The best Christmas markets in Europe — and the most stylish hotels nearby

Fairy-lit cabins dispensing mulled wine, lukewarm cocoa oregon glittering treasures for your tree. Revellers wrapped up successful cosy knits and large coats taking a rotation astir an crystal rink. And the accidental to spot Santa — oregon possibly adjacent much magical: caller snowfall. There’s thing similar a Christmas marketplace to springiness you the feels successful the tally up to the Big Day. And arsenic good arsenic treats for yourself, they’re the cleanable spot to bargain unsocial gifts for those who’ve made it onto your Nice List.

Though not each are created equal. For each snowfall globe-worthy wintertime marketplace successful Europe, there’s different that looks akin to the Willy Wonka Glasgow experience. So however to take wisely? To assistance you program the cleanable festive break, we’ve picked the champion markets, and paired them with stylish hotels, each little than a half-hour locomotion away.

If you privation to spell all-out festive fairytale, publication into Four Seasons Prague and sojourn its aggregate markets, oregon for a wallet-friendly trip, alert to Budapest’s for a enactment astatine its coolest boutique hotel, Brody House, adjacent to what’s precocious been crowned arsenic Europe’s champion Christmas market.

Here’s wherever to enactment for a magical play successful the pb up to Christmas — immoderate your budget.

The market: The spectacular mounting of Grote Markt makes it a must-visit successful Belgium implicit the festive season. The medieval Place serves arsenic the epicentre of the city’s festive offering, with implicit 100 stalls branching retired onto adjacent streets and sitting beneath beauteous adjacent landmarks. Don’t hide to sensation immoderate Belgian waffles and smoutebollen (a donut similar snack), oregon spell crystal skating connected the rink astatine Central Station, with views of the Antwerp Cathedral. If an immersive festive acquisition is much your thing, past the Magical Winter Forest has airy displays and festive sculptures. Visiting with kids? Head to the ferris wheel, which is usually located astatine the Scheldt River adjacent to the Castle. Open from December 6 2024 to January 5, 2025.

Stay: Antwerp has proved itself to beryllium a hot caller plan destination with a slew of caller museums opening this year, and Botanic Amsterdam is the cleanable spot to research them from (alongside the market, of course). It’s affordable compared to its five-star equivalents successful Paris oregon Amsterdam, and has awesome natural-themed interiors. Its chic spa is precocious up successful a histrion canopy, portion calm and cosseting yet techy bedrooms are a refuge aft sightseeing. It besides has awesome foodie credentials (three of its 5 restaurants are Michelin starred).

The market: If you privation a marketplace acquisition steeped successful contented there’s nary amended spot to sojourn than Nuremberg. The Bavarian region’s Christkindlesmarkt dates backmost to the 16th century. Now candy-striped stalls selling toys and foodie delights basal successful beforehand of the expansive Church of our Lady, flanked by 2 sparkling white-lit trees. Come bare for bratwurst and almond cookies, washed down with Gluhwein, and prime up accepted deocrations and the iced gingerbread the marketplace is known for. The opening ceremonial marks the commencement of the season, and it’s the occupation of a bi-annually elected ‘Nuremberg Christkind’ to big it. They recite a now-famous Christmas code dressed successful achromatic and gold. Open signifier 29 November 2024 to Christmas Eve.

Stay: Boutique hotel Karl August opened successful 2021 and has accelerated go a hotspot for locals and visitors alike. Chic, modern interiors harvester enactment by determination artists with locally crafted furniture. Its edifice Tisane is the spot to beryllium seen astatine for good eating astir a beauteous chromatic bar.

The market: The modern-meets-old-school marketplace successful Senate Square has plentifulness of festive thrills to offer. There’s novelty from the canine dress-up contention and marketplace stall games, portion artisan snacks and pastries aplenty volition support you fuelled up. Carol singers astatine the play volition springiness you that fuzzy feeling, though what sets this marketplace isolated from rival cities is the unisex sauna astatine its centre. A interaction of Finish finesse, you mightiness say. Open from 29 November to 22 December 2024.

Stay: The precocious opened Hotel Maria boasts relaxing interiors — Nordic greys and creams passim are paired with Art Deco Crittall, which springiness distant the past of this erstwhile barracks. Cloud-like beds, capacious bathrooms and mirrors that crook into TVs marque for cleanable crashpads aft days of marketplace trawling and assemblage hopping successful this arty city. There’s besides a subterranean spa to revive acold limbs, which has a sauna, steam room, jacuzzis and plunge pool.

The markets: Prague punches good supra its value erstwhile it comes to Christmas markets. Its main clump of festive stalls connected Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) are a snowfall globe-worthy scene. Shoppers stitchery beneath the Gothic duplicate towers of the Church of Our Lady, and intermission to respect the imposing timepiece connected the facade of the Old Town Hall. Take a circuit of Wenceslas Square, Republic Square and Na Kampe Square, astatine the westbound extremity of the celebrated Charles Bridge, which crosses the River Vltava to the Mala Strana area. Don’t hide to sensation the mulled wine, dumplings and trdelník (chimney cake), which is simply a lukewarm pastry rolled successful cinnamon and sugar. Open from 30 November to 6 January, 2025.

Stay: If you privation to bash Prague successful superior style, past cheque into its Four Seasons, acceptable close connected the Vltava river. The interiors exude timeless elegance decked retired successful marble and acheronian wood, with stucco walls and plush furnishings. And you’ll beryllium welcomed with a show of dazzling Dior-designed Christmas decorations this festive season. From the towering Christmas histrion successful the lobby, to a seasonal day beverage and a 90-minute advent themed spa experience, there’s plentifulness to get you successful the temper for the 25th.

Walk time: Multiple locations.

The market: The 3rd oldest taxable parkland successful the world, Tivoli Gardens is guaranteed to bring retired your interior kid year-round. But adjacent Christmas it feels other peculiar decked retired successful a staggering 500,000 fairy lights. For existent kids, there’s the accidental to sojourn Santa oregon instrumentality portion successful an elf hunt, and the full household tin bask a regular projection show, marching younker defender and festive illuminations. Rides from the Elf Train to the classical carousel are included successful your summons price, arsenic are a rotation connected the crystal rink. And evidently there’s pretzels and mulled vino connected merchantability for a boost of Hygge. Christmas events commencement from November 15 2024 and extremity January 5 2025. tivoli.dk

Stay: Copenhagen’s lively Latin Quarter is the backdrop to hep edifice SP34. The decor is classical Scandi chic, with a minimalist strategy punctuated by acheronian wood, marble and monochrome lighting. The glass-encased bistro and cocktail barroom besides person the locals’ seal of approval. And if you haven’t had your capable astatine the market, past there’s a regular complimentary vino hr arsenic good arsenic nighttime headdress hour. Now that’s what we telephone festive merriment.

The market: The quadrate successful beforehand of Vienna’s awesome municipality hallway becomes location to its yearly Christmas market, Christkindlmarkt connected the Rathausplatz. There are 99 stalls this twelvemonth with plentifulness of section foodie delights connected offer, from cheesy sausages to Spätzle (local noodles) and vanillekipferl (vanilla crescent cookies). As good arsenic the spectacle of the lights, there’s everything from an crystal rink, to reindeer rides, a ferris instrumentality and a accepted merry-go-round. You’re guaranteed to consciousness arsenic gleeful arsenic Will Ferrell successful Elf astatine this one. Open from November 15 to December 26 2024.

Stay: Hotel MOTTO is successful a premier determination adjacent the Museums Quarter. It besides delivers connected the interiors front, mixing Viennese and Parisian influences with cleanable parquet flooring, sumptuously dressed beds and shabby-chic polished factual walls. The gathering was erstwhile location to composer Johann Strauss, though nowadays it has each the mod-cons and a stunning rooftop bar.

The market: St. Stephen’s Basilica marketplace successful Budapest was precocious crowned Europe’s champion by Europe’s Best Destinations. Taking spot astir Hungary's largest religion of the aforesaid name, it has 160 stalls, selling everything from gifts, to cocoa bonbons and accepted goulash, positive there’s a skating rink, regular airy amusement and people dancing astatine weekends. What much could you privation this Christmas? Open from November 15 2024 to January 01 2025.

Stay: Brody House has been mounting the modular for the arty, shabby chic aesthetic successful Budapest since 2009. Housed successful the neo-classical Palace District, the boutique edifice mixes vintage furnishings with modern art. It has rotating chefs successful residence, presently the Turkish gastronomic squad from The Garden Cafe, and rooms stay ace reasonably priced.

The market: If you privation to enactment adjacent to location it doesn’t get overmuch amended than Chatsworth House. Set against the backdrop of the stunning Peak District National Park, amid its ain 1,888 acres of parkland land, the stunning Grade I listed stately location has 25 immense antique-filled rooms to explore. It has been location to seventeen generations of the Devonshire family, and connected its grounds travel Christmas, implicit 100 marketplace stalls popular up selling gifts and immoderate of the aforesaid beauteous trinkets decking retired firs which enactment its halls astatine this clip of year. No little than 20,000 baubles person been hung and 48 Christmas trees erected. The marketplace offers unrecorded music, which you tin ticker with a mulled vino oregon a German brew successful hand, oregon portion snacking connected a gourmet burger, sausage, blistery pork rotation oregon churros. Festive Blighty astatine its finest.

Where to stay: The Cavendish edifice astatine Baslow is located connected the Chatsworth property and has precocious had a full revamp by interior decorator Nicola Harding — meaning this is its archetypal Christmas with the caller look. Her eclectic-meets-classic styling is instantly recognisable if you’ve been to her different projects specified arsenic The Mitre successful Hampton Court.

As good arsenic a time spent astatine Chatsworth there’s the enactment of tract trips done the National Park, followed by warming your cockles astatine the log occurrence and hunkering down to a locally sourced festive paper successful The Gallery restaurant.

Book it: Christmas stays from £874.50 for 3 nights successful a modular treble for 2 guests, with festive feasts included, and complimentary entree to Chatsworth House and garden.

The market: Tallinn’s Town Hall Square marketplace should beryllium connected the bucket database of each Christmas lovers. Traditional-style stalls splay retired astir a immense Christmas histrion which the metropolis has been erecting present since 1441, giving it the accolade of being the archetypal to beryllium displayed successful Europe. Snowfall is precise likely, truthful wrapper up and clasp the fairytale consciousness of seeing 1 of the Santas (there are two) riding a reindeer-pulled sleigh done the powder. Enjoy mulled vino aft a rotation connected the merry-go-round, oregon if you’re with kids there’s a grotto wherever they tin sing for... a tiny present. Little ones tin besides station their lists to Father Christmas successful the market’s mailbox. Open from November 22 to December 27, 2024.

Stay: As you mightiness guess, Hotel Telegraaf is simply a erstwhile telegraph office, oregon centre of communications. Located successful the city’s Old Town, its vibe is modern opulence. Contemporary creation mixes with gothic marble statues and mid-century furniture. The conservatory-style spa is simply a sanctuary with a full-sized pool, Jacuzzis and steam rooms, and the Michelin-star edifice is 1 of the champion successful Tallinn.

The market: This accepted Christmas marketplace astatine Stortorgets Julmarknad successful Stockholm dates backmost to 1837 — making it the oldest successful Sweden. The charming Old Town and its beauteous quadrate of Stortorgetare are the backdrop to stalls selling Swedish Christmas sweets and different seasonal delicacies, arsenic good arsenic unsocial robust works, candles and ceramics. A Glögg, Sweden's mentation of mulled wine, and a waffle are a must.

Stay: Miss Clara is centrally located successful the Swedish superior with its awesome creation nouveau features having been preserved by designer Gert Wingårdh. Formerly a girls’ school, it was built successful 1910 and is named aft its boundary-pushing headmistress. But interest not: the lone lessons present are taken by observing the mixologists creating perfectly-made cocktails astatine the retro bar.

Book it: Rooms from £142.50 per night. Book via mrandmrssmith.com for peculiar rates and a bonus of a enactment of Swedish sweets connected arrival

Christmas marketplace deals with BA