Best Christmas Markets In Europe You Need To Go in 2023

Christmas is still a few weeks away, but Europe is already awash with the anticipation of a miracle. From mid-November, festive lights light up the streets, houses and shops are decorated, and music and the smell of spices fill the air.

If you're planning a Christmas trip to Europe with children, arrive early, as the most exciting events occur before the holidays. Read about the best Christmas markets in our article.

Deciding which of Vienna's two dozen Christmas markets to visit is incredibly difficult. But whether you choose to admire the festively decorated City Hall, take a ride on the antique Ferris wheel in the Prater, see The Nutcracker ballet at the Vienna State Opera or feed the sheep and ponies at Karlsplatz, you will be in for a treat.

• Christmas markets in Vienna: main locations
• Vienna for kids

The Rathauspark is transformed into a magical winter wonderland with its Christmas post office. And at Schönbrunn Palace (and at all the markets) you can enjoy the famous Austrian strudel.

The city's main Christmas tree is lit up in Marienplatz. In the evening, the Alpine Choir sings carols from the balcony of the Town Hall. The souvenir and treat stalls are so good you can pick and choose where to shop. Children will surely spot Hansel and Gretel's gingerbread house among the sweets.

A Heavenly Workshop opens in the Town Hall, where children learn to make Christmas cookies and draw greeting cards. Instead of working overalls, the young artisans wear angel costumes. A skating rink has been in operation in Stachus Square since the beginning of winter. And the Medieval Market opens in Odeon Square, where jesters entertain the crowds.

• Munich with kids

The city is dressed up for the holiday in a peculiar way: freshly fallen snow decorates the Christmas tree on the main square, and the lollipop tent is decorated with natural icicles.

Sweden's cold capital has found a great way to warm up visitors to its Christmas markets. Its entire old town, Gamla Stan, is transformed into a living Advent calendar in December. Each day, a window opens in an alleyway and plays a Christmas carol. A map tells you how to find the right one.

Skansen Museum has a unique fair where you can see how Swedes used to celebrate Christmas and taste traditional food.

Families with children are eager to visit London's Hyde Park, where a world of snow and ice grows with the onset of winter.

The winter wonderland is populated by fairytale characters, with great rides and one of London's many ice rinks. Although it lasts until 5 January, the park is empty on Christmas Eve — Christmas in Europe is celebrated with family.

There's a Frosty Fair on the banks of the Thames — even a dog sledge race and a pudding run in Covent Garden. The fairground has toy-like sweets that you can't bear to eat.

In December, all of Cologne's squares are crowded with buyers and sellers. Many craftsmen work in the streets, surprising onlookers with their skills. A medieval market opens in front of the Chocolate Museum, where guests are treated to dishes prepared according to old recipes.

The most attractive place for children is Rudolfplatz, where characters from Grimm's fairy tales greet young spectators.

The pre-holiday trade occurs in the harbour, where tents are decorated like sailing ships. And the MS Wappen von Köln, a giant floating fair, calls into town.

• Cologne with kids

The biggest Parisian fair of the year takes place on the Champs-Elysées. Souvenirs, gifts and sweets are sold at dozens of fancy stalls.

Don't be lazy and stand in the short queue for roast chestnuts — a bag of warm delicacies will keep your hands toasty. The Défense is also home to vintage carnival fun, and the retro merry-go-rounds, long installed in Europe in the run-up to Christmas, blend in perfectly with today's skyscrapers.

If you're in Paris with children on Christmas Eve, you must visit Boulevard Saint-Germain, the home of Per Noël, the French Father Christmas. He doesn't use reindeer, he rides a donkey.

Have your children been good over the past year? Let them think about it when you gather in the Old Town Square on 5 and 6 December. These days, St Nicholas gives sweets to the good children but only charcoal to the naughty ones.

Throughout the month, there is a small contact zoo on the Old Town Square, part of Bethlehem, a composition depicting the birth of Jesus Christ.

Prague's fairs offer memorable souvenirs: traditional Czech marionettes, figures made of corn leaves and straw are sold here.

• Prague with kids

All visitors to Christmas markets have a hard time choosing. In Tallinn, however, it's customary to consult others: there's a competition for the most beautiful festive gingerbread.

Or perhaps you'd like to compete in making the best ornament or decorating the fastest Christmas tree? Then there are gifts to be won.

Tallinn's Christmas Market is on historic Raekoja Plats, Town Hall Square. The gnomes will entertain the children with a fun programme, and the souvenir stalls will be full of gnomes, from knitted toys to marzipan figures.

You'll find many wooden huts selling hot drinks such as mulled wine or glogg, as it's called in Estonian. You can also buy black pudding, sauerkraut, wooden Christmas decorations and clothes from the market stalls.

Germany's first Christmas market was held in Dresden in 1434, and every December since then, the Stritzelmarkt has been the place to be for lovers of fun and sweets. The giant Stollen, which weighs several tonnes, is baked for them. The Stollenmädchen, the princess of the Stollen, treats everyone present to this traditional Christmas delicacy.

The Christmas pyramid rolls around the main square for a month, and stalls are filled with pflaumentoffel — chimney sweep figurines made from plums, honey gingerbread from Pulsnitz and beautiful wooden clickers made by artisans from the Ore Mountains.

Christmas markets spring up all over the city from the end of November. They are great places to get into the Christmas spirit and pick up unique gifts and souvenirs. These markets are all filled with Christmas trees, ornaments and figurines for the Pessebres and, of course, the Caganers.

The Caganer symbolises wealth and prosperity in Catalonia, and the log Caga tio has the power to bring Christmas presents to children.

The best Christmas markets in Barcelona are Fira de Santa Llúcia, Fira de la Gran, Fira Nadal de Port Vell, and Fira de Reis.

Outside the Sagrada Familia, there is another fair selling nativity figures. In Spain, it's customary not to buy a whole nativity scene, but to make it in pieces, a task left to children. The city's most crucial nativity scene is in the square in front of the Town Hall.

• Barcelona with kids

Holidays with children at Christmas can turn into a fairy tale. Make the most of this opportunity and check out the European Christmas Fairs calendar to plan a visit to one of these events that are inextricably linked to childhood.

And to make planning your family trip a little easier, check out our unique collection of Kidpassage hotels. We wish you a fabulous trip!