Christmas is a special occasion which is celebrated on 25th December every year around the world. This special day is celebrated for remembering the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ who showed people the light of motivation and helped millions of people purify their souls. Christmas is one of the most important festive days which is celebrated with full triumph and exhilaration. This day is all about excitement and joy, especially for children. People wait for this day for a whole year to celebrate it full heartedly. The old tradition of Santa Claus distributing gifts at midnight, visiting the church every day for singing Christmas carols and decorating the streets is one of the joyful activities. We get to eat different types of delicious eatables such as sweets, chocolates, candies, cakes, red wine, liquors.
This is the great time of the year when people get reunited with their friends, families, and relatives together and share beautiful memories with each other. People are so eager to celebrate this festival that they start preparing for Christmas decorations and other essential preparations from at least a month ago. The best part about Christmas is to visit the markets as they are drenched with the stunning decorations and the dazzling eyes give a sense of calmness to our mind. The positive vibes and energy one can see in the markets during Christmas time is quite wonderful. People visiting the markets seem to be full of positive energy and gives a feeling of warmness to our heart. Shopping is one of the most crucial events to do during Christmas, as there are lots of stuff one needs to buy for decorating their houses or for buying gifts and greeting cards to give it to their children, relatives, neighbors, friends, and families. Here are some of the top Christmas markets around the world –
- Strasbourg, France –
Strasbourg is the home of the one of the oldest Christmas market all around the world. This place is located in the Eastern part of the France and Christmas market is set up here every year since 1570. There are almost 11 marketplaces which are located almost 100 meters away from each other. You are likely to discover the most wonderful and magical gift items across the market such as gifts, pieces of jewelry, wines and also the traditional delicious cuisines which you can enjoy with your friends and family members. The markets in Strasbourg during the time of Christmas look charming. Every market in Strasbourg is unique and known for special items such as “Place du Marche aux Poissons” is quite famous for traditional local old wines and delicious Hazelnut cocoa spread dish.If you are more interested in traditional items and love the handicraft items of French culture then “Place du Temple Neuf” is the market you must be looking for. For festive decoration items, pieces of jewelry, delicious cuisines and vintage furniture, you can visit “Place Grimmeissen”, “Place des Meuniers”, “Place Saint Thomas”. You can also try different delicious food items such as Bretzel, Beignet, Chouquette, Flammekueche, Choucroute, and many other dishes in the special French markets located within Strasbourg only.
- Viennese Christmas market, Austria
Just from the first week of December, markets in Vienna start developing into a wonderful paradise. The Christmas market in Vienna looks stunning and is quite remarkable. The huge archway of CitySquare of Vienna which acts as a gateway to this beautiful city is decorated with lights and candles. The view of this beautiful city becomes amusing and the pleasant smell of aroma from the bakeries and the food shop spreads into the air. If you are visiting Vienna for shopping, then do not forget to visit the Old Viennese Christmas market located in Freyung city center. This beautiful market holds beautiful handicraft gifts, wooden sculptures, ceramic items, and other vintage items. There are many cultural shows, musical fests, Christmas carols and other performances which are performed by the professionals on the market streets of Vienna so that you can enjoy these events while shopping essential gift items. Other performances include carol singing competitions, storytelling, and even outdoor plays. The Baroque mystic background of Christmas village in the palace of Belevedre never fails to impress the visitors. Other markets which can be visited in Vienna are Advent pleasure market at Opera house, Imperial royal Christmas market, Winter Market of Riesenradplatz and Spittelberg Christmas market. Vienna is one of the most beautiful attractions in the world especially for this wonderful festive season and attracts millions of people every year.
- Krakow Christmas market, Poland
This beautiful Christmas market fair is held every year in Krakow, Poland and lasts for more than 25 days. The Christmas market in Krakow usually begins in the last week of November and ends on 27th December on the Rynek Glowny city center and attracts a huge number of visitors every year. Foods, candies, LED lights, dancing Gizmos, gift items, handicrafts, jewelry, pottery or even miniature craft items can be bought from these special markets. The best part about the Christmas market in Krakow is the white snow which falls heavily during the month of December. Therefore you can enjoy the white Christmas celebration as well as shopping. The shops remain open 24/7 and you can experience the warm hustle and bustle of people the whole day. One can also visit Cloth Hall and St Mary’s Basilica tower which are located next to Krakow. The market square in this beautiful place is occupied by the wooden stalls which offer a huge number of tradition food items such as smoked hams, cream fudge, polish cookies, polish donuts, chocolates and local special cheese called Oscypek which is generally made out from sheep’s milk. You can take back these food items to your country. Many local volunteers, church peoples, and school children give several performances on the streets as a part of the old tradition, you can enjoy them as well. People often buy a special wine called Grzaniec Galicyjski which is mulled. If you are planning to visit Krakow, be prepared for the warm wishes and welcomes from local people.
- Frankfurt Christmas market, United Kingdom
This Christmas market is the largest event in the whole Germany which takes place every year and attracts a huge number of people. For over 600 years, the Christmas market festival is held here every year. This Christmas market takes place in St. Pual’s square, Friedrich Stoltze square, and Romerberg. More than thousands of festive trails are set up in Romerberg square every year which is the prettiest of them all. You can enjoy shopping gifts and decorative items along with enjoying historical merry go round swings and decorated wooden horse in fairs. Not only shopping, but you can also click several pictures of the beautiful city of Romerberg and Paulsplatz and a big Christmas tree present in the city center. This city is popular also because of its colorful fountains too. The Christmas celebration and market is very iconic in Frankfurt and looks even more magical during winters. You can smell the aroma of baked apples, stew, chestnuts, donuts, coated cheese, pizzas, pasta and cookies in the atmosphere. For a more astonishing view of Frankfurt Christmas festival, you can visit St. Nicholas church’s balcony. The wooden stalls present in the markets sell different items and resemble closely timbered houses. Some of the astonishing places you can visit in Frankfurt are Goethe House, Frankfurt zoological garden, Zeil shopping street, and Naturmuseum Senckenberg.
- Budapest Christmas market and Fair, Hungary
This is one of the well known popular markets in Hungary if you wish to buy unique and special items for yourself and for your loved ones. The atmosphere of Budapest is filled with the fragrant smell of mulled wine, cinnamon rolls, honey cookies, cheese, and cake. This is one of the ideal places for shopping with multiple cultural fests and events being held. The best part about these cultural programs is that the admission in them is free of cost for any visitor around the globe. There are over more than 150 Christmas stalls where you can enjoy the delicious local food, wines and buy unique ornaments and special craft product. For items such as Strudel, Sekler pastries, flatbreads, ceramics, pottery, embroidered textiles, you can visit the Fashion street which also hosts a big Christmas tree in Hotel Kempinski Corvinus. You can experience numerous performances including free jazz and blues concerts while sipping hot wine. The castle garden bazaar host several fun activities such as Folk craft fairs, food trucks, ice skating, and free children programs every day. If you love antique vintage or retro items then don’t forget to visit Gozdsu Udvar for a jaw-dropping experience and items. For designer bags, jewelry and other Dip design passages visit the Farmer’s market for sure.
- Basel Christmas market, Switzerland
The beautiful city of Basel hosts three Christmas markets every year and the largest of them are hosted in Burfusserplat which is located in the old town and is next to the cathedral of Munsterplatz. The other significant smaller market is hosted on the Rhine in Claraplatz. Both of these astonishing markets are located at a walking distance which hosts several beautiful shops and well-decorated streets. Around 40 stalls in the Weihnachtsm market sells vintage items related to Christmas. A huge variety of royal food items are available such as Waffles, potato cakes, sausages, and other baked items are quite popular which you can eat while shopping necessary Christmas stuff. Christmas shopping in Basel Christmas market can be the best decision as this market is full of astonishing modern day products and sells good quality products. There are almost more than 40 museums in Basel, so if you are tired of shopping then you can visit these historical museums in free time. The city of Basel is known for it’s rich and traditional culture and heritage. You can buy ornaments from Johann Wanner as he is the city’s finest jeweler and buy a variety of books from book fairs too.
- Winter wonder market festival, Brussels, Belgium
The winter wonder market festival of Brussels is much more like a fairytale. The winter wonder festival includes several special events like merry go round swing, slides, ice skating areas in [Place de la, Monnaie and other parades and light show performances. The Grand Palace in the market area includes the biggest Christmas tree with an astonishing light and sound show in the background. One should not be worried if you don’t know the local language, there are several English tour guides who assist people in shopping and buying unique products. Some of the special marketplaces where you can shop for Christmas items are Bourse, Sainte Catherine Place, March aux Poissons, and many more places. The streets of winter wonder festival are illuminated by twinkling lights and dazzling lights of Christmas tree. This is an ideal place for buying mulled wines, perfumes, bakery items and trying different local cuisines. You would be surprised to know that there are around 2,500 types of beer varieties which one can try at this dazzling festival.
- Winter village, New York
This winter village market is hosted by Bank of America in Bryant Park. This market is famous for jewelry, handicrafts, and other vintage items from all over the world. At the time of December, the streets of New York is covered with snow and the streets are packed with people who visit this place from all over the world to celebrate Christmas and shop essentials. The Bryant Park also has an ice skating rink which is spread over 17,000 square foot area where you can enjoy ice skating with your friends and families. Other beautiful sights in this magical park are the Josephine Shaw Lowell Fountain and people dressed as Santa Claus who entertain small children. New York is one of the finest places in the world where you can celebrate and enjoy a memorable evening and shopping different unique things from all over the world. New York also has the finest hotels where you can stay during your Christmas holidays and experience the rich royalty.
