Recommendations for European Christmas markets

[Lookinagain]

Hi, I'm looking for recommendations for European Christmas markets. Pre-Covid, for about 10 or so years, we always made a trip to the markets. I've been to a lot of them (Vienna, Budapest, Strasbourg, Colmar, Cologne, Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich, Salzburg, Stuttgart, Basel, and probably a few more). So now I'm looking for a new one. Can anyone suggest their favorites that I have not already listed? I've thought about Frankfurt as I can fly there non-stop, as can my travel partner who is coming from Orlando. What about London? How do their markets compare? Any thoughts would be appreciated as I'm kind of stumped about where to go next. But am looking forward to start that tradition again.

 

[asterismdispersion]

I happened to have been in Switzerland and Germany just briefly a year ago. On the train ride to Münster, I passed through Freiburg, on the edge of the Black Forest. If I were going to a Christmas market I would choose that one, the city looked stunning, and I was told by my Swiss traveling companion that it has a great Christmas market in the winter. Granted, they were probably more familiar with Freiburg since it is quite far southeast in Germany and thus close to where they are in Switzerland...but I thought I'd throw it out there for you due to the charm and romance intriguing me.

 

[Lookinagain]

I happened to have been in Switzerland and Germany just briefly a year ago. On the train ride to Münster, I passed through Freiburg, on the edge of the Black Forest. If I were going to a Christmas market I would choose that one, the city looked stunning, and I was told by my Swiss traveling companion that it has a great Christmas market in the winter. Granted, they were probably more familiar with Freiburg since it is quite far southeast in Germany and thus close to where they are in Switzerland...but I thought I'd throw it out there for you due to the charm and romance intriguing me.

Thank you. I'll check into that one to see if it would be a good base and then could also do a day trip or two to visit other markets in the area.

 

[lala646]

Here's a nice article: https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-christmas-markets-in-europe

Zagreb sounds like it has quite a pedigree. Prague and Wroclaw both look like they could be great as well.

 

[FL_runner]

I’m interested to read the responses! I’ve visited some of the ones you mention i Germany and Austria but would love to hear about other ideas! My friends who have visited Prague have all loved it, but did not specifically travel around the holidays.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Montreux has a lovely one, probably one of the most famous in Switzerland! I also liked the one in Zurich when I went. While I haven’t been, I believe that Bern has 3 of them and all 3 are walking distance of each other and have a different theme/purpose.

You could fly into Frankfurt and take a connecting flight to Zurich (or fly into Zurich directly) and make that your base, the other two would be day trips of a couple hours one way and the Swiss trains are wonderfully punctual and comfortable.

 

[dk168]

I have never heard of London being a destination of choice for a Christmas Market, however, it is not the type of events that I would attend.

I attended the Christmas Market in the city of Bath some years ago pre-Covid, and thought it was full of expensive tats, sorry!

Too crowded and too expensive for my liking. Tiny block of "handmade artisan" fudge was 10.00 GBP!!! Never again!

DK the Grinch

 

[Lookinagain]

Here's a nice article: https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-christmas-markets-in-europe

Zagreb sounds like it has quite a pedigree. Prague and Wroclaw both look like they could be great as well.

I've been to the markets in Prague (and also visited Prague at other times of the year). Although I love Prague as a city, I didn't think their markets were a match for some of the others. I've also been to Wroclaw, but not to the markets. It's a lovely place, so that might be a possibility. Thanks.

Montreux has a lovely one, probably one of the most famous in Switzerland! I also liked the one in Zurich when I went. While I haven’t been, I believe that Bern has 3 of them and all 3 are walking distance of each other and have a different theme/purpose.

You could fly into Frankfurt and take a connecting flight to Zurich (or fly into Zurich directly) and make that your base, the other two would be day trips of a couple hours one way and the Swiss trains are wonderfully punctual and comfortable.

I'll check into Montreux. Thank you.
Zurich is a possibility and another place I can fly to non-stop. I've never been to the markets there. I have been to the ones in Bern as a day trip from Basel.

I have never heard of London being a destination of choice for a Christmas Market, however, it is not the type of events that I would attend.

I attended the Christmas Market in the city of Bath some years ago pre-Covid, and thought it was full of expensive tats, sorry!

Too crowded and too expensive for my liking. Tiny block of "handmade artisan" fudge was 10.00 GBP!!! Never again!

DK the Grinch

Agree about London, but after checking things out, they do have several markets and I've been to many of the ones in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and parts of France. I'm hoping someone who has been to the ones in London can respond, especially if they are able to compare them to some of the wonderful ones in the other countries. London only came up because it's easy to get to from where I am and also from Orlando. These are usually fairly short trips so places that we can both fly to non-stop will be top of the list, which is why Frankfurt was where we first considered.

I think I'm also going to check into Copenhagen.

 

[Ally T]

I don’t think London do Christmas Markets, but Manchester does & it’s fabulous! Highly recommend of you can get to the North West of England.

 

[Lookinagain]

I don’t think London do Christmas Markets, but Manchester does & it’s fabulous! Highly recommend of you can get to the North West of England.

Hi, Thanks for the recommendation of Manchester. Just to note that London does have markets, apparently several. That's the main reason we were considering it. Easy to get to and several markets. But what I don't know is if they are "good" markets like what I've seen in places like Vienna, Strasbourg, Berlin, etc.

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/whats-on/christmas/best-christmas-markets-in-london

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

LOVE Copenhagen, but its been years....

cheers--Sharon

 

[Aryana]

Hi. I love Christmas markets! We went pre-pandemic for 2 years and are hoping to make it back this year. We tend to like the markets that are in scenic locations. I never seem to purchase much at the markets but just love the atmosphere. The first year we flew from San Francisco into Frankfurt and the return was from Munich. I didn't spend much time in Frankfurt so I don't have much of an opinion. We also went to Bamberg (cute but smaller), Rothenburg ob der Tauber (LOVE Rothenburg and thought the market was nice), Nuremberg, Regensburg (liked the Romantic Market at Thurn & Taxis Palace), Salzburg and Munich. The second year was some repeats of the previous year plus Vienna, Innsbruck (not as big as I expected but there were several different markets) and some smaller markets. We had a car part of the time and we based a few days in Munich and took the train for day trips to Salzburg, Innsbruck and Regensburg.

For this year I am thinking perhaps Berlin or Strasbourg areas. I would love to hear your opinions of those markets.

 

[mrs-b]

@Lookinagain -

Please excuse my ignorance - but can you pls explain what a Christmas market is? Is it different from normal street markets?

And - given what a lover of Christmas I am - are there Christmas markets in Canada? I've heard that Montreal is beautiful for Christmas. Or is there anything you know of in Nova Scotia? I'm not a huge fan of traveling long distances, but Eastern Canada I could manage....

ETA Would you consider Edinburgh? I just looked up Christmas markets, and apparently Edinburgh's are very good. I've been there in December and it's pretty magical. Also - my God son was in Florence for Christmas and his photos showed gorgeous decorations all throughout the city. I remember him saying at the time that they had a lot of markets specifically for Christmas.

 

[Ally T]

@Lookinagain -

Please excuse my ignorance - but can you pls explain what a Christmas market is? Is it different from normal street markets?

And - given what a lover of Christmas I am - are there Christmas markets in Canada? I've heard that Montreal is beautiful for Christmas. Or is there anything you know of in Nova Scotia? I'm not a huge fan of traveling long distances, but Eastern Canada I could manage....

ETA Would you consider Edinburgh? I just looked up Christmas markets, and apparently Edinburgh's are very good. I've been there in December and it's pretty magical. Also - my God son was in Florence for Christmas and his photos showed gorgeous decorations all throughout the city. I remember him saying at the time that they had a lot of markets specifically for Christmas.

You need to get yourself to a Christmas Market! You would LOVE them! Sparkly Christmas trinkets, baubles, glitter, mulled wine - very festive & fabulous x

 

[Lookinagain]

@Lookinagain -

Please excuse my ignorance - but can you pls explain what a Christmas market is? Is it different from normal street markets?

And - given what a lover of Christmas I am - are there Christmas markets in Canada? I've heard that Montreal is beautiful for Christmas. Or is there anything you know of in Nova Scotia? I'm not a huge fan of traveling long distances, but Eastern Canada I could manage....

ETA Would you consider Edinburgh? I just looked up Christmas markets, and apparently Edinburgh's are very good. I've been there in December and it's pretty magical. Also - my God son was in Florence for Christmas and his photos showed gorgeous decorations all throughout the city. I remember him saying at the time that they had a lot of markets specifically for Christmas.

Hi, to me they are definitely different than normal street markets. They are very "Christmasy" (if that's a word). Lots of stalls with decorations, hand crafted items, mulled wines, etc. Depending on where you go there could be ice skating rinks, or huts with raclette or fondue, or other local foods. Some of the towns/cities have a lot of the buildings decorated.

I've never checked into whether there are any in Canada but a quick look tells me Montreal (which is probably easiest for you) has several.

Christmas Markets in Montreal

With a variety of cozy Christmas markets scattered across the downtown, the Christmas season is probably the best time to visit Montréal. The famous Le Grand Marché de Noël de Montréal taking place at the Quartier des Shows is surely a must. Besides, you can experience the magic of holiday shopping

rove.me

As far as Edinburgh, yes, I'd consider that. My best friend's daughter actually lives there, and we are planning on visiting in the spring, so that's why I've not considered it.
I've never been to any of the markets in Italy. I wonder if they are different because of the culture? That might be interesting. I'll check into those too.

Honestly, since you love Christmas so much, you really should go to the markets, they can really get you into the holiday spirit.

Here are a few pictures of various markets that I've been to so that you can get an idea.


This is one of the markets in Cologne (Koln)



St. Nick in Salzburg



decorated building in Strasbourg



Ice rink in Berlin.

And a couple more

 

[Lookinagain]

For this year I am thinking perhaps Berlin or Strasbourg areas. I would love to hear your opinions of those markets.

Those are two of my favorites. Berlin has a lot of markets, all different kinds. So you really can just stay there and visit the markets, and also some of the other really interesting places. You can go to Museum Island and visit. Unfortunately, I think the Pergamon Museum is still closed for renovations, as it is worth seeing. But there's lots more. I found the Check Point Charlie museum very interesting too.

Strasbourg is wonderful for Christmas. They beautifully decorate the buildings around the markets. When I've been there for Christmas, we've usually stayed in Basel and then done day trips to Strasbourg and Colmar. I think I also went there when in Stuttgart which also has nice markets. So anything in that area where you can go to some of the surrounding markets would make a nice trip.

 

[ShinyPink]

Question for all: I've been to most of the locations where the markets are, never at Christmas, and most were on river cruises. Would you suggest renting a car and driving to the markets or doing a Christmas market river cruise? I'm thinking the cruise is redundant but offers the night scenery and is easy, yet driving lets us go to areas not near the Danube or Rhine at our own pace plus might be less expensive. Thoughts?

 

[Lookinagain]

I have never taken any of the river cruises since most of them stop at places I've been to many times. But if you haven't been to any of the Christmas markets in those places, and like the idea of a cruise, that might work even if you been there, since the markets really change the ambiance of a place. You can certainly rent a car and visit multiple markets from a "home base" or by moving around. If you prefer using a home base (which is usually what we've done) you can also get to most of the market towns in a general area by an easy train ride. So either by car or train should work. Do you have a general area you think you might want to go to? Or at least which country?

 

[ShinyPink]

@Lookinagain Thank you for the reply! I would love to see the Vienna market but I also love, love, love Strasbourg and Colmar! Different rivers though. I guess I should research what driving entails time-wise. I've done a lot of driving in Europe, so it's not an issue- parking is!!!!
What location did you use for a base?

 

[Lookinagain]

Yes, parking can be difficult. We've done it, but trains are easier.

Vienna has several markets in the city and you can take a train to Schonbrunn palace outside of the city which also has (or at least had the few times I was there for the markets) a very nice market. So depending on how long you plan on being gone, you can definitely spend at least a few days in Vienna. My trips are usually fairly short, around 4-5 days, so when going to Vienna, I didn't go to other places. But I've been to Melk Abbey which isn't too far away, and I think they also have a market.

For other areas, I've used Munich as a base and from there taken the train for day trips to Salzburg and also Nuremberg, which both have very nice markets.

I've stayed in Cologne and gone to Bonn and Dusseldorf, and Aachen

As mentioned, Berlin has a lot of it's own markets so we didn't leave Berlin to travel around. And again, Basel to also see Strasbourge and Colmar. We've also used Stuttgart as a base

I've been to the markets in Budapest and Prague as well, but those were one city trips, like Berlin.
I'm sure I've left some out. I was making that trip every year for about 15 or more years and only stopped when Covid hit. Now I'm trying to get back into the swing of it.

 

[ShinyPink]

Goodness! SO much to think about! I truly appreciate your help - and sorry to have changed the focus to you helping us!

 

[Lookinagain]

Goodness! SO much to think about! I truly appreciate your help - and sorry to have changed the focus to you helping us!

No problem. I'm happy to share what I know. I'm still trying to figure out what I may do, and haven't settled on a place yet. If you do, please let us know. I really do miss going to these markets, they just really put you in the holiday spirit.

 

[Aryana]

I have only been to European Christmas markets twice, pre-pandemic, but I’ll share what we did. Lookinagain has a lot of good suggestions and way more experience visiting the markets. We rent a car for part of our trips, but we do not keep the car in larger cities so that makes parking easier. On our first trip we had a car for Bamberg, Rothenburg, Nuremberg, and a few smaller markets. We returned the car in Munich and did day trips by train to Salzburg and Regensberg. On the second trip we took the train from Vienna and stopped in Salzburg a few days and then continued to Germany where we picked up a car. We drove to Rothenburg, Nuremberg, Dinklesbuhl and a few other small ones and then returned the car in Munich where we took a day trip to Innsbruck by train. We used to live in Chicago so we are familiar with driving in snow, but that is something to consider. Our second year we didn’t encounter snow but the first year had some.

I have never done the riverboats. We like markets in scenic areas and not everywhere we wanted was easily accessible by train. The markets are magical in the evenings and I like to go at my own pace. But it would be nice to not change hotels every few days. We bounce around quite a bit but we were there for 12 days. We try to spend a few nights at each location but there are times when it is a single night. We enjoy the atmosphere, sausages, lebkuchen and gluhwein!

Here are a few pictures from different markets.