Europe transforms into a glittering winter wonderland every December when its legendary Christmas markets pop up in capital cities and small towns across the continent. From snow-dusted medieval squares to riverside promenades lit by fairy lights, these festive bazaars mix centuries of tradition with local food, artisan crafts and entertainment.
Whether you’re sipping mulled wine under the spires of Nuremberg or hunting for hand-carved ornaments in Prague, each of the best Christmas markets in Europe offers something a little bit different. Here’s our guide to the 24 most magical European markets to visit this winter.
Did you know Trafalgar has four epic Christmas market tours? There’s one focused just on German Christmas Markets, and another that bounces between the Christmas Markets of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In 2025 Trafalgar adds two Christmas river cruises – a Danube Christmas Markets journey, and a Rhine Christmas Markets cruise.
Nuremberg, Germany
Dating back to 1628, the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt is one of Europe’s oldest and most traditional Christmas fairs. Here you’ll find more than 180 stalls sell everything from hand-carved wooden toys to the city’s famous Nürnberger Lebkuchen (gingerbread), protected by EU law for being made only here. The scent of roasted almonds, sizzling bratwurst and spiced mulled wine from Franconian vineyards turns the medieval Hauptmarkt into a living time capsule of Bavarian Christmas.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s German Christmas Markets tour
Vienna, Austria
Vienna transforms into a glittering advent with more than 20 Christmas markets across the city! Tthe oldest dates back to 1298 when Albrecht I granted “December market” rights. The main spectacle unfolds at Rathausplatz, where an ice-skating trail winds past gothic spires and 150 chalets selling crystal ornaments, Sacherwürstel and mugs of spiced punsch.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Christmas Markets of Austria, Germany and Switzerland tour or the Danube Christmas Markets River Cruise
Prague, Czech Republic
Since the 15th century, Czechs have gathered between the Gothic Týn Church and the Astronomical Clock in Prague’s Old Town to sip svařák (mulled wine), watch folk choirs and nibble on spiraled trdelník pastries rolled in sugar and almonds. Wooden stalls sell delicate glass baubles and hand-carved nativity sets, while the towering spruce – sourced from a different Czech forest each year – glitters at the center.
Strasbourg, France
Established in 1570, Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik claims the title of Europe’s oldest Christmas market and cements the city’s reputation as the “Capital of Christmas.” Its 300+ chalets sprawl across the Grande Île, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, blending French elegance with Alsatian tradition – think bredele cookies, wooden storks and hot cups of vin chaud. What sets Strasbourg apart is its entertainment and atmosphere – think cathedral projections, carols echoing down timbered streets and a 30-meter Christmas tree shipped from the Vosges Mountains.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Rhine Christmas Markets River Cruise
Zagreb, Croatia
Croatia’s capital of Zagreb’s Advent festivities have exploded into one of the continent’s most acclaimed markets, even topping the “Best in Europe” list three years running. The festive fun sprawls from Ban Jelačić Square to the Zrinjevac Park, where fairy-lit trees frame ice rinks and you’ll find stalls serving štrukli (baked cheese pastry) and mulled plum brandy. Unlike most markets, Zagreb’s focuses on experience – open-air concerts, art installations, and a nostalgic tram that winds through the glowing heart of the city.
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Dresden, Germany
Founded in 1434, the Striezelmarkt is Germany’s oldest Christmas market, named after Striezel – the buttery fruitcake now known as Stollen. The air smells of candied almonds and pine, while a 14-meter wooden pyramid and the world’s largest nutcracker tower over stalls selling hand-turned Ore Mountain crafts.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s German Christmas Markets tour
Colmar, France
Colmar isn’t a huge destination – so its five Christmas markets turn the Alsatian town into a living snow globe of timbered houses and festivities. Each district of the town has its specialty, so you have to visit them all to find gourmet foie gras stalls, handmade ornaments or a children’s market with mechanical bears. Colmar is the closest you’ll get to stepping into a fairytale.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Rhine Christmas Markets River Cruise
Craiova, Romania
Craiova’s Christmas Fair has become a viral sensation, crowned “Europe’s Most Beautiful” for its kaleidoscopic lights and giant 3D installations. Centered in Mihai Viteazul Square, it combines Romanian folklore with modern spectacle – think glowing reindeer herds, regional pastries, and traditional carols echoing from Orthodox domes.
Salzburg, Austria
The Salzburg Christkindlmarkt began in the 15th century (!) at the foot of the cathedral. Choirs sing Mozart carols in the composer’s birthplace, while stalls sell hand-blown glass, Lebkuchenherzen and steaming Glühmost.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Danube Christmas Markets River Cruise
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Rothenburg, with its quaint cobblestone lanes and half-timbered houses that date back to the 15th century, becomes a real-life snow globe at Christmas. The Reiterlesmarkt transforms this already perfectly preserved medieval town with festivities. The market celebrates the mythical Reiterle – a ghostly horseman turned Christmas gift-bearer – and stalls overflow with marzipan, spiced wine and ornaments from the famed Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s German Christmas Markets tour
Kraków, Poland
Held in the centre of Krakow’s Old Town at Rynek Główny, Europe’s largest medieval square, Kraków’s market has a timeless feeling. As you’d expect the scent of pierogi, oscypek (a traditional Polish smoked cheese made from sheep milk) and spiced beer fill the air. Local artisans sell Bolesławiec pottery, hand-painted glass baubles and traditional szopki (intricate UNESCO-protected nativity scenes).
Cologne, Germany
Cologne goes all out with seven themed Christmas markets taking place in the city. The most striking unfolding beneath its UNESCO-listed cathedral’s twin spires – dreamy! Local brewers pour Kölsch while others sip steaming Glühwein. Artisans from across the Rhineland sell hand-blown glass and quirky angel figurines. This is one of Germany’s most photogenic holiday settings.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Rhine Christmas Markets River Cruise
Edinburgh, Scotland
Tartan trimmings, whisky-laced hot chocolate and ceilidh bands under the frost – Christmas in Edinburgh brings a festive feeling to beautiful Edinburgh. Beneath the dominating Edinburgh Castle a market pops up in Princes Street Gardens, with an ice rink spiraling around the Scott Monument. Stay long enough to catch the Hogmanay fireworks and New Year revelry.
Barcelona, Spain
At the Fira de Santa Llúcia in Barcelona, the Catalan Christmas takes a cheeky turn with Caga Tió – a smiling log that is “fed” sweets and then beaten until it “poops” gifts on Christmas Eve. Stalls around Barcelona Cathedral brim with nativity figures, handcrafted caganers (comic figurines) and citrus-scented garlands. The weather? Quite balmy, actually.
Munich, Germany
Munich’s Christkindlmarkt sprawls across Marienplatz, framed by the neo-Gothic New Town Hall and the distant Alps. Nowhere does Christmas markets quite like Germany, and the city’s Bavarian soul shines through Weißwurst, roasted chestnuts and Feuerzangenbowle – a special wine set ablaze with rum-soaked sugarloaf.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Christmas Markets of Austria, Germany and Switzerland tour
Tallinn, Estonia
Did you know Tallinn is where the world’s first public Christmas tree was erected in 1441? These days the festive fun continues, taking place in the same UNESCO-listed medieval square. Snow drapes the Hanseatic rooftops as locals sip hot blackcurrant wine and snack on elk sausages.
Basel, Switzerland
Basel’s Christmas market, spread between Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz, is Switzerland’s largest and arguably its most elegant. The red sandstone cathedral overlooks rows of fir-decked chalets selling Basler Läckerli (spiced honey biscuits) and hand-carved nativity figures. Inside find the city’s art museums extend the festive mood with winter exhibitions and candlelit tours.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Rhine Christmas Markets River Cruise
London, United Kingdom
Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland is part traditional carnival, part neon spectacle. Expect to find 200 chalets, ice slides, roller coasters and bratwurst smoke curling under the London Eye’s glow. Yes there’s some Bavarian influence, but you’ll find british twists like mulled Pimm’s and mince pies.
Bratislava, Slovakia
The aroma of lokše (potato pancakes), cigánska pečienka (garlic pork sandwiches) and steaming mulled wine laced with honey fill the air in Bratislava. The Slovakian capital’s medieval Old Town glows in red and gold, and Slovak artisans still sell wooden toys, hand-painted candles and lacework that trace back to the Austro-Hungarian era.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Danube Christmas Markets River Cruise
Riga, Latvia
Tallinn might have had the first public Christmas tree, but Riga claims the title of the world’s first decorated Christmas tree (1510). The city’s Christmas market honors that legend in the cobbled Dome Square with Baltic folk music and rows of pine-scented stalls. Locals warm up with grey peas and bacon, honey mead and hand-knit Latvians woolens.
Lucerne, Switzerland
Lucerne’s Christmas market hugs the Reuss River, framed by the Kapellbrücke and painted medieval facades. Stalls brim with artisan Swiss chocolates, hand-carved wooden toys and local lebkuchen, while the scent of raclette and roasted chestnuts drifts over the cobblestones. It makes the pretty place feel more like a cozy Alpine village.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Christmas Markets of Austria, Germany and Switzerland tour
Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig’s market is one of Germany’s oldest – since 1458 – and will take you back in tie. There’s a medieval zone where jugglers, blacksmiths and minstrels create a festival atmosphere from the past. Stalls brim with Saxon sausages, hand-carved ornaments and marzipan. Add to that carols and horse-drawn sleighs.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s German Christmas Markets tour
Innsbruck, Austria
Nestled in the heart of the Alps, Innsbruck’s Christmas market rolls out across the medieval Old Town where snow-capped peaks practically brush the rooftops. The charm is turned up to 100 here! Stalls brim with Tyrolean handicrafts, hand-painted ornaments and Speckknödel. It’s an alpine winter wonderland.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Christmas Markets of Austria, Germany and Switzerland tour
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest’s Vörösmarty Square market blends Austro-Hungarian traditions with Hungarian spice. Chimney cakes puff smoke into crisp winter air and lángos oozes garlic and cheese. Her artisans hawk hand-carved nativity sets alongside paprika-spiced sausages as the city lights bounce off the Danube and neo-Gothic façades. Expect live folk bands to turn the square into a buzzing, centuries-old Christmas carnival.
VISIT THIS MARKET: Trafalgar’s Danube Christmas Markets River Cruise
That’s our guide to the best Christmas markets in Europe. Have we missed any gems? Leave us a comment….