15 Best Christmas Markets In The World

Which Of These 15 Magical Christmas Markets Would You Visit?

It's the most, wonderful time, of the year.

Who doesn’t love Christmas?

The long nights nudging you into the comfort of extra blankets on the sofa and a warm crackling fireplace. The look on your loved ones faces as they open their presents, and best of all, the built in excuse that makes it socially acceptable to drink egg nog at 10am.

However, not all Christmases are made equal.

To truly capture the snowflaked magic of a fat bearded man breaking and entering your house, only to drop off an 18 month supply of aftershaves, perfume and socks, there’s only one place to go.

The Christmas Market!

Every country and culture has their own twist on how one should prepare for December 25th. Their own unique confectionaries to begin the inevitable holiday weight gain, their own charming courtesies that extend to your neighbours… so to make Christmas holidays extra special we’ve comprised a list of the 15 most magical Christmas markets!

1) Gotenburg, Sweden

How could we list the most epic Christmas Markets without including “The Christmas City”. The beauty of Gotenburg is there is more than 1 Christmas market. À la London is the quaint, rustic, wooden stalled market in the city’s old quarter.

When it comes to the king of Xmas markets in Sweden, Liseberg amusement park takes the mince pie. Ice skating, a fairytale big wheel, warm mulled wine from antiquated chateau’s, it’s the place you see when if close your eyes and imagine the perfect white Chritmas. It’s guaranteed to dazzle.

Close to 5,000,000 lights will attest to that.

2) Bath, England

An ethereal labyrinth of wooden chalets, buzzing with christmas shoppers under the gothic spires of Bath Abbey. Welcome to England’s take on a traditional German Chritmas market. With noise cancelling headphones on you’d be forgiven for mistaking this as a Bavarian festive frolic.

3) Bremen, Germany

The Bremen Weihnachtsmarkt has a medieval German charm that feels quintessentially Christmassy. One glance at the 170 stalls and period buildings let’s you know, if Saint Nicholas was to up sticks from Lapland and consider emigrating to Europe, Bremen would certainly be one of the destinations shortlisted by his realtor.

4) Copenhagen, Denmark

Not quite the same scale as some of the larger Christmas markets, the Danish capital hosts a breathtaking string of charming stalls in Tivoli Gardens. The amusement park is charming enough to make a stuttering nervous date look like a festive lothario.

We also recommend to try the Danish equivalent of high tea at Marchal for an extra local taste of Scandinavian Christmas.

Dresden, Germany

You may notice a theme by now. This isn't our first offering from Deutschland. Germany is top of the mince pie food chain when it comes to Christmas markets. Striezelmarkt has as much history as it does wintered charm dating back almost 600 years to 1434. The bratwurst are bavarian bonafide brilliance and the Striezel is a German sweet bread that would make Jamie Oliver proud.

6) Helsinki, Finland

If you’ve been dreaming of a white Christmas, Helsinki will supply your slumber's hopes as the snowfall in the region makes a white Christmas a formality. This is also the perfect platform for a holiday journey all the way to Lapland! Peruse the 100+ stores in Finlands festive playground, and then head north to reindeers, Santa’s grotto and perhaps even tick off the Northern Lights whilst you’re there.

7) Innsbruck, Austria

If you’d like some white knuckle’s to compliment the white snow, then you can head to the Austrian Alps of Innsbruck. High above the city is the Hungerburg Christmas Market, overlooking the Alpine architecture below.

The centre of Inssbruck also hosts the Old Town, a medieval throwback fringed by snow covered mountains and cobblestoned streets. The aesthetics alone make Innsbruck a special festive destination.

Your Personalised Christmas Market Adventure

With Bookitlist, you can get your own holiday personalised by our friendly travel experts. Just let us know a few details from clicking the button below, and our team of experts will do all the legwork to make your Christmas Market Holiday Magical!

Start Here

8) New York, USA

Whilst Europe has a age old tradition of festive customs, New York adds the bright lights and American hubris from the city that never sleeps. There’s something about New York that resonates so well with Christmas time. The snowfall, the steam rising from the street grates, the Winter Village with more gifts than Santa’s factory and an ice rink fit for a fairytale. Welcome to a different take on “The Big Apple”. This is the Big Apple ran through a juicer, heated by the warmth of it’s locals and fermented into mulled cider.

9) Nuremberg, Germany

Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt’s name alone is enough to invoke a sense of festive spirit. 200+ stalls offering Bavarian snacks and trinkets. There’s enough on show to lose a couple of days sifting through the stalls, getting lost in a gingerbread maze of sweets and treats. You can almost taste the history of the market dating back to the 17th century with every bite of sausage.

10) Prague, Czech Republic

Even on a hot summers day, Charles Bridge’s gothic details looming over the Vlatva river holds a wintery atmosphere. It’s no surprise that by December the city looks like a Dickensian novel’s backdrop with all of the rustic Christmas charm one would expect from a city as ornate and medieval as Prague.

The market in the Old Town Square is the largest and most popular with it’s decadent trimmings. The gothic architecture and beloved local Medovina (a type of honey wine) can warm your spirit as fast as your tummy.

11) Riga, Latvia

If you listen to the locals, Latvians will tell you Riga housed the world’s first ever decorated Christmas tree. The tree in the heart of Riga’s Old Town Market stands tall, almost proud of it’s long storied lineage. The fusion of Christian and Pagan traditions make for a uniquely Latvian market affair. There are a handful of markets dotted around the capital, none of which have outgrown their warming communal feel.

The Cathedral Square market is it’s most traditional with gingerbread cookies and woolen jumpers sporting patterns animated enough to have been lifted straight out of a Tom ‘N Jerry Christmas speical.

12) Strasbourg, France

It may be 13th on the list but anyone visiting would be lucky to be there. Cobbled streets. Half timbered houses. Candle flames dancing along the canals. There’s something pure about the aesthetics of Strasbourg this time of year.

A whopping 300+ wooden chalets are strung along the cobbled streets, dazzling like baubles on a Christmas tree. Despite it’s diminutive stature, the city’s appetite for Christmas is generous with no less than 11 markets on offer! If you can’t find the perfect gift for someone here, perhaps it’s time to admit defeat and settle for the uninspired choice of vouchers for their favourite store.

13) Vienna, Austria

The home of Mozart provides a melodic choir of christmas bells and crackling fireplaces, roasting nuts and various cuts of meat for the famished shoppers passing by. The carols ring out over the fragrance of warm Austrain cookies, and those on a diet need not bother resisting temptation. The plethora of confectionaries will whisper in your ear, and sweet talk to your sweet tooth until your whiskers deep in a delicious bun of some sort.

14) Lapland, Finland

Rovaniemi boasts a trick up it’s Santa’s outfit sleeve. The Santa Claus village! It serves as a year round Christmas market of sorts where you can visit mid-July and still get all of the festive feels you’d have exchanging gifts at home whilst watching Home Alone 2 and sipping mulled wine. Where else can you buy gifts, and then go and ride on a reindeer sleigh for a true Saint Nicholas experience?! For families this is without doubt the most "magical" Christmas market of them all.

15) Edinburgh, Scotland

The UKs creative capital adds its unmistakable Celtic charm to the holiday season. The Big Wheel and Carousels help bring out the inner child in all of us, and the oval skating rink in St Andrews Square should help you burn enough calories to work up an appetite for scotch eggs and Bavarian sausages.

There’s also a special Santa Land for the wee ones, with 6 rides to keep them entertained and hopefully, wear them out enough to give you a few minutes of peace whilst browsing the offerings. The torchlight procession at the Hogmanay is a sight to behold and is well worth a watch if you’re able to stay around for nightfall.

Your Personalised Christmas Market Adventure

With Bookitlist, you can get your own holiday personalised by our friendly travel experts. Just let us know a few details from clicking the button below, and our team of experts will do all the legwork to make your Christmas Market Holiday Magical!

Start Here