As a huge fan of winter and all things Christmas, the holiday season is my favorite time of the year.
What’s more, my name day and the National Day fall at the end of November and on the 1st of December respectively, which, in most years, means I get two free days from work. And I usually like to use them for a short trip to experience a bit of festive cheer somewhere in Europe.
With this in mind, I decided to make a list of my favorite towns and cities in Europe to visit near the holidays.
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In writing it, I took into consideration how beautiful the location is decorated for the holidays, whether it has nice Christmas Markets, and how picturesque it generally looks.
So if you’re on the hunt for a festive destination this season, make sure to continue reading.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is hands down my top pick for a Christmas-themed trip. I visited it twice to date during the Advent and honestly, it’s one of those few places that I’d return to again and again.
The Old Town looks like it came straight out of a fairy tale and the stores go all out when putting together their window displays for the holidays. Many of them are selling Christmas decor too, so good luck keeping your wallet closed!
My favorite Christmas shop was Käthe Wohlfahrt: you can’t really miss it as it’s located close to the Main Square (on Herrngasse) and it’s easy to identify it by the iconic Käthe Wohlfahrt car parked in front.
They actually have 2 stores that face each other so make sure you cross the street after you finish with your shopping in the first one. And honestly, even if you don’t plan to buy anything, I’d still recommend you visit to admire the decorations.
There’s even a Christmas museum: it’s actually attached to the main Käthe Wohlfahrt store – the one, where with the car in front. It’s open year-round, but for obvious reasons, the best time to visit is right before the holidays.
As for the Rothenburg Christmas Market, while on a smaller size than others on this list, it has a cozy atmosphere and flows seamlessly between the Main Square and the St. Jakobskirche church. It pretty much feels like the entire Old Town transformed into Santa’s village.
For the best souvenir you could get, I suggest you keep the mug from the year of your visit.
Here’s how it works: if you want to get some mulled wine you’ll have to pay a deposit fee (usually 5 euros) for the mug. You’ll get this money back if you return it, but you could also keep it in which case, the deposit acts as payment.
Just make sure you ask for the current design: it changes every year and sometimes they reuse old ones if they still have some left.
Colmar, France
With its gingerbread-like houses, elaborate decorations, and Christmas markets scattered throughout the Old Town, Colmar is another destination that makes you think you’ve just arrived in Santa’s village.
The only thing that left me a bit disappointed was the absence of ceramic mugs, which I love to collect from Christmas markets. Instead, they had plastic cups with different designs and I still kept a pair, but I would have much preferred a mug instead.
Having said that, the lack of mugs was still a minor drawback compared to everything else. The holiday decorations across the city were stunning, some of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.
Every corner of the Old Town was filled with a festive atmosphere, making the whole experience pretty unforgettable.
And just like Rothenburg, you’ll also find here several Christmas decoration shops (apart from the stalls at the markets) that are perfect for picking up a few festive souvenirs. However, the prices are a bit steep (which is also like in Rothenburg:)) ).
If you’re interested in visiting one, whether for window shopping or actual shopping, you can head to La Magie de Noël on Rue des Marchands.
Lastly, if you’re a foodie looking to try some out-of-the-ordinary snacks, Colmar is the ideal destination.
Not only there’s a covered gourmet Christmas market at Place de la Cathedrale, but even at the regular stalls, you’ll find unusual treats for a Christmas market, like foie gras and tartines.
Another thing I noticed is that the mustard served everywhere is Dijon mustard, which is great if you like it, but not so much if you don’t (I’m part of the 2nd category). But hey, when in France, do as the French do.
Dresden, Germany
Striezelmarkt in central Dresden is not only the oldest Christmas market in Germany, but also one of the most beautiful in my opinion. And if you’re lucky enough to snow like it did during my second visit here, you’re in for a magical trip!
What I love most about Striezelmarkt (which takes place in Altmarkt) is the rich decoration of the Christmas market huts as many of them had mechanical figurines that continuously moved, adding an extra touch to the festive atmosphere.
The Christmas market mug collectors out there should know that Dresden has different ceramic mugs each year too (they even differ among different markets), although the design is generally a bit more plain than at other German markets.
As for the city itself, it’s quite beautiful, though its charm is more grand and majestic rather than fairytale-like. Also, the winter decorations are mostly contained in and around the Christmas Markets, not spread around the city center like in Colmar.
Vienna, Austria
Vienna offers the perfect mix of nice, big Christmas Markets and incredible light installations.
Two of the ones that stood out the most to me were the large chandeliers that covered Graben and the iconic red bow that was wrapped around the Popp & Kretschmer building.
In my experience, these are repeat decorations that they put up every year, so you don’t have to worry about having missed them.
When it comes to the actual Christmas markets, Vienna excels with several options, but I highly recommend the one in front of the City Hall (Rathaus) for a first-time visitor.
As for the mugs, there are a lot of designs to choose from (they usually differ from year to year and among Christmas Markets as well). Also, it appears they’ve realized that people enjoy collecting them, as they now even have special mugs for sale.
If you visit Vienna around New Year’s, you don’t have to be sad that you’ve just missed the Christmas Markets because they also have New Year’s Markets!
While they differ a bit, you still get to walk around drinking mulled wine, eating all sorts of street food, and looking at different decorations.
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague is close to my heart as it was the first Christmas Market I’ve ever visited (since then I’ve returned two more times).
It doesn’t have the most expansive light installations, nor it’s the most decorated on this list, but the Old Town is so incredibly beautiful that for me it simply evokes a cozy and festive atmosphere.
The only drawback to visiting the Christmas Markets in Prague is the fact that they use disposable paper cups for mulled wine and other drinks, so there’s nothing to collect. *sad face*
For food, I recommend you try the Klobasa sausage, which tastes a bit different from its German counterparts (I think it may be of Polish origin, but not 100% sure). For me, it’s still the best that I’ve ever tried.
There’s a stand selling Klobasa and Prague ham right next to the famous Clock Tower – in my 3 years of visiting it was in the same spot.
One thing to note about the main Christmas Market that takes place in Staromestske Namesti (Old Town Square): it can get pretty crowded at times, particularly during the weekend evenings when locals are out and about as well.
If that’s the case, I recommend you go visit the markets in Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske Namesti) or near St. Vitus Cathedral until things quiet down a bit. That’s what I did during my latest visit.
Also, avoid the “Lighting of the Christmas tree” ceremony or watch it from afar as it gets even more crowded at this time.
Sighisoara, Romania
Sighisoara is likely the most underrated destination on this list, which is a shame because it’s truly beautiful (and I’m not saying this because it’s in my own country). This small town in the heart of Transylvania has a wonderfully preserved medieval Old Town, bursting with color and charm.
And if you are lucky enough to snow during your visit, Sighisoara will transform before your eyes into a truly magical winter wonderland.
Now I’ll admit, the Christmas Market in Sighisoara is so tiny you can barely call it a market, but to be fair there’s not much room inside the medieval Old Town to allow for a big, sprawling one either. Though I hope that more huts will be added in the future.
Nuremberg, Germany
In contrast with Sighisoara, Nuremberg has some of the most expansive Christmas Markets in terms of size on this list.
So if you’re looking to explore a vast number of stalls to satisfy your Christmas shopping cravings then it’s one of the best destinations to visit during Advent time.
Also, the mugs I got from Nuremberg are by far the most beautiful ones in my collection.
In terms of Christmas lights and decorations, however, the city doesn’t stand out that much. And most of them are concentrated in and around the Markets. But when you have dozens of Christmas stalls to explore, does it matter as much?
Stockholm, Sweden
Now I’ll say right off the bat that I didn’t pick Stockholm for its Christmas Markets. They aren’t bad by any means, just that I personally prefer others more.
To be more specific, they’re fairly small and I really missed enjoying my mulled wine there (they have Glogg as an alternative, but I’m not a fan).
However, the area where Stockholm truly stood out for me was its beautiful Christmas light installations.
Every year, stockholmsjul.se is in charge of decorating the Swedish capital with thousands of LED light bulbs that illuminate the city from mid-November.
And they even provide a map of the light displays on their website, which you can see here.
TIP: If you visit Stockholm near the holidays make sure to also stop by NK Inredning department store to admire its lively Christmas window displays.
Lastly, since Stockholm is further up north than other destinations on this list, you might have a better chance to see snow.
Unfortunately, I didn’t, even though I spontaneously planned my trip after hearing about an unexpected snowstorm they had that year in November. It simply melted by the time I arrived, one week later. But you might have better luck, especially if you visit closer to Christmas.
Hallstatt, Austria
Hallstatt is so scenic that it looks like it was pulled straight from a storybook. And when it snows, this tiny town transforms into an incredible winter wonderland which I’m sad to report that I have yet to see in real life myself.
I really hoped it was going to snow the last time I visited, especially since the surrounding mountains were already sprinkled with white, but it simply wasn’t meant to be.
As you might expect, the Christmas Market is fairly small here and if you plan to visit it, make sure you check the opening dates before planning your trip as it tends to start later in the season than the Vienna markets for example.
Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg or Capitale de Noel (en: Capital of Christmas), offers a good mix of nice, big Christmas Markets and beautiful, intricate decorations.
For example, on Rue du Maroquin (the street connecting Place de la Cathedrale to the canal that surrounds the Old Town) you’ll find one of the most photographed locations in the city during winter: the iconic Teddy Bear building aka the Le Tire-Bouchon restaurant.
As far as Christmas mugs go, it seems they differ from hut to hut: some only had the standard plastic cups, but others also had different glass or ceramic mugs.
If I remember correctly, you had to actually buy the mugs (so no returns) and they were more expensive than a simple cup deposit, which was only fair, to be honest.
We got these bright red ones from one of the stalls in front of Cathedrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg that I love to bits.
Considering all I’ve written above, I would primarily recommend Nuremberg, Dresden, and Strasbourg for their exceptional Christmas markets. For a cozy, old-world charm, you might want to consider Sighisoara, Prague, or Hallstatt.
If you’re looking for stunning light installations, then Stockholm and Vienna are the places to go (though Vienna also excels in the Christmas Markets department).
And lastly, Rothenburg and Colmar provide an immersive experience that makes you feel like you’ve just stepped into Santa’s village. I would suggest one or the other if you’re looking for the ultimate Christmas destination.
