Top christmas markets and festive destinations
Top christmas markets and festive destinations
Traditional holiday markets and festive towns
The European Christmas market tradition has spread well beyond its origins, but the destinations that do it best still combine centuries of history with the scale to make a single market a destination in itself: mulled wine, wooden stalls and a town square transformed for several weeks each winter.
The destinations on this list range from medieval market towns with traditions going back hundreds of years to larger cities running multiple markets simultaneously across different neighbourhoods. Some are intimate and easily covered in an evening. Others need a full day or more. Many towns also hold a special opening ceremony on the first evening, which is worth timing a visit around if possible.
Weekday evenings tend to offer the best balance of atmosphere and manageable crowds, while the final weekends before Christmas are usually busiest.
Lists by region
City
New York City
Five boroughs of skyline, food and museums
The Rockefeller Center tree stands 70 feet tall and shines with tens of thousands of lights. The tree stands above the ice rink and golden statue. Bryant Park Winter Village has a free ice rink and dozens of small shops. Radio City hosts the Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes.
Country
Singapore
Tropical city-state of hawker food and gardens
Orchard Road has held a Christmas light up since 1984. Displays run along the shopping street from mid November to early January. Warm evenings mean visitors can stroll outside in shirt sleeves. Gardens by the Bay adds a Christmas Wonderland with a huge glowing tree.
City in Japan
Tokyo
Japan's capital of temples, towers and food
Millions of Japanese families order KFC chicken for Christmas after a 1974 campaign. Restaurants take orders weeks ahead and stores sell strawberry shortcakes. The Marunouchi avenue of ginkgo trees sparkles with thousands of gold lights. Roppongi Hills has a light show and a small Christmas market.
City in Germany
Munich
Bavarian capital of beer gardens and museums
The Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz has roots that go back to the 1300s. A tall tree stands before the neo Gothic town hall and its glockenspiel. Visitors can eat roasted almonds and drink gluehwein, hot spiced wine. Stalls sell hand carved nativity figures and old fashioned wooden toys.
City in Germany
Hamburg
Port city with warehouses and the Elbphilharmonie
The Rathausmarkt market fills the square in front of the neo Renaissance town hall. A giant tree lights up the front of the town hall each Advent. Feuerzangenbowle, a hot punch poured over a flaming sugar loaf, is a local treat. Santa Pauli, a market for adults, opens near the Reeperbahn.
City in Germany
Cologne
Gothic cathedral, Roman ruins and Kölsch
Twin spires of Cologne Cathedral rise above the Domplatz Christmas market. A huge tree covered in lights stands in the middle of the square. The Angel Market on Neumarkt fills with candles and hand blown glass. Visitors can buy roasted almonds and warm gingerbread hearts.
City in Germany
Frankfurt am Main
Skyline, apple wine and a rebuilt old town
A giant Christmas tree rises above Romerberg square in front of the old town hall. The market has been held on this square for centuries. Visitors can eat Bethmaennchen, small marzipan balls with almonds on top. Stalls also sell hot apple wine, grilled sausages and roasted nuts.
City in Germany
Nuremberg
Imperial castle, gingerbread and Christmas market
A girl dressed as the Christkind opens the market from the Frauenkirche balcony. She wears golden curls and a gold crown while she reads a prologue. Stalls sell soft Lebkuchen gingerbread and Zwetschgenmaennle, figures made of prunes. Visitors drink hot spiced wine from souvenir mugs each year.
City in Germany
Leipzig
Bach, music and a lively creative scene
Bach's Christmas Oratorio premiered at St Thomas Church in December 1734. Concerts of the piece still fill Leipzig's churches each Advent. The market around the old town hall dates to 1458. Visitors can ride a Ferris wheel and eat Leipziger Lerche, a nut filled pastry.
City in Germany
Freiburg im Breisgau
Sunny Black Forest gateway with a Gothic minster
Christmas stalls fill Munsterplatz square in Freiburg beside the tall cathedral spire. The open work sandstone spire rises about 116 meters. Visitors can taste Black Forest ham and warm spiced wine at small huts. Stalls also sell wooden toys and cuckoo clocks while old gates frame the cobbled lanes.
City in Germany
Dresden
Baroque Elbe city rebuilt from the ruins
The Striezelmarkt in Dresden dates to 1434, making it one of the oldest German Christmas markets. Each December a giant stollen weighing several tons is paraded through the city. Bakers cut it into slices sold to raise money. Prune figures called Pflaumentoffel stand on many stalls.
City in Germany
Lübeck
Brick towers, marzipan and Hanseatic history
The Niederegger shop has sold marzipan in this town since 1806. Its cafe serves marzipan cakes and hot chocolate near the town hall. The red brick Holstentor gate guards the old town, a UNESCO site. Christmas stalls sell marzipan figures and hand blown glass ornaments.
City in Germany
Heidelberg
Castle ruin above the Neckar and old town
A ruined red sandstone castle looks down on the Christmas stalls of the old town. Stalls line Marktplatz and Universitatsplatz squares with wooden huts and lights. Visitors can skate on an ice rink at Karlsplatz. Mulled wine and baked apples warm the crowds in the narrow streets.
Town in Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Half-timbered streets and a walkable town wall
The Reiterlesmarkt, named for a small rider figure, fills the old market square. Schneeballen, crisp pastry balls dusted with sugar, are a local Christmas treat. Visitors can join a night watchman tour through the dark lanes at dusk. Half timbered houses glow beneath lit garlands and snow on the roofs.
City in Germany
Aachen
Charlemagne's cathedral and hot springs
Charlemagne's cathedral, a UNESCO site, rises above the Christmas market in the old town. Wooden stalls fill the streets around it and the historic town hall. Visitors can buy Aachener Printen, a hard spiced gingerbread, in gift tins. The smell of mulled wine and roasted almonds drifts across the cobblestones.
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