If you decide to travel a bit this holiday season, get ready for the most amazing experience. From Christmas lights to decorated trees every city in Europe will be decorated in a unique and beautiful way. Take your chance and walk around the cities, admire the decorations and feel the true Christmas spirit. If you’re a fan of these things, you will definitely love going to a Christmas market. There you can find delicious traditional food, warm wine, unique gifts, and loads of activities such as ice skating rinks. We found and we recommend 5 amazing Christmas markets in Europe to put on your list and visit this year.
Pack your bags, persuade your friends to come with you, and get ready for an amazing experience. This year, the celebrations will feel like a breath of fresh air, after the last two challenging years. Enjoy as much as you can, but always keep yourself and others around you safe. These markets usually take place in open spaces, so it is safer for everyone despite the cold temperatures. What are you waiting for? Book your tickets and let’s go.
1. Amazing Christmas markets in Europe: Advent Feast at the Basilica, Budapest
This is an amazing Christmas market that takes place every year in the heart of Hungary. In 2019, it was voted as the best Christmas market in Europe. We couldn’t agree more with this decision. You can find the feast in St. Stephen’s Square right outside the Basilica from the 22nd of November until the 1st of January. There you can find a huge ice skating rink, loads of traditional Hungarian foods as well as the biggest 3D light show in Europe.
Once you go you will want to visit it again and again, to enjoy everything it has to offer. We recommend you give it a chance on multiple days because it is usually full of people every time of the day. What makes it even more amazing is how environmentally friendly the feast is as well. Every cup, plate, or utensils you will use is eco-friendly and whatever is left at the end of the day will be recycled.
2. Viennese Dream Christmas Market, Vienna
You cannot think of Christmas without immediately thinking of the beautiful Austrian capital. Vienna is one of these European cities that are amazing especially when it snows. Add to this landscape the Viennese Dream Christmas Market and you have the perfect Christmas holidays. This market takes place every year from the 15th of November until the 26th of December. You will find it in City Hall right on Rathausplatz.
Get ready to enjoy ice skating, curling, a carousel of a rollercoaster ride, or even a ride on a reindeer. There is something there for people of all ages. After you enjoy some of the multiple activities, look around for small shops in the narrow streets of the Old Town. The traditional food is amazing and definitely worth tasting along with some warm wine. We recommend you try some warm pretzels and roasted chestnuts that will make you feel warm and cozy despite the cold weather.
3. Amazing Christmas markets in Europe: Christkindesmäkir, Strasbourg
If you find yourself in France, we recommend you visit Christkindesmäkir in Strasbourg. It is definitely one of the most amazing Christmas markets in Europe. It takes place from the 22nd of November until the 30th of December. The great thing about this market is that you can find it in multiple places around the city, in different squares. Some of them are: Place de la Cathédrale, Place Kléber, Place Gutenberg, Place Broglie and Place du Château. Christkindesmäkir is also one of the oldest markets in Europe, the first one took place 450 years ago! Today there are over 300 kiosks to choose from and ten different locations in total. There you can buy gifts for your loved ones, pick some Christmas decorations while drinking wine and eating kugelhopf. Don’t forget to visit the big Christmas tree which is lit up every year in the main square Place Kléber.
4. Advent in Zagreb, Croatia.
In the beautiful capital of Croatia, you will find another amazing Christmas market. Zagreb itself is an amazing destination for your holidays trip. The whole city is beautifully decorated and Croatian people are out enjoying the festive spirit. Advent in Zagreb is a bit different from the markets we talked about before. And that is because you will not find it in a specific place in the city, as it happens everywhere in the city. From the 30th of November until the 7th of January, you can find small kiosks for the advent everywhere you go. Activities are taking place non-stop and you will always find something to do next. Enjoy the local cuisine and traditional products, go ice skating and look for events that are happening on the live stage in front of Zagreb’s Cathedral.
5. Amazing Christmas markets in Europe: Liseberg Christmas Market, Gothenburg
Last but not least, this is the fifth out of the 5 amazing Christmas markets in Europe we recommend you visit. The Liseberg Christmas Market takes place every year in Gothenburg, a beautiful city in Sweden. It attracts tourists from all over the world who arrive in the city between the 22nd of November until the 30th of December to enjoy it. The Liseberg amusement park is organized as a market each year with more than 5 million Christmas lights and 700 trees. It is located in the very center of Gothenburg and that makes it impossible to miss. There you can find more than 70 kiosks that sell traditional Swedish food, but also small gifts like socks and of course gløgg, the famous spiced mulled wine. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit Santa Claus in his wooden workshop to live the true Christmas experience.
