One of my favourite things to do at Christmastime is to visit some of the amazing Christmas markets Europe has to offer. I’ve been fortunate to get to a number of places, but wanted to write a bit about the most recent four I’ve been to with my partner, Mary.
2017 Bratislava, Slovakia
Mary chose this year’s markets almost at random–but it turned out to be a great choice. As European capitols go, Bratislavia is one of the smaller with about 1/2 million residents. But, this lovely city boasts a city centre chock full of Christmas fun.
The main markets are spread across the Old Town and are focused on three main squares with smaller markets and even one-day markets popping up all over town.
Bratislava has loads of character in its markets. We spotted at least two places to ice skate, plus several music stages and food, food, food. While every market I’ve ever been to has lots of great food on offer, Bratislava seems to specialise in it.
Their stands boast a range of local favourites with booths serving up to a dozen or more types of Christmas punc(h) (various mulled wines and teas with every imaginable spirit included in at least one of them). Another popular item are crepes–sweet, savoury and every type of flavour combination you can imagine. Some booths offered more than 10 varieties of fillings. Trdelnik is another local favourite (a kind of cinnamon role baked spinning over an open fire). In addition, there’s a great mix of local and regional specialties of pork, turkey, chicken and a range of sausages. They also served some fantastic potato dishes ranging from roasted to a kind of pancake-looking fried potato pancake (both wonderful). One of my personal favourites was a brie-like baked cheese on a bun served with mustard and grilled onions.
Gift items are also plentiful with baubles, ceramics, art prints and loads of locally made candy and frosted cookies.
What really makes Bratislava special is the atmosphere. The music, fantastic decorations and the sheer joy expressed by sellers and the crowd alike make it a great time. Everyone seems happy and ready for a laugh. At one point, Mary filmed some of the booths and a booth full of cooks started joking about how much they were going to charge her for the privilege!
2016 Krakow & Warsaw, Poland
Krakow is a lovely city: it’s Old Town is beautifully restored and retains genuine old world charm and its massive city centre square is just perfect for hosting its Christmas market. But, despite this perfect venue, Krakow has a fairly modest sized market. A good hour will let you view pretty much all the booths and venture inside the old town hall for its year-round indoor market.
Similar to Bratislava, Krakow’s strength is its great range of foods on offer. Poland’s favourite dish would seem to be its pierogi which can be either savoury or sweet and served as dumplings or baked. These delicious morsels are incredibly addictive and the range on offer is astounding.
Their other local favourite is one I’d prefer to avoid–oscypek (smoked sheep’s cheese). Apparently, locals can barely wait for this local delicacy to become available each year and it’s served hot and ready-to-eat.
What really makes Krakow a fairy tale setting are the horse drawn carriages gathered in the Main Square which look simply amazing at night. Restaurants around the square have glass rooms where diners warmed by fire heaters enjoy their meals and add to the atmosphere as they eat.
Warsaw is worth a mention even though it’s market is fairly tiny wedged in along the old city walls. The Warsaw market had some great crafts on offer including ceramics and ornaments.
2015 Budapest, Hungary
Budapest’s market seems to stretch across the length of the old town. Each square seems to simply offer more booths, extending the market further and further allowing you to walk parallel along the river for blocks and blocks.
The most memorable food of Budapest were its roasting pigs on spits. These sellers served some amazing pork!
Budapest has a great range of decorations, arts and crafts on offer. Everything from clothing to decorative egg shaped ornaments.
Like most of the markets I’ve been to, Budapest has a great atmosphere. The city centre is vibrant even without the markets, so adding in the Christmas stalls, music, smells and general merriment makes the whole place overflow with Christmas cheer.
2014 Prague, Czech Republic
Prague is our favourite market so far. Prague itself is an amazing city and the market just tops it off by decorating it making it even more amazing. Every tree seemed to be filled with lights and the various decorations really gave the city a non-stop Christmas feel.
Trdelnik seems to be for sale everywhere. A local favourite is a pizza-like snack made on fried bread. But, an amazing array of sausages, sandwiches, potatoes and much more is also on offer. In addition to the normal mulled wines found at most markets, Prague sported some amazing hot apple ciders to drink.
The thing that really stands out in my mind about Prague was the music. In addition to the “official” music on the various stages, there were choirs and even a string quartet playing Christmas music seemingly on every corner.
My favourite markets
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Munich, Germany
- Bratislava, Slovakia
- Budapest, Hungary
- Arco, Italy (near Lake Garda) – tiny, but great family atmosphere
- Krakow, Poland
- Bolzano, Italy
- Salzburg, Austria
- Riva del Garda Chocolate Market, Italy – great atmosphere, but only lasts a few days
- Champs-Élysées Markets; Paris, France – not an amazing atmosphere, but classy
- Trent, Italy
- Covent Garden at Christmas; London, UK – not strictly a Christmas Market…but very in the holiday spirit!
- Galway, Ireland – maybe this is better at night…but no atmosphere the times I’ve been there during the day
- Warsaw, Poland
My bucket list of markets
- Aachen, Germany
- Vienna, Austria
- Zagreb, Croatia
- Cologne, Germany
- Nuremberg, Germany
- Strasbourg, France
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Sibiu, Romania