Travel Topics
Few places feel as cinematic at Christmas as Dubrovnik’s Old Town. The Winter Festival strings lights along Stradun, the polished limestone promenade, and scatters wooden kiosks and performance stages through…
Advent Zagreb is Croatia’s flagship Christmas celebration and one of Europe’s most decorated festive events. The city centre becomes a constellation of themed zones, with cheerful market stalls, street food…
Nestled in the historic heart of Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, the city of Zadar comes alive each winter with the vibrant celebration of Advent u Zadru, a magical seaside Christmas market where holiday…
Within Óbidos’ castle grounds, Vila Natal creates a family‑focused wonderland of shows, rides and seasonal fun. Expect colourful light installations, Santa’s house and themed play areas, alongside food kiosks and…
Craiova, Romania’s charming southern city, transforms into a winter wonderland each December, welcoming visitors to the enchanting Craiova Christmas Market. Nestled in the heart of the city, this festive market…
Iași Christmas Market spreads along a handsome spine of historic streets: Ștefan cel Mare Boulevard, Lăpușneanu Street and lively Piața Unirii. As twilight falls over Iași’s grand boulevards, the market…
Sibiu Christmas Market transforms the city’s historic Great Square into a sparkling winter village. Sibiu Christmas Market 2025 The Sibiu Christmas Market has earned a reputation as one of the…
Set against the monumental backdrop of the Palace of Parliament, the Bucharest Christmas market turns one of the city’s largest open spaces into a festive hub of winter excitement. With…
Celje’s ‘Fairytale City’ returns with weeks of free events, concerts and children’s shows spread across the historic centre. As European Christmas City 2025, Celje puts on an especially elaborate programme…
Slovenia’s oldest town brings Christmas spirit to its cobbled streets with a month of markets, concerts and family activities. The switch‑on and opening take place in Town Square, with stalls…
The lakeside promenade in Bled becomes a postcard‑perfect festive market, with wooden huts, local delicacies and hot drinks served against a backdrop of the island church and cliff‑top castle. Bled’s…
Slovenia’s second city turns its main squares into a stage for concerts, light installations and a lively Christmas market. Stalls cluster on Trg Leona Štuklja, with more events a short…
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor turns European again in 2025 with the Christmas Village in Baltimore. Modelled on German Christkindlmarkts, it features 50+ local and international vendors selling ornaments, wooden toys, woollens…
Belgrade Winter Fairytale Zimska Bajka on the Sava Promenade is the Serbian capital’s biggest festive event. It lights up the Sava riverfront with rows of wooden huts, mulled-wine bars and…
Eastern Slovakia’s capital celebrates the season with a month‑long programme on Hlavná ulica. Stalls dish up regional specialities and gifts, with a large tree and frequent performances adding to the…
Žilina’s markets spread across two neighbouring squares in the historic centre, combining crafts and food with a local cultural programme. With everything compact and walkable from the train station, it’s…
Set between colourful townhouses and baroque monuments, Banská Bystrica’s markets occupy two adjoining squares in the pedestrianised centre. Expect Slovak crafts and food, festive concerts and a welcoming, small‑city vibe…
Running parallel to the Main Market, the Staré Mesto (Old Town) Christmas market unfolds along tree‑lined Hviezdoslavovo námestie. Rows of chalets serve punch, lokše and sweet treats, while the stage…
Winterval spreads across central Waterford with light installations, a big wheel and a Continental-style market. The core stalls cluster around John Roberts Square and along Broad Street and George’s Street…
Galway’s Christmas Market transforms Eyre Square into a festive village of wooden chalets, amusement rides and seasonal flavours. Shoppers can browse artisan crafts, decorations and winter treats, then warm up…
Eger’s Dobó Square becomes a warmly lit gathering place each Advent, with stalls, concerts and seasonal flavours set against the backdrop of the castle. With dates confirmed for 2025, it’s…
Szeged’s Festive Weeks unfold beneath the twin towers of the Votive Church on Dóm Square, with additional clusters of stalls at nearby Dugonics and Klauzál squares. Expect handicrafts, street food…
Nestled in the heart of eastern Hungary, the historic city of Debrecen dresses itself in festive splendour each winter for the beloved event known as Debrecen Advent. As the days…
The long‑running Budapest Christmas Fair returns to Vörösmarty tér with rows of wooden huts selling Hungarian folk crafts, ceramics, leatherwork and artisan foods. It’s the market many locals grew up…
Come November the cities and towns of Europe join in unison to celebrate the advent of Christmas with a Christmas Market. What started off as very much a Germanic tradition has now swept across much of mainland Europe as well as in the UK.
The very first December market was held in 1298 when Albrecht I granted permission for a meat market, and the Austrian capital is very much at the heart of festive markets to this day, with 20 in and around the city.
However, it is in Germany that the markets really flourished, with Dresden’s Striezelmarkt standing out as one of the most spectacular Christmas markets in the country – where else can you see a giant stollen parade?
In the UK the trend has evolved more recently, with markets now appearing in most cities and towns across the kingdom. From Winchester to Beverley and Padstow each has its own particular take on the theme, and London even has its own Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.
From the iconic Brussels Christmas Market in the capital of the European Union, the festive seasonal tradition has also swept across eastern Europe and Scandinavia. The Brno Christmas Market is prove that the Czech Republic is not all about Prague while in Lithuania they take place all over this small country, from its capital Vilnius to the smaller city of Kaunas. Meanwhile, the one in Helsinki called Tuomaan Markkinat, is amongst Europe’s most Istagrammable Christmas markets.
