With the approach of the holiday season, many European cities transform into fairy-tale winter wonderlands—even if they hardly see any snow. Cities such as Prague and Vienna tend to get top billing when it comes to Christmas markets, and while charming and picture-perfect, they can also be absolutely packed.
There are plenty of places, though, where you can find a slightly more intimate experience. Here are nine European cities to visit if you want to avoid the masses but still get fully in the Christmas spirit.
Get a cup of hot cider or hot buttered punch to keep you warm as you stroll through Winchester’s Christmas market.
Courtesy of Winchester City Council
Winchester, England
Founded around 648 C.E., the medieval city of Winchester is known for its 11th-century cathedral and 17th-century Morley Library; it’s bewitching at any time of year, but December is especially beautiful—and it’s only an hour from London by train. This peaceful market town glows during the holiday season, with a warmly lit Christmas market full of local vendors selling treats (from shortbread to samosas), goods like soaps, jewelry, and such winter essentials as beeswax lip balm.
Attending a service at the cathedral—which, at 558 feet, is the longest Gothic cathedral in Europe—is worthwhile even if you’re not religious; there’s something truly enchanting about hearing Christmas hymns echo through the long nave. Don’t miss a ride on the heritage steam train Watercress Line, which runs special excursions around Christmas like festive three-course lunches, afternoon teas, and meet-and-greets with Santa (with mince pies and wine for the adults and gingerbread for the kids).
Market dates: November 22 through December 22, 2024
Coburg’s market square shines even in winter.
Photo by Michael von Aichberger/Shutterstock
Coburg, Germany
The cobbled squares, historic homes, and enormous, imposing castle in this gorgeous Bavarian town are the perfect setting to make all your Christmas fantasies come true. Take the train an hour from Nuremberg, then walk less than 15 minutes from the station to a Christmas market filled with handicrafts by Bavarian artisans. Spectacular lighting displays illuminate the whole city. Expect candlelight choir performances, a carousel for kids, horse-and-cart rides through the picturesque streets, and plenty of glühwein to go around. Don’t miss the statue of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s Coburg-born husband, who famously brought the Christmas tree to England in the 1840s.
Market dates: November 29 through December 23, 2024
Vilnius switches up the style of its Cathedral Square Christmas tree every year.
Photo by astudio/Shutterstock
Vilnius, Lithuania
Lithuania’s capital is one of Europe’s most underrated cities, offering a feast of baroque architecture and a fascinating medieval old town. It’s a romantic destination, the streets often dusted with snow, with skating rinks (including one in Town Hall Square open until January 26) and saunas for warming up.
Vilnius kicks off its Christmas celebrations on November 29 with the lighting of its Cathedral Square tree, whose design and size change every year. (For 2023, an 80-foot tree was covered in nearly two miles of lights powered by coffee grounds.) At the market, you’ll find mulled wine, pastries, and other traditional fare like kūčiukai (tiny, slightly sweet poppy-seed pastries), plus plenty of gifts and decorations. For something a little different, time your visit with the International Christmas Charity Bazaar on November 30 to pick up holiday goods from around the world, or head to Design Square (December 18–22) for unique finds by Lithuanian designers.
Market dates: November 29 through December 29, 2024
Festive lights sparkle at the Grote Markt in Antwerp, Belgium.
Photo by Henryk Sadura/Shutterstock
Antwerp, Belgium
This Belgian city, 40 minutes by train from Brussels, is a brilliant festive break, all dimly lit, cozy pubs with roaring fires and superb traditional beers. Squares throughout the city have alfresco seating with plenty of heaters and blankets.
Head to Grote Markt, where the Renaissance Town Hall sparkles with lights and the historic homes that fringe the square are illuminated after dark. Here you can browse more than 100 stalls with crafts from local designers, artisans, and charities. Go ice skating, indulge in a fluffy waffle, and then retire to a table at Elfde Gebod, a traditional pub where hundreds of statues of the Virgin Mary gaze down on the drinkers.
Market dates: December 6 through January 5
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
This Italian town of 7,000 people—and cohost of the 2026 Winter Olympics—sits between the peaks of the mighty Dolomites. A ski resort, it’s doused in powdery snow for most of winter, making it a picture-perfect Christmas destination. As part of the holiday festivities, a new window of the former town hall is lit each night leading up to Christmas, like an architectural Advent calendar.
Cortina, unlike many other towns this close to the Austrian border, is thoroughly Italian, so you can expect the locals to indulge in the traditional evening passeggiata, strolling and window-shopping. Take to the slopes by day, and spend your evenings in town, walking the car-free Corsa Italia before thawing out in one of the superb pizzerias. Cortina is tiny and doesn’t have its own big Christmas market, but there are a handful of markets in other Dolomites towns.
Market dates: The 35-stall market in Brunico (an hour’s drive) is open November 29 through January 6.
Colmar’s half-timbered medieval houses and early Renaissance buildings make it particularly picturesque in winter.
Courtesy of OT Colmar
Colmar, France
This small town in northeastern France sits on the other side of the Rhine River from Germany and Switzerland and is 45 minutes by train from Basel. It exudes romance year-round, but come Christmas time, it’s even more beguiling. Its canals and cobblestone streets, lined with half-timbered historic houses, are perfect for a brisk winter walk. On Wednesdays and Saturdays from November 27 to December 21, children’s choirs take to the water on illuminated boats and sing carols to passersby.
Take the kids to the Champ de Mars park, which is decked out in holiday lights and has a historic, enclosed carousel. Parents can venture underground and into the city’s Alsatian wine cellars—such as Domaine Martin Jund or Domaine Karcher et Fils—where folk celebrations and events are held throughout December. Tastings are, of course, essential.
Market dates: November 26 through December 29, 2024
Medieval Rothenburg ob der Tauber gets decked out at Christmastime.
Photo by irakite/Shutterstock
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Once Germany’s second-largest city, Rothenburg ob der Tauber is today one of its best-preserved walled medieval towns. It’s the ultimate Bavarian fairy tale—all turrets and timber and clock towers—and is a famous stop on the Romantic Road, a route that connects a series of quintessentially German towns and cities. Visitors tend to favor the town in summer when it’s warmer and less windy, but come warmly dressed during winter for a wonderfully evocative visit.
Take the Night Watchman Tour to get insight into the gritty life here during the Middle Ages and learn about some of the town’s key buildings, then head to the main Christmas event: the postcard-perfect Reiterlesmarkt. It’s got all you could want in a German Christmas market—sausages, mulled wine, fragrant roasted nuts—and, until 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the festivities from the Town Hall tower.
Market dates: November 29 through December 23, 2024
Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb
Courtesy of Emmanuel Cassar/Unsplash
Zagreb, Croatia
Croatia, known for its scenic beaches, isn’t an obvious winter destination, but it should be: Zagreb goes all in on making winter fun and festive with Advent markets and events around town. The Christmas market in Ban Jelačić Square has the city’s big, bedecked tree, concerts and cultural performances, and market stalls selling gifts, handicrafts, and bites like fritule (crispy miniature doughnut balls). Skate off the sausages and other treats with a few turns around the ice at the rink in King Tomislav Square, or market-hop with visits to those at European Square, Zrinjevac, Fuliranje (whose name means fooling around) on Strossmayer Square, and Grič Tunnel.
For additional holiday shopping, head to the Design District—the Take Me Home Croatian Design Shop has books, furniture, jewelry, and many more Croatian-made goods.
Market dates: November 30, 2024 through January 7, 2025
Tivoli Gardens is fun year-round, especially for kids, but has an even more magical ambience around Christmas.
Courtesy of Tivoli Gardens
Aarhus, Denmark
Hunt down holiday hygge in Denmark’s second city this Christmas—Aarhus has small-town charm and festive cheer aplenty. Take the train from Copenhagen in under three hours and wander Aarhus’s pretty streets strung with Christmas lights, ducking into boutiques and cafés before making your way to one of two Christmas markets. At Den Gamle By (the Old Town Museum), learn about the history of Christmas, taste wild boar sausages and vanilla and almond-studded butter cookies, and visit Santa’s attic. The magic for kids in particular continues at Tivoli Friheden amusement park, which is entirely lit up—including a 130-foot tree—and filled with kiosks selling crafts like hand-blown ornaments and Danish treats such as æbleskiver, buttery pancake puffs that are hard to ignore.
Market dates: November 16 through December 30, 2024, at Tivoli Friheden; until January 2, 2025, at Old Town Museum
This article was originally published in 2018 and most recently updated on October 23, 2024, with current information. Sophie Friedman contributed to the reporting of this story.
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