Best Christmas Market Holidays in Europe (and where to stay)

Culture

The Christmas season is a wonderful time to visit Europe, and an excellent reason to bring families, young or old, friends and loved ones together for a Christmas holiday. A jubilant atmosphere takes over picturesque cobbled towns and historic capitals, each dressed with a twinkling kaleidoscope of fairy lights, trees adorned with dainty bows and golden tinsel, liberally peppered with baubles, and an undeniable festive cheer. But the highlights are the many wonderful Christmas markets — the more traditional the better — with endearing carols and brass bands providing a festive soundtrack for days spent shopping for local handicrafts, while sipping warming mulled wine paired with delicious winter foods.

To help you plan the perfect luxury Christmas escape, we’ve curated a collection of Europe’s best traditional Christmas markets and paired each with one of our favourite luxury hotels: from Vienna’s stately charm and the magnificent Rosewood Vienna and Danube-side opulence in Hungary’s Kimpton BEM Budapest, to a luxury river cruise along the Rhine.

Austrian Elegance Meets a Traditional Christmas at Rosewood Vienna

While Vienna is one of Europe’s most elegant cities, its grand boulevards and baroque squares are magically transformed in wintertime. Walk the pretty streets and you’ll find abundant Christmas lights and yuletide decor providing festive eye candy, while plumes of smoke from spiced glühwein, apple tarts, and Kartoffelpuffer lace the icy air with the unmistakable scents of Christmas.

There are many markets, but the Rathausplatz market sets a fairy-tale stage in front of the attractive city hall, with stalls selling delicate glass ornaments and handicrafts. Schönbrunn Palace is arguably the prettiest, though, with artisanal crafts and choirs adding festive cheer against an impressive imperial backdrop, given the Christmas treatment with a giant tree dressed in sparkling decorations.

Vienna is an impeccable choice for classical concerts and choirs, and the highlight is the Wiener Symphoniker orchestra, who hold an annual Advent Concert in St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

Stay at the Rosewood Vienna

Stay at Rosewood Vienna, on Petersplatz in the heart of old Vienna, a short stroll from all the city centre highlights: luxury shopping and remarkable Viennese cafes. Housed within an impeccable cotton white, 19th-century building, Rosewood Vienna blends Viennese heritage with modern comforts. The guestrooms and suites echo Vienna’s elegance with warm tones, elegant furnishings, and views over church spires and tiled rooftops. Families might prefer one of the stunning residences, such as the lavishly appointed Treichl House, with generous accommodations for up to five guests.

Festivities at the Rosewood Vienna include Christmas Eve dinners at the Neue Hoheit restaurant and a pop-up Guglhupf bar for takeaway Christmas cakes.

A Romantic Parisian Noël

Oh, Paris in the winter. Sparkling lights drape along the Champs-Élysées to the festive windows at Galeries Lafayette. The seasonal air brings an icy glitter to the Seine, as Christmas markets appear everywhere from the bohemian hills of Montmartre and the square at Notre-Dame to the modern streets of La Défense.

A favourite of Paris’ Christmas markets, though, is the Marché de Noël des Tuileries, just steps from the Louvre. It makes a delightfully festive destination in the 1st arrondissement, with wooden chalets ladening the air with the scents of bubbling vin chaud served with molten celebrations of cheese, potatoes, and lardons: Tartiflette and Raclette, as well as indulgent chocolate truffles paired with glasses of Champagne.

For a delectably chic Parisienne experience, visit the Grand Palais, which, after a five-year absence, will once again host France’s largest Christmas ice rink: the Grand Palais des Glaces, under its iconic glass roof.

Stay at Le Meurice, a Dorchester Collection Hotel

Stay at Le Meurice, Paris, a Dorchester Collection Hotel that artfully embodies Parisian luxury with more than a subtle nod to Versailles-esque indulgence. The hotel overlooks the Tuileries Garden, with the Louvre to your left and the Place de la Concorde on the right, giving direct access to all that lovely fromage, and, perhaps more importantly, all the sights of Paris’ 1st arrondissement.

The palace hotel’s exterior, lit in twinkling fairylights and inviting ambers, leads to graceful interiors that balance opulent 18th-century design with modern French elegance, while rooms and suites are elevated by views of the Eiffel Tower from lacy Juliet balconies. Restaurant Le Meurice Alain Ducasse is remarkable, with its glittering chandeliers and Versailles-like opulence, a fine stage for its modern French gastronomy served with a sustainable edge.

A Fairytale Winter at Nimb Hotel, an SLH Hotel, Copenhagen

A comforting hygge spirit warms those chilly Nordic nights in Copenhagen, where the delightful Tivoli Gardens transforms into a glowing festive wonderland courtesy of half a million lights shimmering across the park’s scenic landscapes. Market stalls brim with festive gifts, mulled wine, and spiced æbleskiver doughnuts, perfect for breaks between rides on Tivoli’s antique rollercoaster and skating beneath cascades of fairy lights on a rink with a huge tree at its centre.

Families with small children particularly love Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens at Christmas, with its delightfully festive train linking a forest carousel, stalls filled with gingerbread, and magical visits to Santa Claus.

Stay at the Nimb Hotel, an SLH Hotel

There’s no better option for Christmas than the stunning Nimb Hotel, an SLH Hotel, set within Tivoli Gardens, and always decked out in its festive best come December.

Its Moorish-inspired façade is dressed in twinkling lights, while inside, the 38 individually styled rooms and suites have fireplaces and freestanding bathtubs for cosying up after a night at the markets.

Culinary delights abound: from elegant Christmas lunches every December weekend in the Nimb Brasserie to the enchanting Japanese Pagoda in Tivoli Gardens, hosting a rotation of Michelin-starred chefs throughout the year, with Tuscany’s Saporium promising a sublime menu of seasonal ingredients this December.

A Christmas Cruise along the Rhine with Uniworld

Cruise along the Rhine and you’ll see stunning snow white landscapes punctuated with fairytale castles, and charming half-timbered towns that look as fantastical as a pop-up Christmas card. You’ll effortlessly explore not just Germany’s joyful Cologne markets, elegant Baden-Baden, and France’s Strasbourg, but also have the opportunity for further exploration in the Swiss village of Engelberg. But the cruise begins in Basel, with a tree-filled Christmas market scented with fiery Feuerzangenbowle — a twist on traditional mulled wine, with a rum-soaked sugarloaf set on fire and left to drip into the copper pot of wine.

For something different, head to Basel’s 17th-century Town Hall to write down your Christmas wishes in the Basler Wunschbuch (Book of Wishes). The cruise highlight is Strasbourg, its old city streets packed with various Christmas markets scented with cheese and wine. See the towering, luminous tree in Place Kléber and follow it up with a stroll through Petite France and its atmospheric canal-side restaurants.

Stay Aboard Uniworld’s S.S. Antoinette

You’ll board Uniworld’s supership S.S. Antoinette, a stunning river cruiser, carrying just 152 passengers in timeless stately luxury. On board, you’ll find bathrooms finished in marble, a lobby staircase with a 10-foot Strauss Baccarat chandelier with cascades of sparkling sapphires, a pool with breathtaking mosaics, restaurants serving seasonal flavours paired with local wines, and lavish suites and staterooms. Days ashore are filled with guided explorations of the markets, and there are optional tours along the iconic Alsatian Wine Road and to the fairytale shores of Lake Lucerne.

Tip: ask your Travel Designer about the Staterooms and Suites on La Princesse Deck, where private balconies transform at the touch of a button, with floor-to-ceiling windows that open and close seamlessly, creating an open-air balcony or an enclosed conservatory, ideal for winter cruising.

A Magical Winter Transformation on the Banks of the Danube, Budapest

Budapest really sparks the festive cheer, with a whimsical Christmas transformation into one of Europe’s most wonderful Christmas destinations.

There are many markets, but the main two are on Vorosmarty Square and in front of the city’s St. Stephen’s Basilica. Vorosmarty Square is usually pure Christmas chaos with crowds from across the world jumping teeth first into delicious rolls of cabbage stuffed with meat (Töltött Káposzta), followed by a dessert of Chimney Cake cooked on a spit with beautifully moreish, buttery flavours.

The market at St. Stephen’s Basilica is a bit more sedate, with fewer crowds but lashings of Christmas cheer from the wonderful decor and plumes of flavour rising from the huts. Walk the city and you’ll find it strung with fairy lights and Christmas trees, but ramble along the Danube riverside, and you’ll meet the iconic Christmas tram rattling along the rails wrapped up in thousands of Christmas lights, the elegant architecture on Buda Hill making a stunning amber-tinged backdrop.

Stay at Kimpton BEM Budapest

Set within a listed 19th-century mansion reimagined by designer Marcel Wanders, Kimpton BEM Budapest boasts 127 elegant rooms and suites, some elevated by elegant Danube views.

Interiors strike an intriguing balance between modern comfort and Hungarian cultural motifs with a playful tone — there’s a giant sculpture of a stag in the lobby, with a striking golden floor.

The facilities at Kimpton BEM Budapest include a modern spa with sauna, excellent dining at AGOS Restaurant, and inventive cocktails on the rooftop FeNNen, which has a central glass pavilion, heated in the winter months and surrounded by plants on a terrace with jaw-dropping Budapest views.

A Lakeside Christmas in Geneva

Geneva takes on a renewed air in the wintertime. The lake, arguably the city’s most impressive feature, mirrors snow-tipped Alps, but by nightfall, the twinkling lights of this year’s Christmas Market on the lakeside Quai du Mont-Blanc will take over.

Expect unique baubles and other festive wares made by local creatives sold from cosy wooden chalets, as well as steaming pots of fondue enjoyed with skewers of bread and salty charcuterie. For the best experience, book a pop-up chalet for private dinners with lake views, and for an extra touch of Christmas whimsy, there’s a horse-drawn carriage that rattles through Geneva with a dining table stacked with fondue.

Stay at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva

With sublime vistas of the lake and Geneva’s picturesque old town, Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva blends its extraordinary history with boundless modern luxuries and Four Seasons’ trademark service. The landmark five-star hotel has elegant rooms and suites designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon, many of which feature windows framing views across the lake and the Jet d’Eau.

After a day spent exploring the cobbled old town beneath and the Christmas markets, retreat to the rooftop Spa Mont Blanc for restorative treatments, or dine at the hotel’s Michelin-starred Il Lago restaurant.

Whether you want to wander the Christmas markets of Budapest or Paris, tour the Rhine and its enchanting half-timbered towns via a luxury river cruise, or create a bespoke tour of Europe’s most traditional Christmas markets, your 360 Private Travel Designer will ensure your winter travels are entirely stress-free.

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Best Christmas Market Holidays in Europe (and where to stay)