Europe’s Christmas Markets

The story of Europe’s Christmas markets begins in the late Middle Ages, when winter fairs were as much about survival as celebration. As the days shortened and the cold set in, towns across Germany were home to open-air markets where villagers could buy meat, candles, warm clothes, and winter provisions before the season set in.

The first known market was Dresden’s Striezelmarkt, held in 1434 and named after a sweet holiday bread still sold there today. Over time, these practical fairs took on a festive character as Christianity’s Christmas traditions spread. By the 16th century, they were filled with wooden toys, roasted nuts, and spiced wine. Gathering places for both trade and celebration.

By the 19th century, cities like Nuremberg, Vienna, and Strasbourg had followed suit. Today, Europe’s Christmas markets are less about surviving winter and more about celebrating it: mulled wine, music, ice-skating rinks, and ferris wheels.

It’s a uniquely European tradition—and one we’ve come to love. After spending two Christmas seasons in Europe with our kids, here are our takes on the markets we visited, ranked from #10 to #1. And a caveat: this list was not generated by a search of the top ten Christmas markets in Europe, but rather, it is a ranking of those that we have visited. Write what you know, right?

10. St. Malo, France

Location: Ramparts of St Malo | Dates: Early December (dates not finalized)

Often our Christmas market visits weren’t destinations themselves but side trips during already-planned journeys. St. Malo in winter is not what you’d call comfortable. The wind blows in from the Channel hard enough that you can lean into it and stay upright (speaking from experience). The mist and drizzle bite your skin in a way that makes you question your life choices. But maybe that made the mulled wine all the better.

We didn’t linger long – just enough to inspect a few dozen stands, get the kids hot chocolate, and take in the gray, menacing English Channel. St. Malo is a stunning, history-rich destination, but I’d pass on the market as a destination itself. Still, if you’re there already, why not? On a positive side note, however, my wife reported that this market ‘s hot chocolate was some of the best she’d ever had… high praise coming from a choco-file like her.

9. London, United Kingdom

Location: Trafalgar Square | Dates: 9 Nov – 2 Jan (tentative)

I really wanted to like the Trafalgar Square Christmas market more than I did. I pictured something straight out of A Christmas Carol. The boy running through snow with a shilling from Scrooge, carolers in bonnets and waistcoats… but it wasn’t that.

Big caveat though: Trafalgar Square is only one of many markets in London, and not the best. Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, Southbank, Leicester Square, and Covent Garden all have bigger reputations.

Still, sipping mulled wine against the backdrop of Big Ben and Parliament down the street wasn’t a bad way to kick off the season. You’ll find the essentials – ornaments, crafts, hot chocolate – but it lacked the cozy, Dickensian charm of other markets across Europe and the one that I had in my mind when we ventured over. Frankly, the kids couldn’t wait to leave and get to Hamley’s Christmas store for most of the visit.

8. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Location: Museumplein | Dates: 15 Nov – 5 Jan

If you’re looking for a market that checks all the boxes and offers a great afternoon with a backdrop at the Museumplein, Amsterdam’s Christmas market is perfectly fine. It’s calmer than Paris or Strasbourg, which helps when wrangling kids, but it also feels a bit manufactured, as if to pop up a Christmas market right there was just an afterthought. There’s plenty food, artisan crafts, an ice skating rink and lots of drink options.

This is the one market where I chose a strong Belgian beer over mulled wine – it just felt right. It’s worth a visit if you’re already in town, but not worth a trip on its own. And Amsterdam in the winter? Rainy and gray more often than not. But if you catch that rare snowy day, grab your camera and get ready, your Insta is about to blow up.

7. Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

Location: City-centre | Dates: 21 Nov – 1 Jan

Luxembourg City clings to a gorge that’s long made it a strategic European crossroads. Today it’s a global financial hub, yet somehow retains its small-city charm.

The Luxembourg City Christmas Market was a hit with the kids—light-up balloons (which lasted about three hours), plenty of food, and glühwein for the grown-ups. It’s a small market, only a handful of stands, but it has flair. The kids finished the night on a merry-go-round while we soaked in the lights, the cheer, and, of course, the wine.

6. Paris, France

Location: Place Vendôme | Dates: Unconfirmed

Ah, the City of Lights. There’s so much to see here that it’s easy to forget Paris even has Christmas markets – and that’s exactly what happened to us. On our way to a dinner cruise, we stumbled into the Christmas market at Place Vendôme. The obelisk lit up in a brilliant neon blue (which is conspicuously missing from Luxor Temple in Egypt) and the Eiffel Tower peeking in the distance provides for an unforgettable backdrop.

Ten out of ten for its offerings and setting. This market feels social, but not cozy. Keep your kids close and your wits about you, but if you do, you’ll leave happy and full of Christmas cheer..

4. Estapona, Spain

Location: Plaza del Reloj, Estepona old town | Dates: Early December – 5 January 6. Paris, France

Think Northern Europe has a monopoly on Christmas markets? Not so. Spain’s markets have a unique warmth – rooted in family and faith thanks to its Catholic traditions. Expect strollers, laughter, and families out past sundown (Spaniards don’t even start dinner until 8 PM).

In Estepona, the fishing-village-turned-chic-beach-hotspot on the Costa del Sol, a market fills the central plaza each season. Instead of kraut and sausage, you’ll find roscos de vino piled high – powdered Spanish Christmas donuts – and sweet Sherry or Moscatel instead of mulled wine.

I didn’t have the kids with me this time, but the market made me miss them, and fall in love with Spain in a whole new way. There was just something about being able to stroll along the beach afterwards that made this one special.

4. Valkenburg, Netherlands

Location: Inside the cave system beneath Valkenburg | Dates: 14 Nov – 4 Jan

Hidden in a cave beneath a tiny Dutch town, the Valkenburg market wins for most unique setting. The vendors line tunnels and nooks like something out of a fantasy film, and there’s even a restaurant inside where you can rest with a broodje and a drink. (Pro-tip: it’s the only place you can drink – no walking around with your mulled wine here.)

The market itself can’t hold your attention forever, but the whole town transforms into a walk-through Christmas village. We had some parking misadventures – bought the wrong ticket and couldn’t find the right lot so we ended up double paying. But all in all a very cool market. Bravo, Valkenburg.

3. Maastricht, Netherlands

Location: Vrijthof square | Dates: 29 Nov – 30 Dec

The Maastricht Christmas Market surprised us. For a city we’d always imagined as quaint, its Christmas market is a large one, with an ice rink, ferris wheel, and rows and rows of vendors. It was busy, but still retained a bit of that small town charm. Similar to some other markets we have been to in the Netherlands, it retains a uniquely Dutch charm (think stroopwafels, not pretzels), but manages to get you in the mood like its German cousins not far off.

Set in the hilly southern region of the Netherlands (yes, Netherlands has hills) it’s one of the few markets where you get panoramic views. From the ferris wheel, you can see the countryside and the old city below a highlight of our three-day trip.

It’s also close enough to combine with Valkenburg’s cave market in a single weekend. Do both if you can.

We stayed at an excellent Airbnb that was just a few minutes over the border in Belgium and close to both Maastrict and Valkenburg which provided a good home base for the trip, perfect if your goal is to cozy up by a fire after a day at the market.

2. Strasbourg, France

Location: Multiple squares on the Grande Île | Dates: 24 Nov – 24 Dec

Strasbourg tops almost every “best Christmas market in Europe” list—and for good reason. Dating back to 1570, it’s France’s oldest market and feels like the perfect blend of French and German tradition.

The entire city center is shut down to cars, and separate markets pop up in several different places. You could spend a few days here visiting them all. Some are packed and bustling, others more quaint and low key. The main ones can be shoulder-to-shoulder packed during peak times, and we often found staying together as a group was difficult given the sheer volume of visitors pushing there way though the narrow stalls.

But luckily the smaller ones give you options and variety, and allow you to enjoy at the pace you prefer – e.g. drink it though a firehose, or chill out and listen to French ladies singing Christmas music as the kids play and you have a saucisse de Strasbourg and vin chaud.

It’s easy to see why this city calls itself the Capital of Christmas.

Note on accommodations: We stayed at the Sofihotel Grande Ile which was a great location within the closed off area of town (you need to show a special note from the hotel to show police at a checkpoint as you drive in). If you decide to stay in a central location, plan ahead and have your documents ready – the “we’ll figure this out when we get there” mentality turned out to be a huge mistake.

1. Bourtange, Netherlands

Location: Vesting Bourtange | Dates: Weekends, 29 Nov – 14 Dec

And to wrap up the list in the number one spot: Bourtange. Set in a star-shaped fort town near the German border, Bourtange feels straight out of a storybook. The town itself dates back to medieval times, and the Christmas market fills its cobbled streets with fires, roasted nuts, and vendors dressed in period costume.

You walk around this tiny town and can’t help but feel what it was like hundreds of years ago on market days when famers and craftsmen brought in the wares from all over northern Netherlands to sell to the villagers before the winter set in. It’s small but never cramped, and incredibly family-friendly, the kind of place you could lose track of your kids and still feel relaxed about it – not that I’d recommend it, especially on account of the star shaped moat that protected the town from invaders in the middle ages.

Rain is almost always likely on the agenda for this part of the Netherlands, so come prepared, but the mood, music, and smell of charcoal fires more than make up for it. Ten out of ten for atmosphere, warmth, and authenticity.

Whats Next?

Our quest for Christmas Markets will begin again in full force soon as November has arrived. Sinterklaas, the uniquely Dutch version of a jolly robed man coming to spread goodwill and cheer, is only a few weeks from arriving in the country on a boat from Spain. And so with him the holiday season begins – kerstfeest in proper Dutch.

On our list to some degree – either planned or simply hoped for – are:

• 🇪🇪 Tallin, Estona
• 🇫🇮 Helsinki, Finland
• 🇫🇮 Rovaniemi, Finland
• 🇳🇱 Deventer, Netherlands
• 🇩🇪 Cologne, Germany
• 🇩🇪 Dresden, Germany

Fijne feestdagen!