Deadlines are approaching and the end of term is in sight! Here are a few ideas of the best places to jet off to for the Christmas break – your student current account most likely will not fulfill the monetary needs but there’s nothing wrong with a little inspiration…
My recent trip to visit a friend taking a year abroad of study in Lund, Sweden was the perfect winter break. It was the first time I have ever visited Scandinavia, which has always been a wish of mine. Taking the flight directly into Copenhagen, the chill air hit us as soon as we stepped off the flight and we were plunged into a festive Nordic state. We took a train over the archipelago to arrive in Sweden and took one day in Lund to explore the small Swedish city, and the next to explore Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital. Here are some suggestions for a day in each…
Lund
Crêperiet
‘A cosy crêperie with authentic French ciders, delectable crêpes and delicious savoury galettes’ according to its website. A savoury or sweet crêpe selection great for brunch, with a very Scandinavian interior, extremely cosy and sociable; great to spend an afternoon there hiding from the biting winter cold!
Shotluckan
It is essential to try the shot bars in Sweden. There was no entrance fee for this one, and a huge selection of different flavoured shots ranging from sweet to savoury, hot and cold.
Must-try: the hot cinnamon shots, but choose wisely as the Swedish equivalent of £55 was spent on one round – regrets!
Copenhagen
The port is a must-see in Copenhagen and probably the image you conjure up when you think of this city, but there is much more to the city than this and the little mermaid statue.
Highlights of my trip involved the Christmas markets which were extensive and had plenty testers of wine, cheeses, and festive sugar coated almonds. The city is made so easily accessible by the transport system, or you can pick up Lime electric scooters on almost any street corner.
The view from the ‘Inderhavnsbroen’ or the Inner Harbour Bridge, overlooking Copenhagen’s impressive architecture, is also great to see at night, on foot or by bike.
Copenhagen’s indoor markets are also a great way to indulge in the local life, try the Toverhallerne fresh food market, an ‘urban, covered marketplace’ with stalls of ‘local produce, gourmet foods, beverages and desserts’.
Ski Resorts
Other perfect Christmas destinations of course involve ski resorts. My favourite ski resorts are all Austrian, with Schladming at number one – a resort with 25 lifts with 1159 meters of vertical descent made famous by the 4-Mountains Ski Circuit and for hosting the world ski championships multiple times. The descent into the town is a beautiful, if slightly challenging, course.
Gosau is also great, but for a different ski holiday vibe; small but cute and very festive, it is perfect for casual skiing and great traditional Austrian food – lots of spätzle (look it up!). The resort is part of skiing in Dachstein West, Austria’s longest descent with 11km of piste and fantastic glacier views – a geographer’s dream of course. The off-piste is also recommended in this area for those who like to push themselves a little further.
For the pros, Mayrhofen is great and known for its challenging pistes; 142 perfectly groomed kilometers. It holds Austria’s steepest piste ‘Harakiri’ which touches 78 degrees slope at its most terrifying point. It drops straight down the northern face of Action Mount Penken with great views. Although challenging in icy conditions it is definitely worth the rush for adrenaline junkies!
For more challenges see ‘Are you brave enough for Europe’s five hardest black runs?’: https://www.thebmc.co.uk/europes-5-hardest-ski-black-runs
Finally, the top 3 dream Christmas destinations which the bank account most definitely cannot afford at present have to go to…
1) Finland’s ‘Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort’: a village filled with glass igloos and rustic log cabins. You’ve most likely seen them on Instagram and thought ‘one day…’ It is apparently one of the best places to view the Northern Lights in the winter months!
2) The Northern Lights from Iceland’s Blue Lagoon: on a winter day where the skies are clear, the Lights can be seen from anywhere in Iceland, but where could be more special than viewing them from the geothermal spa Blue Lagoon, classified as one of the 25 wonders of the world.
3) Svalbard: a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole, it has always been my number one dream destination. Known for its rugged and truly remote land of glaciers and sheltering polar bears and reindeers, the culture is a mixture of Norwegian, Russian and Ukrainian languages. With its polar bear tours around the Barents Sea and its own brewery and museums… one can only dream!