After a hearty breakfast, check out of your hotel and head for the medieval city of Winchester, England’s ancient capital. You can visit the Great Hall and King Arthur’s Round Table, a fully restored working water mill and the famous medieval Cathedral, where Jane Austen is buried. There are many shops, cafes and restaurants. You can enjoy the wonderful Christmas Market set in a stunning location with over 100 pretty wooden chalets offering excellent quality specialist goods and festive treats.  Rejoin your coach for the journey home, full of festive cheer...

Oxford, The City of Dreaming Spires, is famous the world over for its University and place in history. For over 800 years, it has been a home to royalty and scholars, and since the 9th century an established town, although people are known to have lived in the area for thousands of years. Nowadays, the city is a bustling cosmopolitan town. This world famous city will be filled with festive joy; the sound of choirs, market traders offering unusual and handmade gifts, colourful decorations, bright wooden stalls and the aroma of mulled wine drifting in the air. A visit to the Oxford Christmas Market is a truly magical Christmas experience.

From its relatively modest beginnings, the Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market now attracts visitors from around the globe each year and has achieved a reputation as being amongst the very best in Europe. Within the stunning surroundings of the Cathedral’s historic Inner and Outer Close you’ll find over 100 attractive wooden chalets brimming with goodies. The stallholders are individually selected by the Cathedral’s in-house team to ensure superior quality, uniqueness and that a wide range of products are available. There’s a strong emphasis on British and artisan amongst the stallholders. Look out for Hampshire’s finest cheese and sourdough toasties – these alone are reason to return regularly! With the dramatic medieval architecture as a backdrop, it’s an idyllic setting at any time of day, but it really comes into its own after twilight when the Cathedral is lit up and a warm glow radiates from the market stalls.

For further information on Winchester Christmas Market, click here (opens in new window)

Winchester itself is an unspoilt cathedral city on the edge of the rolling South Downs, and is England's ancient capital and former seat of King Alfred the Great. Aside from the fabulous eleventh century Cathedral, it is most well-known for its Great Hall, which for over 700 years has housed the mysterious King Arthur's Round Table. Popular for its bustling shopping streets, the many bars, traditional pubs and restaurants make eating out a pleasure, and there are pretty riverside walks past tranquil water meadows.

For further information on Winchester, click here (opens in new window)