Your Very Own Swiss Holiday Preishit

Attention Yodeler Glühwein Connoisseurs and Fellow Cheapskates,

Maybe you’ve noticed how much the Swiss hate cheapness. If not, consider that their term for a sale—Preishit—has the word “shit” in it.

This mulled wine deal has your name on it...
at least if you're The Frau.

So The Frau was pleased when a Glühwein money-saving theory was brought to her attention by a Swiss German-speaking American lawyer who buys anything he can with REKA checks.

Because REKA Lawyer can’t buy mulled wine with REKA (and he really really likes wine), he has developed a way to save at least as much money on Glühwein as he does using REKA to buy his train tickets.

Drum roll.

His theory is:

The first Glühwein stand at any Swiss Christmas market will charge you the most for a cup of the sweet stuff. If you want to save 10% a glass or more, keep walking (it’s a Swiss pastime anyway), and move further into the market.

The Frau loves saving money, especially in Switzerland, so she has tested REKA Lawyer’s theory at two markets in the last week and both have proven it correct. Last night at the Baden Weihnachtsmarkt, The Frau scored a glass of Glühwein for CHF 3 from a stand in the middle of the market. Take that, CHF 5-Glühwein stand at the front of the market!

Viel Spass with your next Glühwein Preishit, mitenand and Happy Holidays from One Big Yodel.

An Expat in Switzerland's Favorite Christmas Markets

Last year, there was a big argument at my office in Zurich when my German boss claimed that German Christmas markets were far superior to Swiss Christmas markets in front of a group of Swiss colleagues. I tried not to take sides, but after four years of European Christmas Marketing, I too have found that German Christmas markets are more to my liking than Swiss ones. 

The main reason I prefer German markets is that they're usually larger and I'm an American so I like large things. Of course, there's something to be said for small markets, and I always enjoy Baden's little market because I can walk out my door and be there in five minutes. With a commute that small, I don't mind that the market will only occupy me for less than a half hour. But I felt much differently when I went to Bern's market, which took up two hours of total transport time, but only offered about an hour's worth of entertainment. 

In any case, after awhile, all of these Christmas markets start to feel the same. They all have glüwein. They all have mandeln. They all sell millions of trinkets I don't need but buy anyway. But still. There's something festive about all of them. Especially ones that offer 1/2 Meter Bratwursts.

So for what it’s worth, here are some markets in Europe I especially enjoyed:

Switzerland:

Basel (if you like big markets, this is arguably Switzerland’s largest)

Germany:

Stuttgart (great weekend destination from Switzerland, good deals on the train from CH)

Esslingen (adorable town near Stuttgart with a fantastic market, including a medieval one)

Düsseldorf (free ice skating and ½ Meter Bratwursts)

Schloss Dyck (they sold golden gnomes here, something I couldn’t pass by)

But enough about what I think. What are your favorite Christmas Markets in Europe?

This post was written on behalf of AffordableCallingCards.net, a new expat community blog. This blog offers affordable calling cards in Switzerland as well as information about living abroad in Switzerland and in many other countries.

More on German vs. Swiss Christmas Markets

One thing that was much more enjoyable about the German Christmas markets versus the Swiss ones I've been to, is that the music that was played at the German markets was actually, imagine that, Christmas music. The photo above is of the castle courtyard in Stuttgart where we watched a brass band play everything from Jingle Bells to Hark the Herald. It was fun to sing along while sipping Glüwein.

The other night I walked by the Baden Christmas festivities which included one small ice rink and not much else and they were playing some rock song I had never heard of that had nothing to do with Christmas. And last year in Zurich, my husband and I went to see the Singing Christmas Tree, which consisted of a choir standing in the formation of a Christmas tree wearing Christmas outfits. Needless to say we were very disappointed when the Singing Christmas Tree began singing "Age of Aquarius" in accented English. It just seemed kind of crazy to go to all the trouble to dress like a Christmas Tree and then sing American rock and Broadway music. But maybe it's just me.