Get festive in Germany's most romantic cities

The Germans have a great tradition of celebrating Christmas and have given the UK many of its popular traditions, including Christmas trees and advent calendars.

The festive season makes a great time to have a romantic getaway in the country as it tends to be a quiet time, perfect for strolling the brightly lit streets, doing some Christmas shopping and enjoying tasty treats.

Some of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Germany are located in the Rhine of Moselle region, thanks to the cities such as Trier, Koblenz, Mainz, Worms, Speyer and Kaiserslautern Get festive in Germany's most romantic cities

The Germans have a great tradition of celebrating Christmas and have given the UK many of its popular traditions, including Christmas trees and advent calendars.

The festive season makes a great time to have a romantic getaway in the country as it tends to be a quiet time, perfect for strolling the brightly lit streets, doing some Christmas shopping and enjoying tasty treats.

Some of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Germany are located in the Rhine of Moselle region, thanks to the cities such as Trier, Koblenz, Mainz, Worms, Speyer and Kaiserslautern which have grand squares and well-preserved old town areas.

Trier, the oldest city in Germany, has a 2,000-year history that holidaymakers can explore with visits to the city's Roman amphitheatre and the Imperial Baths.

Located by river Moselle, Trier's old fisherman's district, Zurlauben, is a great place to walk around and see colourful houses, small gardens by the river's banks and plenty of boats.

Holidaymakers can also have a more modern experience if they head for the city's shopping area, which starts by the historic Porta Nigra gate, which has some of Germany's big-name department stores as well as smaller boutiques.

For more information see www.trier.de

Another city well worth visiting at Christmas time is Mainz, which is known for its wines, striking churches and centuries-old Christmas market.

Located in the market square, the brightly-lit fair offers visitors treats including roast almonds, gingerbread, hot chestnuts and mulled wine.

Stalls are festively decorated, with many selling items such as home-made advent garlands, straw stars, wooden toys, carvings, ceramics, candles and much more.

The fair also has a musical programme, with outdoor concerts taking place every weekend, with a choirs performing festive songs.

Mainz's Christmas fair starts on November 30th and runs until 20:30 most nights.

Mainz also offers holidaymakers other shopping experiences. In the alleys of the medieval old town, there are many small shops hidden away selling flowers, decorations candles, hand-crafted jewellery, art, clothing, gourmet treats, wines and more.

The city's St Stephen's Church has blue stained glass windows by the celebrated 20th century artist Marc Chagall.

Other churches include the lavishly baroque St Augustine's Church, the 1,000-year-old cathedral and rococo-style spires of St Peter's Church.

Also in the city centre will be an ice rink, at Ernst-Ludwig-Platz, with the impressive backdrop of the Electoral Palace.

For more information, including accommodation details, see www.mainz.de

Mainz is easily reached from Frankfurt Airport (Fraport), and is around an hour from Hahn airport.

Trier is 30 minutes from Luxemburg airport and also around an hour away from Hahn airport.

Return flights with British Airways cost £81 from London Heathrow to Frankfurt, and £66 return from London Gatwick to Luxembourg. For more information see ba.com

Alternatively, Ryanair have return tickets to Hahn airport for £19.47, not including checked-in baggage fees. See ryanair.com XXX