Top 10 Biggest Christmas Markets To Visit in Europe This Holiday Season

Europe in Winter is the perfect way to kickstart those festive Christmas feels - glowing lights, steaming mugs of mulled wine, wooden chalets, and festive music echoing through historic squares. If you’re travelling from the UK, the continent’s most iconic Christmas markets are just a short flight away (but also worth a visit from anywhere else), each offering its own flavour of festive magic.

If you are keen on visiting a Christmas market in Europe this year but unsure where then taking a look at Europe's most-visited markets helps reveal where the real Christmas action is. These are the 10 most popular Christmas markets in Europe, listed from #10 to #1 - culminating in the continent’s most-visited festive celebration.

Book those flights. Pack your winter scarf. Activate your Europe eSIM. The season awaits.
(Pssst...if you fancy visiting a christmas market in the UK then check out our top Christmas markets in the UK blog.)

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Dresden’s Striezelmarkt isn’t just a Christmas market — it’s a piece of living history. Founded in 1434, it’s officially Germany’s oldest market, set in a square glowing with lanterns and handcrafted wooden decorations. The highlight is the 14-metre Christmas pyramid, spinning gently above crowds like a beacon of festive tradition.

Why Visit Dresden Christmas Market:
If you love old-world charm, this is where Christmas feels ancient and authentic. The annual Stollen Festival, where an enormous fruitcake is paraded through the town, is a sight you simply won’t find anywhere else.

Best For:
History lovers and seekers of genuine “Erzgebirge” wooden crafts - nutcrackers and incense lovers included.

A true hidden gem. Erfurt may not be the first name that comes to mind for UK travellers, but its stunning medieval backdrop — framed by St Mary’s Cathedral and St Severus Church — makes it one of the most atmospheric markets in Europe.

Why Visit Erfurt Christmas Market:
It offers an authentic German Christmas feel without the high crowds of Munich or Cologne.

Best For:
Trying the world-famous Thuringian Bratwurst, a protected regional specialty that tastes even better when eaten in the cold winter air.

Munich delivers the traditional Bavarian Christmas experience with effortless charm. Set under the Gothic spires of the New Town Hall, the city’s Christkindlmarkt is packed with music, handmade wood carvings, and comforting aromas of roasted chestnuts and spiced Glühwein.

Why Visit Munich Christmas Market:
The nearby Kripperlmarkt, devoted entirely to nativity scenes, is one of a kind.

Best For:
Shoppers searching for authentic Bavarian folk art and festive evenings spent with warm drinks in hand.

Frankfurt’s huge market spreads through the historic Römerberg square, but what makes it special is the dramatic contrast between the medieval stalls and the modern skyline of Europe’s financial hub.

Why Visit Frankfurt Christmas Market:
It’s a beautiful mix of old and new and an ideal spot for food lovers.

Best For:
Sampling Apfelwein (traditional apple wine) and Bethmännchen, Frankfurt’s signature marzipan cookies.

Few cities do Christmas as elegantly as Vienna. The market in front of the grand Rathaus feels straight out of a fairy tale, with elaborate light displays and a massive ice skating trail - the famed “Ice Dream” winding through the surrounding park.

Why Visit Vienna Christmas Market:
Vienna blends imperial architecture with festive warmth in a way no other city can.

Best For:
Ice skating, classical charm, and a touch of old-world grandeur.

Strasbourg calls itself the Capital of Christmas, and it’s easy to see why. With roots stretching back to 1570, it is one of Europe’s oldest Christmas markets and perhaps one of the most beautiful.

Why Visit Strasbourg Christmas Market:
The entire old town, a UNESCO World Heritage site, becomes a glowing maze of festive squares, timber-framed houses, and romantic cobblestone paths.

Best For:
Travellers who want a Christmas card come to life - cosy, romantic, and timeless.

Dortmund is an industrial city that transforms brilliantly for Christmas. Its market is best known for the “World’s Largest Christmas Tree” — a towering 45-metre structure made from 1,700 spruce trees.

Why Visit Dortmund Christmas Market:
It’s big, festive and surprisingly local, with fewer crowds from international coaches.

Best For:
Travellers who want a more authentic, less touristy German market experience.

Dating back to 1692, Stuttgart’s Christmas market is one of Europe’s oldest — and one of its most visually impressive. Every stall owner competes to have the best decorated rooftop, creating a canopy of angels, ornaments, and glowing displays above the crowds.

Why Visit the Stuttgart Christmas Market:
It’s immersive, colourful, and wonderfully atmospheric.

Best For:
Travellers who appreciate visual spectacle and creative arts.

Set beneath the colossal Gothic twin spires of the Kölner Dom, Cologne’s market is arguably the most famous in Germany. With more than 100 free performances on its central stage, it feels like stepping into a festive theatre production.

Why Visit Cologne Christmas Market:
For many, this is the quintessential European Christmas market.

Best For:
Iconic photos, high-quality regional crafts, and no mass-produced plastic in sight.

Europe’s most attended Christmas event is a spectacular 2.5 km festival route winding through central Brussels. From the show-stopping light display on the Grand-Place to the Ferris wheel, ice rink, and more than 200 chalets, Winter Wonders feels more like a city-wide celebration than a single market.

Why Visit Brussels Christmas Market:
It blends the traditional Christmas atmosphere with modern experiences — lively music, innovative lighting, urban energy.

Best For:
Travellers who want a full day-to-night Christmas festival with a big-city buzz.

• Gdańsk, Poland: Recently voted the Best Christmas Market in Europe, with its charming Old Town, handmade crafts, mulled wine stalls, theatre, dance and carol performances.
• Galway, Ireland: Brings Bavarian-style charm to Eyre Square with over 50 wooden chalets, a 32-metre Big Wheel, carousel, international food stalls and a lively beer tent.
• Colmar, France: Famous for its fairytale setting where medieval streets and timbered houses glow with festive lights.
• Heidelberg, Germany: A romantic riverside city that hosts markets stretching through its historic Old Town with views of the castle above.
• Wrocław, Poland: Known for its whimsical atmosphere, colourful stalls and regional delicacies in the city’s historic Market Square.

Christmas markets are all about enjoying the moment, whether that’s food, music or time with the people you care about. With a Europe eSIM plan from Sim Local, you can stay connected as you travel and make sure those memories are easy to share as they happen. Purchase your Europe eSIM plan from Sim Local today.

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