Capitals & Tourist cities

Market dates

Late November to December 24

Top festive squares

Place Broglie, Cathedral Square, Petite France

Local treats

Bredele cookies, tarte flambée, vin chaud

A Rhine crossroads since Roman times, Strasbourg wraps France's oldest Christmas market around Gothic stone and Alsatian timbered lanes.

Market dates

Mid-November to December 26

Top festive squares

Rathausplatz, Spittelberg, Belvedere courtyard

Local treats

Glühwein, Kartoffelpuffer, roast chestnuts

Vienna's Habsburg avenues, Baroque palaces and grand cafés turn Advent into a polished imperial winter ritual.

Market dates

Late November to December 23

Top festive squares

Domplatz, Neumarkt, Alter Markt

Local treats

Reibekuchen, Spekulatius, Kölsch indoors

A Roman-founded Rhine city, Cologne stages its markets beneath the twin-spired Gothic cathedral and medieval old-town streets.

Market dates

Late November to early January

Top festive squares

Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square, Prague Castle

Local treats

Trdelník, grilled klobása, hot honey wine

Prague's medieval Bohemian core brings Gothic towers, Baroque churches and the astronomical clock into one festive walk.

Market dates

Late November to December 24

Top festive squares

Marienplatz, Wittelsbacherplatz, Tollwood

Local treats

Feuerzangenbowle, Schmalznudel, Nürnberger sausages

Munich pairs Bavarian royal architecture, church towers and beer-hall tradition with fast rail access to the Alps.

Market dates

Late November to December 24

Top festive squares

Hauptmarkt, Imperial Castle, Handwerkerhof

Local treats

Nürnberger Rostbratwurst, Lebkuchen, Glühwein

A medieval free imperial city, Nuremberg keeps its market tight around the Hauptmarkt, city walls and Franconian craft lanes.