**The Best Christmas Markets in the World in 2024**
The festive period is the perfect antidote to the temperature dropping and nights drawing in as autumn turns to winter. What could be cosier, after all, than streets strewn with twinkling lights and glittering decorations?
Preparations start long before the 25 December – the first shops start doing Christmas deals and selling gifts after Halloween, if not before – but you really know Christmas is around the corner when the annual markets start popping up.
Christmas markets, whether traditional or more modern, are often the defining feature of December in many cities. From Strasbourg to Chicago, the weekends leading up to the big day are dominated by visits to markets and winter villages, tucked up in cosy drinking spots after strolls around log cabins and chalet-style stalls to grab those last-minute presents, and trying to keep warm with some hearty German cuisine or gluhwein.
Whether you’re gift-hunting, day-drinking, going on a wander with the family or simply looking to get in the festive spirit, markets are an often care-free, enjoyable festive experience, and with so much variety across Europe and the rest of the world, a trip to a market abroad is the perfect pre-Christmas getaway. Read on for a selection of the best.
**Cologne, Germany**
One of the most well-known markets in Germany, Cologne’s Kölner Dom sits in the shadow of the imposing, Unesco-listed Cathedral. The heart of Cologne’s most picturesque market is a giant Christmas tree surrounded by dozens of mini chalets, while the stage is the site of over a hundred performances during the festive season.
There are six other markets in the city, the largest of which is the Henzels Winter Fairytale in the old town. With a more romantic feel than the touristy Kölner Dom, it has an ice rink and larger chalets that serve as drinking holes in between browsing the various handicrafts and gifts. The best food market for all sorts of traditional German cuisine and Christmas treats is at Neumarket, while families will appreciate the child-friendly workshops at the Village of St Nicholas in the aptly named Rudolfplatz.
**Vienna, Austria**
Vienna’s Christmas markets trace their roots back to the 13th-century and are among the most famed in Europe. Prime among them is the Magic of Advent Market at Rathausplatz, in front of the City Hall (this is sometimes known as the Viennese Dream market). With over 145 stalls creating a network of alleys and festoon lights giving a charming night-time feel, this is the perfect place to sip a mulled wine (known locally as gluhwein), though if you’ve brought the kids along, there’s a special children’s area where they can learn to make cookies and candles.
Vienna is not short on impressive backdrops for its markets, and one such setting is the Belvedere Palace, a complex of two Baroque palaces with vast gardens. The market here has a more manageable 40 stalls, and the wider lanes make it easier to browse the selection of decorations, potential gifts – think candles, handcrafted trinkets or blankets – and Austrian culinary delights.
**Strasbourg, France**
This picture-perfect northern French city is the ideal setting for a Christmas market that seems straight out of a movie. The market stalls fit seamlessly between the timber-framed buildings, and in some areas it feels like you’re transported back centuries.
In fact, Strasbourg’s oldest market dates back to 1570. Found around Place de la Catedrale and Place Broglie, it is the top choice for both food and gifts, with traditional German market foods such as gingerbread, the production of which Strasbourg has become famed for, sold alongside French dishes like crêpes.
**New York City, USA**
America’s quintessential Christmas destination, serving as the backdrop to Christmas films including Elf, Home Alone 2 and Miracle on 34th Street, was always going to have some of the country’s best markets. The city lends itself to an especially ‘Christmassy’ Christmas – from the flurries of snow to the sparkles of the skyscrapers – and its markets add to the festive feeling.
Several of the New York’s markets are located in the vicinity of its main landmarks. The Grand Central Terminal is one such location, where a large indoor market offers visitors an enormous range of gifts ranging from clothing and jewellery to toys and decorations. Bryant Park is another one, overlooked by the Empire State Building, where wooden stalls are replaced by little glass boutiques that sit around an ice rink.
**Prague, Czech Republic**
The Czech capital is an especially romantic city for experiencing Christmas markets. Other than the odd drizzling of snow, Prague is the polar opposite of New York; the Big Apple’s modernity, crowdedness and vastness contrasted with medieval and gothic buildings, quaint streets and squares and the city’s signature landmark, the Charles Bridge, where a series of low lights helps visitors move around on foggy, snowy evenings.