28 October 2022 | Updated 14 November 202410 min read
Berlin You'll find several of Europe's best Christmas markets in Germany.
The end of the year is fast approaching, and with it comes the arrival of Christmas markets across Europe. From the largest of town squares to small cobbled streets, cities are joyfully taken over by beautiful Christmas trees, traditional nativity scenes and garland-trimmed stalls selling intricately painted baubles, festive trinkets and hand-iced gingerbread.
Whether you’re after mulled wine, handmade crafts or twinkling lights, we’ve wrapped up some of the best Christmas markets in Europe for a jolly end to 2024.
Every Christmas, Tallinn’s main town square glows softly from the festoons of lights strung along its Christmas market stalls, only outshone by the centrepiece tree wrapped in dazzling baubles and lights. Taking pride of place in front of the Town Hall since 1441, it was the first Christmas tree to be put on display in Europe.
Expect an exquisite selection of traditional craft stalls packed with handmade dolls, wooden decorations, locally produced sheepskin slippers and wool knitwear, alongside kiosks selling grilled sausages, cherry mulled wine, hot waffles and Christmas cookies.
Berlin certainly knows how to put on a Christmas market – there are more than 100 across the city. One of the most popular is the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market, which tops the charts for handmade gifts and night-long entertainment.
Currently taking place in the neighbouring Bebelplatz square due to construction work, the market boasts an enviable location for its twinkling, light-fringed stalls. Browse for brass bowls, ceramic decorations, bespoke jewellery and dried spiced fruit. Learn the skills behind the craft with a demonstration or get a front row position for its acrobatics shows, choirs and live music. Admission is €2.
Prague’s Old Town square is the winter wonderland setting for its Christmas market. Chalet-style stalls fill the iconic square, piled high with hand-blown glass baubles, embroidered fabrics and traditional Czech dolls.
The real cheer can be found around the food stalls, where cosy huddles of people munch on spit-roasted ham, grilled sausages, sweet dumplings and pancakes. Warm up with a swig of svarak – a citrus infused mulled wine – or try a glass of grog, a blend of Czech rum, hot water, lemon and sugar.
A Swiss sensation in more ways than one, Basel’s Christmas market is considered one of the prettiest in Europe and draws in some 900,000 visitors each year. Neat rows of white-roofed stands, lit by festive illuminations above, fill the Barfusserplatz section of the market, while the Munsterplatz side is home to its magnificent Christmas tree, which is famous for ornaments designed by Johann Wanner.
You’ll also find a ‘Christmas pyramid’ glittering 13m (43ft) into the sky and a ‘fairytale forest’, where children can delight in gingerbread baking and decoration making.
One thing’s for certain when you visit Budapest’s Advent Feast at the Basilica – you won’t leave hungry. In November, close to a hundred gastronomic vendors hawk a feast of delicacies by the magnificent St Stephen’s Basilica.
Amble from stall to stall and sample barbecued sausages, stuffed cabbage and lángos (deep fried dough) topped with sour cream and cheese. For sweet treats, the chimney cake is a festive staple. It’s a sweet cylindrical pastry, topped with vanilla, cinnamon or chocolate. And for those chilly winter evenings, a glass of pálinka – Hungarian fruit brandy – should keep you warm.
Cologne’s largest market, located in the city centre, is the epitome of a German Christmas. If the backdrop of Cologne’s almighty cathedral wasn’t spectacular enough, the red-roofed stalls, hundreds of LED lights and a tree so extravagant it's ranked one of the most beautiful Christmas trees in Europe should do it.
Star lanterns, nutcrackers and toy soldiers, cookie cutters and alpine house ornaments make Christmas shopping easy here, with artisan chocolates and flavoured nuts providing the perfect stocking fillers.
While Christmas in Innsbruck may not be on the same grand scale as Vienna, the Old Town Christmas market has its own allure with its spellbinding backdrop of snow-capped mountains and steaming mugs of spiced Glühwein (mulled wine).
The annual highlight is the Christkind Parade, taking place on 22 December. The streets are filled with a marching band following Christkind’s carriage, accompanied by angels, shepherds and more than 600 children. Carols and cheers are echoed as the procession makes its way down Maria-Theresien-Straße.
Gothenburg’s Liseberg amusement park gets a festive makeover come Christmastime. It's a whimsical showstopper, illuminated by an incredible five million lights and decked out in festive finery.
Between the rollercoasters and carousels are stalls selling everything from gifts and trinkets to churros and toffee apples. When you’ve had your fill of rides and shopping, take a twirl on the ice rink, visit Santa’s workshop or seek out julbord – a Swedish Christmas buffet. Christmas here is the definition of merry and bright.
Timber stalls, horse-drawn carriages and a tree curtained in multicoloured lights… Krakow’s market is a Christmas card brought to life. Its location alone is special, hosted on Rynek Główny, the largest medieval town square in Europe.
Age-old traditions are cherished in the gifts and grub available. Wander through a labyrinth of stalls, trying pierogi dumplings and hearty goulash and picking up crystal baubles and carved wooden toys. The smell of oscypek smoked cheese and candied almonds fill the air, while the rainbow displays of lollipops and iced gingerbread people are a feast for the eyes, too.
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From mid-November, the East Princes Street Garden in the Scottish capital bursts into festive and Hogmanay cheer. There's truly everything here: illuminations, fairground rides, handmade produce, an ice rink, street performances and even mulled Irn Bru.
Children of all ages can find joy in St Andrew Square with a Christmas tree maze and storytime with Santa in his grotto.
Be there on December 29 to join in Edinburgh’s celebration of Hogmanay, which kickstarts with a torchlight procession through the city centre, followed by a street party extravaganza on the 31st and an amazing fireworks display to see in the New Year.
Bratislava’s Christmas market is a long-standing celebration of culture and festive spirit. Its fairytale village of garlanded wooden booths is utterly enchanting, with cheery locals enjoying their fill of potato pancakes and nursing cups of medovina – a spirit made from honey.
Get your own fill of winter specialties including poppy strudel and the sweet dough-roll dessert, trdelnik, typically flavoured with vanilla or cinnamon. Peruse the artisan decorations and watch folk dances and musical performances. You won’t find a better place for festive friendliness.
Considered one of the Christmas capitals of Europe, Brussels attracts over four million visitors to its end-of-year seasonal sensation, the Winter Wonders Market. Spread across Grand-Place, Bourse, Place Sainte-Catherine and Marché aux Poissons are 200 snow-topped chalets, a 20m-high (65ft) Christmas tree, a fantastical ferris wheel and a stand-out nativity scene.
Sound and light shows glitter across the Grand-Place, showering the buildings with dazzling neon projections. Alongside the sweet treats of nougat and waffles, marvel at the towering displays of Belgium chocolates, luxuriously presented and even more indulgent in taste.
With an open-air ice rink, big wheel and chalets shimmering with luminous bells and stars – all encompassed by thousands of sparkling lights – it’s no wonder the Metz Christmas market is known as the most beautiful in France.
Once you’ve tried some of the best gingerbread going, grab your mittens and go ice skating. When evening draws in, stroll through the ‘Sentiers des Lanternes’ – a beguiling lantern trail featuring over 2,000 lights and lit-up figures. Get lost in a Christmas dream filled with giant light sculptures of snowflakes, toy soldiers and elves.
Christmas in Copenhagen is all about hygge – a Danish way of life centred around living in the moment with friends and family in cosy, happy atmospheres.
The Christmas market in Tivoli Gardens captures just that. Bursting with cute chalets offering cosy knits and delicate ceramic decorations, you’ll take delight in sampling Scandi sweets and warming hands around cups of gløgg – hot cinnamon-infused wine.
The gardens themselves are embellished with more than 70,000 baubles and you’ll struggle to spot a tree not covered in lights. It’s a dose of Nordic Christmas cheer that will certainly warm the heart.
While Madeira’s climate may not be the typical setting for a winter wonderland, the Funchal Christmas market celebrates the end of the year just as wonderfully as the rest of Europe. Local vendors gather in green- and red-trimmed kiosks selling fresh produce, seasonal souvenirs and traditional delicacies.
Enjoy the folklore performances or listen to Christmas carols joyfully sung in the square. Lasting into early January, visit at the end of December for gleeful New Year celebrations too – the midnight fireworks display is unmissable.
Christmas celebrations are taken to another level in Croatia’s capital. Advent Zagreb sees the whole city taken over by more than 25 individual markets, thousands of fairy lights, carol concerts, craft workshops and a huge circular ice rink.
In true Croatian style, the food is the star of the show so expect plenty of comforting classics. Warm up your appetite with some hot chestnuts then get stuck into spicy pork sausages and stuffed cabbage rolls. Save some room for a generous portion of štrudla (Croatian apple strudel).
The lack of cold weather does nothing to lessen the Christmas spirit in Seville, making it a great choice for anyone looking for a warm city break with festive cheer. The fairy light-trimmed market chalets, flashing illuminations and live music performances rival any of its European neighbours, with plenty of Spanish tradition added to the mix.
Feria del Belén is one of Seville’s most charming Christmas markets, and the most culturally significant. Dedicated purely to nativity (belén), the streets surrounding the city’s cathedral are decked out with incredibly elaborate nativity scenes and stalls selling intricate nativity-themed decorations and Christmas tree ornaments.
Metz may have France’s most beautiful Christmas market, but Strasbourg is home to the oldest and the biggest. And with the nickname ‘Capital of Christmas’, this Alsatian city certainly doesn't hold back on its seasonal celebrations.
For one month between the end of November and December, more than 300 market stalls cover the city, selling everything from speciality bredle cookies to stocking-filler presents.
Add its giant Christmas tree in Place Kléber square, evening concerts and thousands upon thousands of lights setting the city’s buildings and shop windows aglow, and the magical atmosphere is hard to beat.
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