1. The period of Christmas Markets
Most of them are held between November 20 and December 31, with the mention that some of them close their doors starting with December 24. Even if you go in a period without fairs, the cities remain dressed for holidays until the new year eve.
TIP: each of the cities that hold important fairs also have information published online, there you can check the period, but also many other information such as concerts available, the culinary, artisan specific and images from previous editions.
2. Cities where Christmas Markets are held:
The origin of the Christmas fairs comes from the 1300s and were located in the south of Germany and Austria and they were at first simple winter fairs.
There are two great directions to visit:
- Budapest (Hungary) – Vienna (Austria) – Prague (Czech Republic) – Dresden (Germany) – Poznan (Poland)
- Munich (Germany) – Nurnberg (Germany) – Frankfurt (Germany) – Strasbourg (France) – Colmar (France) – Basel (Elevetia)
TIP: The ones listed above are the most important and traditional cities where the fairs are held, but over time they have appeared all over Europe, so you will have the pleasant surprise to find in England (Manchester), Croatia (Zagreb), Belgium (Brussels) and even in Romania (Bucharest – Brasov – Cluj – Sibiu) such warm and bright places.
For inspiration in elections and many other information I recommend the site EuropeanBestDestination which makes even tops yearly in connection with Christmas fairs in Europe.
3. Ways to get to the cities where Christmas Markets are held
There are three methods by which you can travel to the magical destination:
- With personal car. Some recommendations would be to have the car prepared for the long road, to make the itinerary so that you do not make more than 12 hours of driving, especially at night, to check the condition of the roads, being December it is possible to have snowy areas, to be interested before the road taxes available in the transit countries and to calculate how much fuel you will use, to make sure that if you cross a country you have valid passports and talk to the hotel before to keep you a parking space.
- By bus. Now many tour operators offer special packages for visiting the Christmas fairs in Europe. Excursions can be found at reasonable prices and usually include accommodation and guide. They are perfect for groups of people who do not want to bother with reservations or the individual search for places of interest.
- By plane. It’s the fastest way to get there. Prices vary, but the earlier you get, the cheaper the tickets can be. The choice of the city must also be considered because not all of them have an airport or have and there are few available flights. But do not forget to consider the airport transfer to the city.
- In order to find the right flight option you can try profile websites, such as Momondo. Of course they are more options available but this is one of the most used by me. Next article will tell you what the alternatives are.
TIP: There are city-break offers that include airfare, accommodation and transfer.
4. Accommodation in the cities where Christmas Markets are held
There are 3 major categories:
- At the hotel. Classic, safe and easy to book especially now with all useful site-profiles. As a bonus you have the opportunity to have breakfast included and every day you go out on the field of discoveries starts with energy!
- The apartment. For some time, it has been fashionable to rent a type of personal house. As advantages you can find the price quite good if it is rented by several people. There is also the atmosphere specific to the area if it belongs to a local. Ideal for families.
- The hostel. Hostels are offering for rent the bed and not the room. Ideal for solo travelers or groups of students. I noticed that many of them have very good prices and central locations. The disadvantage is the lack of private leases and other hotel-specific services.
- And for accommodation you can try all Momondo. Offers real-time deals from several specialized sites on hotel reservations.
TIP: Consider the location of the accommodation! In a trip it is very important to choose an accommodation as close as possible to the city center but if the budget does not allow it to be close to a public transport station that has connection to the most important locations. I do not recommend tormenting the car, you will have to find a parking space and the driver will sacrifice the boiled wine or the delicious Viennese punch.
5. What we find in the Christmas Market
- Many sweets in forms that most of which, sweet cake boxes, sugar lollipops, maripan, homemade chocolate, cakes and many more.
- Foods specific to areas such as Hungarian goose or Bavarian wurst.
- Hot drinks, punches of all kinds.
- Handmade toys.
- Carols in the local language.
TIP: Some digestive drugs in the medical kit! You will thank me later!
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