Ho, Ho, Ho! The Prettiest Christmas Markets From Across The Globe

With Christmas just around the corner, it's time to finally dust off the old Christmas decorations, bring out some mulled wine and bake some goodies with the comforting hint of cinnamon. Christmas markets have started all around the world with warm, twinkling lights inviting you to visit. Here are some of the prettiest Christmas markets from all around the world you should put on your bucketlist.

Vienna Christmas Market, Austria

The market which takes place in front of the city hall, boasts of scores of stalls teeming with Christmas decorations, boozy fruit punches and traditional foods. Adding to the cheer is the City Hall which is enveloped in festive cheer as hues of violet and blue light up the building. Invigorate yourself with steaming mugs of mulled wine while the chill of the open air is warmed by the bracing aroma of roasted chestnuts and freshly baked pretzels.

Krakow Christmas Market, Poland

During December, the Christmas market in Rynek Glowny is a vision in white. With colourful and vibrant shops dotting the market, it perfectly encapsulates the festive spirit. You can get your skates on in a snowy square, fill up on mulled wine and gingerbread, and experience sublime moments in serene galleries and candlelit churches.

Edinburgh Christmas Market, Scotland

This is another a-maze-ing Christmas market with its very own Christmas tree maze. The market has a giant ferris wheel in the centre with vibrant views of the shops and the lights. Running for seven magical weeks since November 17, 2023, to January 6, 2024, Edinburgh's Christmas transforms the beautiful city centre with festive fun for all the family, including traditional Christmas Markets, funfair rides, spectacular live outdoor events, delicious food and drink, plus so much more.

Frankfurt Christmas Market

From colourful jewellery to a singing moose, the Frankfurt Christmas market is a sight to behold. One of the most authentic German Christmas markets, the shops are lined with twinkling lights and nutcrackers. Its history has been traced back to 1393, when first reference thereof was made in official documentation. The market was traditionally accompanied by the performance of ecclesiastical mystery plays, which were also held on the Römerberg.

Advent Christmas Market, Croatia

Advent is one of the most popular Christmas market destinations. Advent in the Croatian capital Zagreb, which has already won a number of accolades over the years, has been named on the list of the best Christmas Markets in Europe for 2023. According to Global travel site Big 7 Travel, Zagreb Advent is at the 11th spot. One can dance, sing and eat to their heart's content and delve into the festive spirit.

Cologne Cathedral Christmas Market, Germany

Cologne has several Christmas markets, the largest of which is in the city centre, beneath the cathedral. Markt der Engel provides some of the most magical moments, with hundreds of twinkling lights suspended overhead like stars, and angels flitting between elaborately decorated gables. A blanket of Christmas lights covers the red topped shops and a massive Christmas tree with twinkling baubles as the cynosure of it all.

Basel, Switzerland

Basel’s Christmas market is the biggest and most beautiful in Switzerland, with 160 meticulously decorated stalls selling a wide array of culinary wonders from gob-stopping sausages, and authentic Basel Lackerli (a local twist on gingerbread), to hot punch, festive fondue, and rib-sticking raclette to beat the winter chill. Set against the backdrop of a gorgeous cathedral, this market is brimming over with festive spirit.

Salzburg's Christmas Market, Austria

Lo and behold a vision in white and gold, the Salzburg Christmas market. With a live choir and the smell of freshly baked gingerbread wafting through the market, you will not be able to resist that warm fuzzy feeling enveloping your chest. The origins of the famous Salzburg Christmas market go all the way back to the late 15th century when the “Tandlmarkt” would be held on Cathedral Square in the heart of the city, offering a wide range of goods for the locals to buy. By the 17th century, this Advent market had been christened the “Nikolaimarkt” – that is to say, the “Saint Nicholas’ Market”. For two weeks before and two weeks after St. Nicholas’ Day (on 6 December), a variety of products were offered for sale. 

Tallinn Christmas Market, Estonia

Something out of a fairy tale, the Tallinn Christmas market is one of a kind. With Christmas lights surrounding a blanket of white, this Christmas market is a treat not just for the eyes, but for the soul.  Estonia’s biggest Christmas tree has been set up in front of the town hall each year since 1441, making it one of the very first to be displayed anywhere in Europe.

Gothenburg, Sweden

Liseberg, Sweden’s most popular amusement park, morphs into one of the world’s classiest Christmas open-air markets.  You pay to enter, but you can stay until late (it’s open from 3pm-10pm on most days), snacking on smoked reindeer and drinking glogg (Scandinavian mulled wine). Make the most of the free children’s entertainment. Visit Santa in his wooden workshop, ride bumper cars, and don’t miss the glittering, half-hour ice show.

Toronto Christmas Market, Canada

The quintessential annual holiday market attracts thousands of visitors every winter, and is on till December 31, this year, with specially curated vendor cabins, food stalls, festive treats, and handcrafted gifts. Tickets are required on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays after 4pm and December 18-31 after 4pm. Entry is free any other time.

Bohemia, Czech Republic

The city-centre square of Ceske Budejovice, with its mixture of gothic and classical architecture, is home to a cavalcade of bustling market stalls selling wooden toys, Christmas decorations and glasses of spicy mulled wine. You’ll find the market stalls in the town hall square, where fairy lights and Christmas decorations twinkle, and the aroma of freshly baked cookies and grilled sausages floats through the open air.

Berlin, Germany

The city centre is festooned with about 80 Christmas markets (there’s even one specifically for dogs.) Spandau is the biggest of the markets. For looks, Weihnachtszauber, in Gendarmenmarkt square, is the prettiest, with plenty of arts and crafts on offer. At Winter World, on Potsdamer Platz — it’s less about shopping and more about winter sports, with tobogganing, curling and an ice-skating rink with free lessons for kids. The market will be on till January 1, 2024.