‘Tis the season for your clients to start asking about European travel during the Northern Hemisphere winter.
If they’re testing your Yuletide knowledge and you don’t know your gluhwein from your stollen we’ve got you covered.
Here is The Travel Corporation’s guide to European Christmas Markets:
1. Wroclaw
Where:
Poland
Why go?
For Old-World charm with an Eastern European influence, the market has not just Polish merchants but also Czech, Lithuanian and Hungarian stall holders. The Christmas Market is held annually in Wroclaw’s Old Town Square (Rynek) surrounded by stunning architecture in Gothic and Renaissance style.
Eat:
Oscypek is a smoked sheep’s cheese – eat it hot of the grill. It’s not Christmas without dumplings (or pierogi) in Poland, on Christmas Eve they’ll be stuffed with sauerkraut and mushrooms.
Drink:
Traditional grzaniec (hot mulled wine) in over five different flavours.
Buy:
Handmade wooden decorations or tablecloths, leather goods or cosy Polish highlander slippers.
How to get there:
Insight Vacations eight-day Christmas Markets of Poland, Prague & Germany priced from $1,950 per person twin share (Single Supplement from $490).
2. Bolzano
Where:
Italy
Why go?
Set against the peaks of the Dolomites, Piazza Walther is transformed into Italy’s largest Christmas Market with some 80 decorated market booths, Christmas concerts and streets and squares blooming with brightly-lit garlands.
Eat:
Zelten is a dried and candied fruit cake that originates from the northern region of Trentino Alto Adige – the cake is flavoured with spices and grappa and secret family recipes are passed down through generations.
Drink:
Traditional vin brulè – Italy’s version of hot mulled wine.
Buy:
Local artisans sell home-made candles, honey, musical instruments and wood-carved sculptures.
How to get there:
Insight Vacations seven-day Christmas Markets of Germany, Austria and Italy priced from $2,565 per person twin share (Single Supplement from $620).
3. Strasbourg
Where:
Alsace region, France
Why go?
You’re a Christmas traditionalist – the idea of the oldest and largest Christmas market in Europe fills you with festive cheer.
Eat:
Bredele is the traditional Christmas cookie of the region and there is a market dedicated to it. There are dozens of different recipes and shapes, think glazed, sprinkled with cinnamon, aniseed. The idea is that you can take them home to decorate your Christmas tree – then eat them!
Drink:
Vin chaud or hot mulled wine is synonymous with the Strasbourg Christmas market and its served steaming hot from cauldrons. For a non-alcoholic option, try hot blueberry nectar and apple juice.
Buy:
The Children’s Village is designed for families with entertainment, storytelling and workshops. Buy some wooden toys to put under the Christmas tree for any little ones in the family.
How to get there:
Trafalgar’s 10-day Christmas Markets of Strasbourg and the Black Forest priced from $3,050 per person twin share.
4. Dresden
Where:
The Free State of Saxony, Germany
Why go?
Classical flair – you love wandering the streets and reliving the history behind Europe’s favourite Christmas traditions, plus you can’t go to Germany without visiting its oldest Christmas market, Dresden’s Striezelmarkt.
Eat:
A German Christmas market experience wouldn’t be complete without tasting the traditional German Lebkucken, aka The Original Gingerbread.
Drink:
The perfect pairing to match a cold wintery night, glühwein will warm you up with its relaxing spices and favourable texture. A mixture of red wine, cinnamon, sugar, oranges and cloves, the delicious taste of mulled wine when sipped anywhere, anytime will have you reminiscing of a European Christmas for years to come.
Buy:
Dresden’s Striezelmarkt sells an extensive range of high quality and very varied decorations for the house. Otherwise, chat to the stallholders and pick up some unique handcrafted wooden toys.
How to get there:
Trafalgar’s eight-day German Christmas Markets guided holiday priced from $1,895 per person twin share.
5. Budapest
Where:
The capital of Hungary
Why go?
Budapest has celebrated Christmas for one thousand years, since the reign of St. Stephen, the kind who founded Hungary and encouraged the spread of Christianity throughout his realm.
Eat:
Roasted chestnuts and kürtös kalács – a pastry baked on rods over an open fire then coated with sugar
Drink:
Spicy mulled wine is a speciality
Buy:
Handmade porcelain from the Christmas Market on Vörösmarty Square
How to get there:
Uniworld’s 8-day Danube Holidays Markets river cruise is priced from $3,989 per person twin share.
6. Rouen
Where:
Normandy, France
Why go?
Rouen is one of France’s best-preserved cities and the ideal setting for a Christmas Market. Hear beautiful music and see the Nativity scene at the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Eat:
Start with saucisson then treat yourself to tarte tartin and decadent chocolate beignets (French pastries)
Drink:
Warm up with chocolat au lait
Buy:
Local crafts and antiques
How to get there:
Uniworld’s 8-day Parisian Holiday River Cruise is priced from $3,519 per person twin share.
