A Winter Tour of Eight European Christmas Markets

Most European Christmas markets open about a month before the holiday, so the season begins while the last leaves are still falling. I have stood in them in Germany and Switzerland, and I have listened to friends describe the ones I have not reached yet. What follows is that combined experience: eight cities, each described by someone who has walked the stalls, eaten the food and, in most cases, gone back the following year.

Read it as a set of invitations rather than a ranking. The market that suits a family on a weekend break is rarely the one a solo traveller wants on a cold Tuesday, and the biggest event is seldom the one with the best food. Pick the city that fits the trip you are actually planning, and leave an hour free for the stall you did not expect to find.

Cologne and Bonn: glühwein by the cathedral

My first Christmas market was in Bonn, where I was studying, and first encounters with another culture tend to stay with you. Bonn, the former capital of West Germany, is about 20 minutes from Cologne. Cologne has seven markets, which is a lot even by German standards, and one of them begins the moment you leave the central station, directly outside the Cathedral. I drank Glühwein, ate dumplings and waffles, and bought souvenirs and presents for my family in India. Four years on, I still have the Bonn Glühwein mug and a glass with my name etched into it. The decorations are what I remember most: candles, angels, handicrafts and lights. There is an ice-skating rink in Cologne as well, a good way to break up an afternoon among the stalls. I wrote more about the country in my guide to the best Christmas markets in Germany.

Basel: gingerbread and Santas on motorbikes

Basel sits where Germany, Switzerland and France meet, and its market spreads between Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz. It is said to be one of the largest and oldest in Switzerland, with more than 100 stalls. The Old Town fills with lights, the smell of Glühwein and warm food, a large Christmas tree and handmade decorations by Johann Waner, who is well known for them. The Mittlere Brücke is lit for the season too, which gives you another reason to walk along the river after dark.

Eat something warm: raclette, fondue or plain sausages, then try Laeckerli, the local gingerbread, which comes with several coatings. The city runs special Christmas tours during Advent as well. My favourite moment, though, is the first Saturday of December, when dozens of Santa Clauses ride Harley Davidsons through the centre. I will be there again on 5 December. For anyone moving to the region, I have also written about getting around Basel.

London: a festive village on the South Bank

London had been on my list for years and one short visit was nowhere near enough. I keep ideas on a ‘London moments’ board and watch for events, offers and news about the Harry Potter play. If you go in winter, short-term lets in London can make the stay more affordable.

Shannon of soleseeking.com describes the South Bank Centre market as a small festive village inside a busy city. You cross Waterloo Bridge with the Thames stretching away below, then follow the music of the merry-go-round and the smell of food down to Queen’s Walk. The crossing is half the experience, especially after dark. A mug of mulled wine warms your hands, and roasting chestnuts pull you past wooden stalls selling handmade crafts, biscuits, fudge and woollen knits. The river catches the lights of the market, the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament, and for once nobody is thinking about politics. Facebook | Twitter

Brussels: chocolate, skating and a tree from Riga

Simone and Dan of The Aussie Flashpacker spent last December eating, shopping, sightseeing, drinking, ice skating and eating again. The markets are spread across the city but stay within walking distance of one another. Each year a different city donates the tree that stands in the Grand Place, the central square, and this year it came from Riga. There is plenty for families, couples and solo travellers, and the chocolate earns its reputation: the shop windows alone justify a slow wander. It is also an easy train ride from London. Twitter | Facebook

Budapest: shopping approved by a jury

Shandos Cleaver of Travelnuity counts the market in Vörösmarty Square, in Budapest’s 5th District, among her favourites in Europe. The food is the usual good news: lángos, the deep-fried flatbread, kürtős kalács, the chimney cake, mulled wine and stronger hot drinks. What sets it apart is the shopping. Every stall has to be approved by a jury of folk art experts, so the goods are unique and locally made rather than mass-produced: ceramic and glass ornaments, hand-crafted notebooks, delicate leatherwork. You arrive for lunch and leave with something you had not planned to buy. Twitter | Facebook

Vienna: where strangers talk to each other

Nikoleta of The Bonfire Dream has visited many markets and says none held her attention like Vienna’s. The main ones stand in front of the Rathaus, the city hall, with smaller versions scattered across the city. They are thematic and varied, yet always feel like Christmas. Most people there are happy to talk, which makes them excellent for solo travellers, and the crowd is international enough that most European languages, and several from further away, are spoken; German and English are not essential. Facebook | Twitter

Birmingham: Frankfurt comes to England

From mid-November, the main street through Birmingham’s centre becomes a German market. The stallholders travel from Frankfurt and stay until 23 December, bringing a German Christmas to the UK. It is the city’s biggest event of the year, visited by millions, and the largest outdoor market in the country, with more than 180 stalls selling decorations, speciality chocolates, cakes and other German goods. One stall even has a giant Advent calendar built into it. Hannah of Hannah International says the best way to enjoy it is to wrap up warm, go in the evening, order a half-metre bratwurst with a tankard of German beer or a mug of Glühwein, and listen to the live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Twitter | Instagram

Malta: Christmas in the sun

For festivities without the cold or the expense, Inma of A World to Travel recommends Malta in Winter, where Mediterranean weather comes free with the celebrations. She has been twice, both times in autumn or winter: the first trip on public transport and by hitchhiking, the second sailing Maltese waters for five days on a yacht with other travellers. In December, Valletta’s streets are lit and vendors sell everything you need to decorate a home and fill a stomach in Christmas fashion. Mild air and a sea view make a pleasant change from gloves and slush. Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

What the eight have in common is simple: something hot to drink, something sweet or fried to eat, and a stall selling an object you cannot quite justify buying. What changes is the setting, whether a cathedral square, a river bank or a sunlit Mediterranean street, and the reason you remember it afterwards.

Which one fits your trip?

• Travelling alone: Vienna, where conversation comes easily.
• With children: Brussels, for the skating and the chocolate.
• Hungry: Birmingham, for the half-metre bratwurst.
• Warm weather: Malta.
• Gifts with a story: Budapest.

If you want a roof over your head between markets, these hotels for Christmas in Europe are worth a look. Almost every European country has its own version of this tradition, and the smaller markets are often better value than the famous ones. Go on a weekday if you can, keep an evening free, and let the crowd carry you. Which of these would you choose?