The best European Christmas markets
It’s officially festive season; Christmas films are being shown everywhere, Michael Bublé is warming up his vocal cords and John Lewis has already pulled out another tear-jerking advert. It’s also the time of year when most European cities use everything in their arsenal to create the most exciting and unique Christmas market. We’ve created a list of the best European Christmas markets in 2019 – which one will you be exploring this year?
Tallinn, Estonia
Opening dates: From 15th November 2019 to 7th January 2020, 10:00 - 19:00
As one of the most renowned Christmas markets in Europe, Tallinn Christmas Market is held at the Town Hall Square. The Tallinn market offers special Estonian Christmas cuisine, from black pudding and sour cabbage to gingerbread and hot Christmas drinks, as well as various high-quality handicrafts. The Christmas tree in front of the town hall is the star of Tallinn, which has been there since 1441, making it the first Christmas tree to ever be displayed in Europe.
Plus, Estonia on the cheaper end of the European city scale, meaning you can get more for your money whilst there!
https://www.visitestonia.com/en/tallinn-christmas-market
Budapest, Hungary
Opening dates: From 22nd November 2019 to 1st January 2020
The five-week Advent Feast at the Basilica in Budapest ticks every festive box. Head to the Budapest Christmas Fair and Winter Festival for all-round family entertainment, from 3D laser projections against the Basilica to artificial ice-skating rinks. The organizers of this event turn Budapest’s grandest cathedral into a shining fairy-tale land with a towering Christmas tree, festive decorations and colourful lights. Enjoying a cup of mulled wine and a bite of sweet chimney cake from the market is an ideal way of entering the Christmas season.
Caxton Tip: if you’re in Budapest on January 1st, stop by the fair for some lencseleves or lentil soup, which is the traditional cuisine in Hungary for New Year’s Day and a symbol of prosperity for the coming year.
Vienna, Austria
Opening dates: From 15th November to 26th December 2019
Why not enter the festive cheer with the beautiful landscape of Vienna as the backdrop? At this time of year, the city of Vienna is teeming with tinkling market stalls and majestic architecture. The market itself is erected in front of the Viennese City Hall, which also includes a dedicated area for children in the grounds of the building. It has everything from reindeer rides to an ice rink for skating and curling, plus a Ferris wheel and old-fashioned merry-go-round. Delicious foods, festive decorations, sweets, Christmas gifts, a carousel and craft workshops are awaiting you here!
Caxton Tip: You can listen to international choirs singing carols with free entrance on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
https://www.wienerweihnachtstraum.at/en/viennese-christmas-market-and-ice-dream/
Aachen, Germany
Opening dates: From 22nd November to 23rd December 2019
When you think of German Christmas markets, typically people’s thoughts land straight to Berlin, Cologne or Dusseldorf. A less known but just as lively Christmas market is that of Aachen. Aachen is the westernmost city in Germany and located near the border of Belgium and the Netherlands, meaning that it is Germany's nearest Christmas Market to the UK and can easily be reached from London in less than 4 hours by train. Its brightly lit festive market is set around the cathedral and town hall, which turns Aachen into its own Christmas village. It offers a wide variety of traditional foods, however, one local speciality that visitors must try is the Aachen Printen cake, which is a kind of gingerbread.
https://www.aachen-tourismus.de/en/discover/events/aachen-christmas-market/
Prague, Czech Republic
Opening dates: 30th November 2019 to 6th January 2020
Prague is one of the most well-known and most visited Christmas markets in Europe, tempting thousands of travellers from all over the world each year. The unforgettable and unique atmosphere of the medieval central Prague makes the Christmas market at the Old Town Square very popular. The Prague Christmas markets consist of decorated wooden huts stocked with local handicrafts, delicate souvenirs and traditional Christmas treats. If you want some local speciality, try one of the famous Czech beers such as Pilsner Urquell, Staropramen or Budvar. Also, Prague is rated as one of the cheapest places to enjoy a European city break so save some coins and visit here!
https://www.pragueexperience.com/events/christmas-markets.asp
Strasbourg, France
Opening dates: 22 November to 30 December 2019
The Strasbourg Christmas market is one of the oldest in Europe, having been around since 1570. Every year before Christmas, the Cathedral square and Place Broglie become a festive paradise of twinkling lights, colours, festival sounds and seductive fragrances. With the famous Christmas tree, wooden chalets, hot drinks and bredele, the Strasbourg’s Christmas Market has more than 300 stalls for the public to enjoy. The Strasbourg market in particular was rewarded twice with the prize for The European Best Christmas Market in 2014 and 2015; it would be silly to not include it on our list!
https://noel.strasbourg.eu/en/le-marche-de-noel-une-success-story-de-1570-a-nos-jours
Travel Money
Before jetting off to explore some Christmas markets, make sure to load your Caxton multi-currency card to lock in the best exchange rates prior to your travel. Most markets accept contactless cards nowadays, so you can use your Caxton to make purchases on the go, to enable you to enjoy stress-free spending over this Christmas period.
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