Top 10 Best Christmas Markets in Europe

Set before the neo-Gothic Vienna City Hall since 1975, the Wiener Christkindlmarkt attracts over 3 million visitors each November-December. With 150 stalls offering Punsch, handcrafted ornaments, and traditional Austrian treats, it is framed by one of Europe's most spectacular illuminated facades.

Germany's most famous Christmas market has been held in the Hauptmarkt since 1628, attracting around 2 million visitors annually. Opened each year by the Christkind from the balcony of the Frauenkirche, it features over 180 wooden stalls selling Nuremberg Lebkuchen, Gluehwein, and the iconic Zwetschgenmaennla prune figurines.

Held beneath the 600-year-old Astronomical Clock and twin spires of the Tyn Church, Prague's main Christmas market fills the medieval Old Town Square with wooden huts selling Trdelnik pastries, Czech crystal, and Bohemian crafts. The market draws over 700,000 visitors and features a towering Christmas tree shipped from the Krkonose Mountains.

Situated directly at the foot of the UNESCO-listed Cologne Cathedral, this is the most visited of Cologne's seven Christmas markets, welcoming over 5 million visitors across all sites each season. Its 160 stalls are dwarfed by the Gothic cathedral's 157-meter twin spires, creating one of Europe's most dramatic Christmas market backdrops.

Founded in 1434, the Striezelmarkt is one of the oldest documented Christmas markets in the world, celebrating its 590th anniversary in 2024. With 240 stands attracting around 3 million visitors annually, it is renowned for its 14-meter-tall Christmas pyramid and the Stollenfest parade featuring a giant 3-ton Christstollen cake.

Held on the elegant Vorosmarty Square since 1998, the Budapest Christmas Fair is Central Europe's premier holiday market. Over 100 wooden stalls offer traditional Hungarian crafts, chimney cake (kurtoskalacs), and thermal-spiced mulled wine, while the square's centerpiece Gerbeaud Cafe provides a historic 19th-century backdrop to the festivities.

Set around the medieval Markt square beneath the 83-meter Belfry tower, the Bruges Christmas market transforms this UNESCO World Heritage city into a winter wonderland each December. The market features an ice-skating rink, Belgian chocolate and waffle stalls, and carriage rides through the illuminated cobblestone streets of one of Europe's best-preserved medieval towns.

Founded in 2001 on the Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats), the Tallinn Christmas Market claims to host Europe's first public Christmas tree, erected on the same spot in 1441. The compact market features Estonian handicrafts, black pudding, sauerkraut, and gingerbread stalls set against the Gothic Town Hall and Tallinn's medieval Old Town skyline.

Launched in 2010, Advent in Zagreb was voted Europe's Best Christmas Market by European Best Destinations three years running (2016-2018). Spread across Ban Jelacic Square, Zrinjevac Park, and the Upper Town, it features a tunnel of 230,000 lights, an ice park, and traditional Croatian treats at over 25 festive locations throughout the capital.

Set before the neo-Gothic Vienna City Hall since 1975, the Wiener Christkindlmarkt attracts over 3 million visitors each November-December. With 150 stalls offering Punsch, handcrafted ornaments, and traditional Austrian treats, it is framed by one of Europe's most spectacular illuminated facades.

Germany's most famous Christmas market has been held in the Hauptmarkt since 1628, attracting around 2 million visitors annually. Opened each year by the Christkind from the balcony of the Frauenkirche, it features over 180 wooden stalls selling Nuremberg Lebkuchen, Gluehwein, and the iconic Zwetschgenmaennla prune figurines.

Held beneath the 600-year-old Astronomical Clock and twin spires of the Tyn Church, Prague's main Christmas market fills the medieval Old Town Square with wooden huts selling Trdelnik pastries, Czech crystal, and Bohemian crafts. The market draws over 700,000 visitors and features a towering Christmas tree shipped from the Krkonose Mountains.

Situated directly at the foot of the UNESCO-listed Cologne Cathedral, this is the most visited of Cologne's seven Christmas markets, welcoming over 5 million visitors across all sites each season. Its 160 stalls are dwarfed by the Gothic cathedral's 157-meter twin spires, creating one of Europe's most dramatic Christmas market backdrops.

Founded in 1434, the Striezelmarkt is one of the oldest documented Christmas markets in the world, celebrating its 590th anniversary in 2024. With 240 stands attracting around 3 million visitors annually, it is renowned for its 14-meter-tall Christmas pyramid and the Stollenfest parade featuring a giant 3-ton Christstollen cake.

Held on the elegant Vorosmarty Square since 1998, the Budapest Christmas Fair is Central Europe's premier holiday market. Over 100 wooden stalls offer traditional Hungarian crafts, chimney cake (kurtoskalacs), and thermal-spiced mulled wine, while the square's centerpiece Gerbeaud Cafe provides a historic 19th-century backdrop to the festivities.

Set around the medieval Markt square beneath the 83-meter Belfry tower, the Bruges Christmas market transforms this UNESCO World Heritage city into a winter wonderland each December. The market features an ice-skating rink, Belgian chocolate and waffle stalls, and carriage rides through the illuminated cobblestone streets of one of Europe's best-preserved medieval towns.

Founded in 2001 on the Town Hall Square (Raekoja plats), the Tallinn Christmas Market claims to host Europe's first public Christmas tree, erected on the same spot in 1441. The compact market features Estonian handicrafts, black pudding, sauerkraut, and gingerbread stalls set against the Gothic Town Hall and Tallinn's medieval Old Town skyline.

Launched in 2010, Advent in Zagreb was voted Europe's Best Christmas Market by European Best Destinations three years running (2016-2018). Spread across Ban Jelacic Square, Zrinjevac Park, and the Upper Town, it features a tunnel of 230,000 lights, an ice park, and traditional Croatian treats at over 25 festive locations throughout the capital.