to get your skates on too. The markets in Frankfurt, Seligenstadt and Aschaffenburg are open daily until Wednesday, while the Brussels market runs until January 2.

  • William Crossley travelled to Frankfurt and Brussels with Railbookers.

Short breaks in Frankfurt, including standard class train travel from London and two nights’ bed and breakfast at the Concorde Hotel, a stone’s throw from the railway station, start from £275 per person. For a more exclusive experience, with accommodation at the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof, in the heart of the city centre, call Railbookers for rates.

Short breaks in Brussels start from £126 for a one-night short break, including Rail travel and bed and breakfast accommodation at the Hilton Brussels City hotel, in Place Rogier, close to Rue Neuve, Brussels’ answer to Oxford Street in London. Alternatively, stay at the Crowne Plaza Brussels – Le Palace, in Rue Gineste, from £135 for a one-night stay and rail travel.

  • Oxford Mail readers paying for any trip with Railbookers in December 2010 will receive a £25 voucher, which they can give to someone as a Christmas gift or redeem towards their own booking. For more details of all Railbookers’ holidays, see their website. To make a reservation, call the special Oxford Mail booking line on 020 3327 2438.