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Steven McGovern 11/27/23 Steven McGovern 11/27/23

Our favourite Christmas markets in Europe

Christmas markets in Europe form the perfect setting to get into the holiday spirit, with the sweet aroma of mulled wine and cinnamon spice and the echo of Christmas jingles in the air, and market stalls full of festive fare.

Home to the some of the world’s most beautiful cities, there are plenty of ways to celebrate the preamble to the festive season in Europe. As the nights draw in, we highlight the best European Christmas markets to explore this year.

Here are my favourite Christmas markets in Europe

Manchester Christmas Markets, Manchester, UK

It started with a cluster of wooden stalls but now, 16 years later, Manchester’'s Christmas market has snowballed into an award-winning festive fantasia attracting seven million visitors yearly. Follow the 300 chalet-lined market trail across the city centre for all kinds of bespoke gifts, from fine jewellery to bonsai trees, while stopping for cocktails at the new pop-up-style Christmas Vintage Lounge on Exchange Square. The real highlight is the street food on Albert Square.

Prague Christmas Markets, Prague, Czech Republic

Prague's distinctively medieval backdrop of church domes, towers and magnificent ninth-century castle, provides the ultimate festive skyline. Stroll through cobbled streets, past hidden courtyards and over pretty bridges to Staromestské Námestie (the Old Town Square), or Wenceslas Square, for the largest –and most magical– markets. They are filled with atmospheric choirs, giant Christmas trees and fairy light-festooned stalls selling locally made gifts including luxe ceramics and scented candles.

Tivoli Christmas Market, Copenhagen, Denmark

When you've got the chief designer from Tiffany & Co. planning the design concept, you can bank on an exquisite spectacle. In 1997, John Loring set the cobbled streets sparkling and transformed the city’s famous Tivoli Gardens into a twinkling winter wonderland with more than 500,000 fairy lights. Now, this Scandi-chic market, along with welcoming scents of gløgg (mulled wine), exhilarating rides and brightly coloured stalls, selling the type of sweaters made famous by Sofie Gråbøl in The Killing, attracts more than a million visitors a year.

Christkindlmarkt, Vienna, Austria

With a market practically on every corner, where better to don your finest faux-fur than Vienna? Schoenbrunn Palace Christmas Market is best for stylish shopping, while the largest and gaudiest – Christkindlmarkt (christmas market) – dates back to 1294 and is bursting with atmosphere. Set in the Rathausplatz in front of the neo-Gothic City Hall, locals come to check out the festive window scenes painted by local artists, and stay for the glühwein (mulled wine). Take a stroll through Rathauspark for old-fashion carousel rides and a ‘Post Office in the Clouds’, where you can post your Christmas cards. Remember those?

Mulhouse Christmas Market, Alsace, France

The Christmas market takes place on the most important square of the city - Place de la Réunion. Known as being one of the most colourful Christmas markets in the world, the site is the perfect opportunity for the town to celebrate it's textile heritage with Christmas fabric created each year hung on the facades of around 100 typical festive huts.

Christkindlesmarkt, Nuremberg, Germany

The Germans know a thing or two about Christmas markets. Over 2,500 are dotted around the country but Nuremberg’s 400-year-old Christkindlmarkt is arguably the most famous. Shining in the Bavarian city's old town, this festive gem has it all: twinkling lights, super-strong glühwein and delicious Bratwurst. Each of the 180 stalls sell genuine tat-free treasures, from handmade candles to enameled music boxes, and special wardens ensure all products are locally made. It all adds to the authentic flavour and the buzzing Bierkeller next to the ice-rink is a guaranteed Christmas spirit booster.

Edinburgh Christmas Markets, Edinburgh, UK

Bringing traditional German flavour to the Scottish capital, stallholders at The European Market are from Frankfurt, while The Scottish Market serves up local delights. Treat your pooch to canine cookies from The Grassmarket on Saturdays, lose yourself in the fir tree maze and ride the Edinburgh wheel for fantastic city views. Once Christmas is wrapped up, it all kicks off again for Hogmanay: a legendary New Year’s party where 80,000 revelers come for music, fireworks and lashings of whisky.

lETS TALK

Steven McGovern 11/28/22 Steven McGovern 11/28/22

Our favourite Christmas markets in Europe

Here are my favourite Christmas markets in Europe

Manchester Christmas Markets, Manchester, UK

It started with a cluster of wooden stalls but now, 20 years later, Manchester’'s Christmas market has snowballed into an award-winning festive fantasia attracting seven million visitors yearly. Follow the 300 chalet-lined market trail across the city centre for all kinds of bespoke gifts, from fine jewellery to bonsai trees, while stopping for cocktails at the new pop-up-style Christmas Vintage Lounge on Exchange Square. The real highlight is the street food on Albert Square.

Prague Christmas Markets, Prague, Czech Republic

Tivoli Christmas Market, Copenhagen, Denmark

Christkindlmarkt, Vienna, Austria

Mulhouse Christmas Market, Alsace, France

Christkindlesmarkt, Nuremberg, Germany

Edinburgh Christmas Markets, Edinburgh, UK

LETS talk

Steven McGovern 4/14/19 Steven McGovern 4/14/19

10 markets you must visit in London

1. PORTOBELLO ROAD

While perhaps best known for its famed antiques market, Portobello Road in Notting Hill is a true haven for fans of fashion from bygone eras. Whether it’s second-hand Chanel, pre-loved Burberry or kitschy cocktail jewels, you’re likely to spot something among the endless stalls of goodies that stretch the entire length of the road and beyond. While you’re in the area, it would be rude not to pop into vintage treasure trove.

2. BOROUGH MARKET

Food fans are guaranteed a good time at Borough Market, born in 1014. One of London’s largest food markets, it’s bursting at the seams with gourmet goodies from around the world to take home or devour on the spot, such as Ibérico ham from Brindisa, piping hot pastry from Pieminister or Bread Ahead’s legendary jam doughnuts. A friend in the market recommends heading by for around 3.30pm, when you’re more likely to pick up discounts and encounter jollier traders as things start to wind down for the day.

3. COLUMBIA ROAD FLOWER MARKETPart of the reason it takes so long to edge down Columbia Road on a Sunday morning is the fact that people regularly stop in their tracks to take photographs, causing rather a pile-up. You can’t blame them – the flower … — **3. COLUMBIA ROAD FLOWER MARKET**
Part of the reason it takes so long to edge down Columbia Road on a Sunday morning is the fact that people regularly stop in their tracks to take photographs, causing rather a pile-up. You can’t blame them – the flower market is undeniably picturesque, not only for its rainbow of colourful flora but also its charming boutiques behind pretty 19th-century shop fronts. Head here to snag bunches of fresh peonies, Cornish daffodils and tulips, and gawp at people lugging giant pot plants home with them, often in rather ingenious ways.

4. BILLINGSGATE FISH MARKETTrade customers and dedicated foodies brave an eye-wateringly early start to visit Billingsgate, the largest fish market in the UK, and once the largest in the world. Open from 4am-8am from Tuesday to Saturday and crammed … — **4. BILLINGSGATE FISH MARKET**
Trade customers and dedicated foodies brave an eye-wateringly early start to visit Billingsgate, the largest fish market in the UK, and once the largest in the world. Open from 4am-8am from Tuesday to Saturday and crammed to the gills with all manner of fresh seafood, it’s as much an experience as an opportunity to shop. Lap up the banter from the traders or spy exotic fish varieties from around the globe (150+ species are sold here). For an insider’s introduction to the market, the on-site Billingsgate Seafood School offers tours.

5. BROADWAY MARKETA playground for the creative types who have settled in Hackney en masse over the past decade or so, Broadway Market is a lively place in which to spend a Saturday afternoon. It’s rammed with international food stalls, purveyors of… — **5. BROADWAY MARKET**
A playground for the creative types who have settled in Hackney en masse over the past decade or so, Broadway Market is a lively place in which to spend a Saturday afternoon. It’s rammed with international food stalls, purveyors of vintage and vinyl, and opportunities to rub shoulders with the area’s style-conscious population as they sip flat whites and chat on the pavement, dogs in tow. We advise fuelling the perusing and people-watching with a strong coffee from Climpson & Sons, and popping in to the canalside Market Café for a spritz when you’re done.

6. CAMDEN MARKETCamden Market – actually comprised of six different sites – has historically been a beacon for London’s nonconformists, from punks in the Seventies when the market first opened, to grunge devotees, rockers and hippies. Despite its pr… — **6. CAMDEN MARKET**
Camden Market – actually comprised of six different sites – has historically been a beacon for London’s nonconformists, from punks in the Seventies when the market first opened, to grunge devotees, rockers and hippies. Despite its present-day popularity, it still maintains a somewhat independent spirit, thanks to its banning of chain stores in Stables Market, which means that its large numbers of traders mainly sell handmade, Fairtrade crafts and vegan food. It also remains a hotspot for kinky club and fetish wear.

7. MALTBY STREET MARKETFor an opportunity to indulge with joyful abandon, you can’t beat Maltby Street. Lined up opposite a row of handsome railway arches, you’ll find street food stalls serving up shamelessly calorific delicacies, and crowds of che… — **7. MALTBY STREET MARKET**
For an opportunity to indulge with joyful abandon, you can’t beat Maltby Street. Lined up opposite a row of handsome railway arches, you’ll find street food stalls serving up shamelessly calorific delicacies, and crowds of cheery punters, beakers of G&T or vermouth in hand, waiting to get their fill. On our last visit, fare included oozing cheese toasties, fluffy naan breads piled with fresh toppings, and intensely chocolatey brownies. The permanent venues under the arches are always bustling, too, like the diminutive Bar Tozino, a fantastic spot for an aperitif.

8. SPITALFIELDS MARKETSet under a striking steel and glass Victorian roof, Spitalfields Market draws crowds for its vibrant mix of independent traders selling an eclectic selection of wares. From hammam towels to antique maps, you’re sure to uncover… — **8. SPITALFIELDS MARKET**
Set under a striking steel and glass Victorian roof, Spitalfields Market draws crowds for its vibrant mix of independent traders selling an eclectic selection of wares. From hammam towels to antique maps, you’re sure to uncover an inspiring find. You’d be wise to pay a visit to Walconcept – a stall run by the always impeccably-dressed Waliou, whose selection of vintage scarves and ties can’t be beaten.

9. DOVER STREET MARKET

DSM is not your traditional market. In fact, the word ‘traditional’ has no place here at all. Inspired by the cult Kensington Market – a home for London subcultures that closed in the ’90s – this gender-fluid, multi-brand space by Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo pushes boundaries in all directions. Not least because it looks like one big art installation – featured designers are given the freedom to arrange their areas within the store as they see fit, resulting in endless strange and beautiful displays. With a gleeful mix of high and low price points, you’ll find established brands including Gucci and Balenciaga alongside pieces by rising stars such as Stefan Cooke and Marine Serre. In January and July DSM undergoes its seasonal changeover, where the entire place gets a new look. This is a prime time to visit, with exclusive products and treats from the top-floor Rose Bakery.