Europe's 'underrated' city with six Christmas markets is just like Vienna - without the crowds

The metropolis has a stunning medieval aged municipality and is packed with baroque palaces

From Christmas buying and wrapping presents to buying and preparing the turkey, the build-up to December 25 is often a engaged clip for galore households. But with weeks inactive to spell earlier the large day, there's inactive clip to unbend and bask visiting your section Christmas markets.

But portion the UK is location to a wide scope of markets, each year, millions of Brits flock to Europe to soak up the cosy charm of their Christmas markets, implicit with towering trees, glittering handmade decorations... and, naturally, beer.

But beyond the fashionable Christmas markets of Munich, Cologne, Salzburg and Budapest, there's different European metropolis that promises a captivating yuletide experience. Graz, Austria's second-largest metropolis aft Vienna, offers a unsocial Christmas ambiance for those who situation to explore, reports MyLondon.

As the historical bosom of the Stygia region, it boasts 2 world practice sites; the aged town, reputedly the largest medieval territory successful Europe, and Eggenberg Palace.

As per the Austrian National Tourist Office, the festive charm kicks disconnected with Graz's stellar Advent Market, hosted close successful beforehand of the imposing City Hall astatine Hauptplaz, moving from November 18 done to Christmas Eve. Visitors get to bask successful a quaint pop-up colony brimming with stalls that crockery retired time-honoured crafts and scrumptious goodies.

Graz's yuletide speciality "Feuerzangenbowle", a fiery premix of vino and rum, promises to beryllium a hit, portion a vintage carousel offers giggles galore for the kids.

For those anxious to soak up immoderate past with their vacation spirit, Graz's oldest yule marketplace awaits extracurricular the Franciscan religion successful Old Town, and it's a contented stretching from November 18 to December 24. This is the spot to regard astatine agrarian delights, revel successful Punsch and accepted Austrian Gluhwein akin to mulled vino and indulge successful immoderate superior soul-soothing.

At the gateway to the church, small ones tin marvel astatine surviving sheep successful the nativity spectacle, whirl astir connected a carousel, and lust implicit toys.

The enchanting Glockenspiel quadrate successful Graz hosts a 3rd Christmas market, adored by visitors. The market, moving from November 18 to December 24, showcases a assortment of arts and crafts, with section nonstop marketers and caterers offering Styrian delicacies.

A plethora of handicraft demonstrations invitation radical of each ages to articulation in.

Mariahilferplatz transforms into WonderLEND for the 4th Christmas market, an alternate festive just featuring a large instrumentality and curling rink. Tourists tin peruse the marketplace stalls to the bushed of Indie euphony from November 18 to December 23.

For a breathtaking ocular spectacle, Graz offers an Ice Nativity successful the Landhaushof Courtyard successful Herrengasse. This unsocial nativity scene, carved from 50 tons of crystal-clear crystal and illuminated by LED lights, has been displayed annually since 1996 successful the beauteous renaissance gait of Landhaushof.

The courtyard country is unfastened to the nationalist from November 25 to January 6.

Lastly, the Arts and Crafts Market connected Farberplatz Square, held from November 24 to December 23, is the sixth Christmas market. It features handmade goods crafted from materials specified arsenic cloth, clay, wood, metal, paper, wax, and glass.