Best Christmas Markets In Europe
The ultimate guide to get in the festive mood.
We can’t think of anything more festive than taking those last couple of holiday days you have left and spending them on a weekend trip to a European Christmas market.
1 Tallinn Christmas Market, Tallinn, Estonia
Tallinn’s medieval town center plays host to one of the prettiest Christmas Market on the map, not least because snow has blanketed the square for it annually since it started. With over 60 wooden huts selling handcrafted souvenirs, sheepskin rugs, gingerbread and local mulled wine to ward off the cold. Entertainers weave through the crowds, while at the heart of it all, lies Estonia’s largest Christmas tree.
2 Manchester Christmas Markets, Manchester, UK
Manchester’s Christmas market is an award-winning fantasia attracting over seven million visitors yearly. The 300 chalet-lined market trails across the city center for all kinds of gifts, from fine jewelry to bonsai trees, while stopping for cocktails at the new pop-up-style Christmas Vintage Lounge on Exchange Square. The real highlight is the street food on Albert Square, with every European delicacy, from Spanish paella to Hungarian goulash!
3 Plaisirs D’Hiver, Brussels, Belgium
Stretching over a mile from Grand Place to Place Sainte-Catherine, Belgium’s Winter Wonders is perfect. Indulge into soft Belgian waffles, caramelized apples and seasonal croustillons ( doughnuts) while listening to the brass bands. There is also an ice-skating rink, Ferris wheel, nightly sounds-and-light show and the stalls offer all the usual stocking-fillers including nutcrackers and hand-blown glass decorations.
4 Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market & Ice-rink, Winchester, UK
Claiming title of England’s Christmas Capital, Winchester’s Christmas Market is set in the shadow of the Cathedral and welcomes over 90 German-style wooden stalls, all handpicked for their quality products, most of which can’t be bought on the high street. Enjoy some tasty German sausages and other delicious nibbles at the food court, before enjoying a romantic skate on the dazzling open-air ice rink.
5 Christkindlmarkt, Vienna, Austria
With a market practically on every corner, Schoenbrunn Palace Christmas Market is best for stylish shopping. Set in the Rathausplatz in front of the neo-Gothic City Hall, locals come to check out the festive window scenes painted by local artists, while warming themselves up with mulled wine. Take a stroll through Rathauspark for old-fashion carousel rides and a Post Office in the Clouds, where you can post your Christmas cards to bring back that nostalgic feeling.
6 Christkindlesmarkt, Nuremberg, Germany,
Arguably the most famous Christmas market in Germany, Nurembergs Christkindlmarkt is 400-years-old . Shining in the Bavarian city’s old town, this festive gem has it all: twinkling lights, scrumptious glühwein and delicious Bratwurst. With over 180 stalls, visitors are expected to find genuine Christmas treats, from handmade candles to music boxes. It all adds to the authentic flavour and the buzzing Bierkeller next to the ice-rink is a guaranteed Christmas spirit booster.
7 Edinburgh Christmas Markets, Edinburgh, UK
Bringing antraditional German experience to the Scottish capital, this traditional Christmas market is a treat to the eyes and attracts Christmas enthusiasts from all around the world. Lose yourself in the fir tree maze and ride the Edinburgh wheel for breath-taking city views. Once Christmas is wrapped up, it all kicks off again for Hogmanay: a legendary New Year’s party where 80,000 revelers come for music, fireworks and lashings of whisky.