{"id":602838,"date":"2025-11-30T06:44:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T06:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/602838\/"},"modified":"2025-11-30T06:44:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T06:44:16","slug":"uk-city-that-was-once-englands-capital-is-a-great-place-to-visit-at-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/602838\/","title":{"rendered":"UK city that was once England’s capital is a great place to visit at Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today this historic city attracts visitors with its charming Christmas market set against medieval streets.Sam Dimmer<\/strong><\/a> East Midlands Head of Brand and Alycia McNamara<\/strong><\/p>\n

06:15, 30 Nov 2025<\/p>\n

\"WinchesterWinchester’s Christmas market has been highly praised by visitors(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Long before London claimed the title, this tranquil city was England’s capital, and it becomes even more enchanting to visitors<\/a> during the festive season.<\/p>\n

Winchester, renowned for its rich history<\/a>, charming appearance and vibrant atmosphere, is an ideal destination for a winter weekend getaway.<\/p>\n

Situated on the grounds of its famed medieval Cathedral, Winchester comes alive<\/a> with festive activities around Christmas<\/a>, according to Country and Townhouse.<\/p>\n

The city served as England’s capital<\/a> around 901 AD, but was superseded by London in 1066.<\/p>\n

Its Christmas Market draws tourists annually, its charm amplified by the backdrop of the old-fashioned town, reports the Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As one of the UK’s oldest cities, a stroll around Winchester reveals impressive ancient buildings and historic streets.<\/p>\n

A visit to the cathedral is a must when in the city. Its stunning interior decor is admired by both tourists and locals alike.<\/p>\n

One visitor shared their experience on Tripadvisor: “The visit to this cathedral was the highlight of the day made all the better by having a guided tour.<\/p>\n

I booked tickets in advance through their website, saving \u00a31 each – this ticket is valid for return visits for a year from date of purchase.<\/p>\n

\"Winchester\"Winchester is home to a stunning cathedral(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“When we arrived a guide was available pointing out many things we would have missed had we just walked round on our own.”<\/p>\n

Another Tripadvisor user praised its Christmas market as “the best so far”.<\/p>\n

The market is currently open, operating from 10am to 6pm Monday to Wednesday, 10am to 7pm on Thursday, 10am to 8pm Friday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday.<\/p>\n

During chillier weather<\/a>, you can seek warmth in one of the city’s numerous cafes for a leisurely respite from your city exploration.<\/p>\n

For those seeking a UK-based weekend getaway this winter, Winchester could be just the ticket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today this historic city attracts visitors with its charming Christmas market set against medieval streets.Sam Dimmer East Midlands…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":602839,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5008],"tags":[748,35745,393,4884,183,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-602838","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-england","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-christmas","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-travel","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=602838"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/602838\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/602839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=602838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=602838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=602838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}