Chester Christmas Market 2023: All you need to know about the festive stalls in Town Hall Square

Chester market, just an hour's drive from Stoke-on-Trent, caught the attention of reporter Dianne Bourne who took her children for a visit to discover its unique charm.

Chester Christmas Market is renowned for its unique charm, having been singled out by Which? consumer experts for offering "a peaceful festive day out", a stark contrast to the more bustling vibes of Christmas markets in Liverpool and Manchester.

Chester was ranked just below Bath but received high praise for its easy access, parking amenities and a less congested atmosphere, making it a great choice for those seeking a more relaxed Christmas market experience.

Echoing these sentiments, our reporter first noted the plentiful parking options, with two multi-storey car parks conveniently located near the Christmas market. Here's what she had to say about the largest Christmas Market:

"By chance, I missed the entrance to the new, shiny multi-storey and ended up in an older car park under the Crowne Plaza hotel. Nonetheless, I quickly found a spot without any fuss. A short walk led me to Northgate Street, plunging me into the thick of the market festivities."

One of the main advantages here is the layout: vendors are arranged along a single street, eliminating the need to wander in search of different "zones" like you might in Manchester. Chester Christmas Market instantly brought back fond memories of the golden days of Manchester's Christmas Market at Albert Square, with its captivating scene set before the grand Gothic town hall on Northgate Street.

Its festive atmosphere struck me immediately, with fairy lights adorning booths, evergreen trees and baubles decorating the stall rooftops. The focal point, a gigantic Christmas tree, created an idyllic, picture-perfect scene.

Chester accommodates 70 stalls, which is modest compared to larger city markets, making it a more intimate and magical Christmas shopping experience. It's also predominantly geared towards gift-seekers, with the majority of stalls dedicated to unique presents rather than hot food and drinks.

The focus on local artisan traders also means you're likely to discover some truly unique keepsakes. One stall that grabbed my attention was overflowing with colourful cloth toys and decorative letters perfect for personalising a Christmas tree.

My children were equally fascinated by a Viking horn stall. Moreover, eccentrics will revel in unusual finds like porcelain ghosts or the Chester Zoo stall's soft toy animal replicas.

Besides quirky treasures, the market offers a variety of alcohol-related gifts and cheese selections, as well as stalls selling exquisite jewellery, Christmas baubles, flavoured fudges and macaroons.

Venturing into the heart of the market near the Christmas tree, we stumbled upon the central hub of hot food and drink vendors. Deciding to treat ourselves, we discovered that in terms of pricing, Chester's not so different from other markets after all - be prepared for a surprise at the cost of drinks and sausages.

Indeed, I'm beginning to think there's a clandestine agreement under the Sausage Council of Great Britain proposing a standardised outdoor price tag of £8 for sausages in buns, as this appears to be the common rate across all Christmas markets, garden centres and light trails I've visited this year.

I did part with £8 for a Cumberland sausage. Unfortunately, this was when the weather took a turn for the worse, revealing another aspect of Chester that didn't sit well with me - the lack of undercover spots to take shelter (and safeguard your sausage).

However, the dessert stalls were a hit with the children. My eldest son indulged in mini Dutch pancakes drenched in chocolate sauce, which set us back £7.

My youngest son chose chocolate-dipped strawberries, which he thoroughly enjoyed. These are also priced at £7. In the midst of the downpour, I felt the need to comfort myself, so I headed to the hot drinks stand where I was shocked by the £7.50 price tag on a Baileys hot chocolate. This is £1 more than I've seen them priced in larger city markets.

Chester also lacks a Christmas mug or glass deposit scheme - meaning your mulled wine or hot chocolates are served in a less-than-festive paper cup.

The Chester Christmas Market Bar, nestled next to the cathedral wall within a bauble-decorated tent, serves as the main bar of the market and provides shelter for revellers. Here, you can treat yourself to mulled wine priced at £5.50, a pint at £6.50 or a Prosecco at £7.

While my children were content with their meals, I felt the market offered limited attractions for younger visitors, and Santa's Grotto was nowhere to be found during our visit. The persistent rain towards the end had us scrambling for dry ground, rather than enjoying festive fun.

I'm sure our day would have been much better if the weather had cooperated, but I left Chester feeling like I was paying considerably more than I have at other places, without a significantly enhanced experience.

If you're visiting Christmas markets for gifts, you might favour the cosier atmosphere of Chester over larger cities, with its array of unique gift stalls. Plus, the backdrop of the town hall does add a