Europe's Christmas Markets

That picture is real...Janet took it with her iphone when we visited the Christmas market in Prague last week. It really was that amazing! Christmas markets pop up in village squares all over Europe beginning in late November and lasting early into the New Year. These markets started out as a place for villagers to gather on cold, snowy evenings to share each other’s company, some home cooked food, and warm mulled wine known as Gluehwein. And if I’m being honest,  Gluehwein, which is pronounced “Glue Wine,” tastes like glue wine. I’m not a fan, though plenty of Christmas market afficionados love the stuff.

Christmas markets are magical places. Some, like the Christmas market we visited in Prague’s Old Town Square, are more picturesque than Cinderella’s Castle at Disney. One of the biggest attractions of Europe’s Christmas markets are the vendor stalls where you find handmade Christmas themed crafts, linens, and ornaments. It’s no wonder they’ve become a popular destination for American tourists. Janet fulfilled her dream of visiting Europe’s Christmas markets during our recent river cruise with Avalon Waterways, and I want to share our experience as well as offer some tips.

Christmas markets may have started as gatherings for locals, but they've grown into a big business. You’ll find Christmas markets in just about any small town and village in Europe, and in the big cities you’ll find as many as half a dozen different markets.

If you are interested in packing in as many different Christmas markets into one week as you can, a river cruise is the way to go. Each day you’ll visit a new village or town to explore all the Christmas their markets have to offer. River cruise ships often dock in the heart of town so the markets are a short walk from your ship. And your cruise ship is your hotel, so you only have to unpack once. Avalon Waterways is our preferred river cruise company for many reasons which I’ve covered before, but we do love them for river cruising.

To maximize your time at the Christmas markets in towns and villages you visit on a river cruise, you have to be willing to skip the included tours. The tours most river cruise lines include in your experience visit one or maybe two Christmas markets at each destination, but there are usually more available to visit if you have the time. And we visited every...single...one! Well, almost. Janet tells me we missed a few in Vienna and Prague, but I don't know how. When your goal is to make the most of the Christmas markets you’ll have to do your homework, find the markets, and strike out on your own to visit the them while the rest of the ship tours castles and palaces.

Now…time for a reality check. Christmas markets have become increasingly commercial with fewer local vendors, particularly in the larger towns and cities. It has become big business with vendors from far away countries replacing locals. If you want a truly authentic European Christmas market experience, do your homework in advance. Here are some tips we can offer from our recent trip:

1.        Many of the Christmas markets we visited offered more stalls selling food and drink than craft vendors, though the latter were still well represented. That’s not to say food and drink stalls are to be avoided…. on the contrary. They present a great opportunity to sample local specialties, and the smells and tastes are amazing. But if you are looking for crafts, you'll want to pick the right markets, usually the larger ones.

2.        “Made in China” is one of the most common markings on the crafts you’ll find in some Christmas markets. Be diligent in searching for Christmas markets that feature products from authentic, local crafts people. The Christmas market in Passau, Germany offers the best of both. The main market area features local crafts people, and a separate area offers crafts people from around the world.

3.        Shop during the day. At their peak during evening hours, Christmas markets are wall-to-wall people with long lines at every vendor stall. If you are a serious shopper and want to avoid the crowds, plan to go during the day, and in particular during weekdays.

4.        Check the operating hours before you go. Most Christmas markets have an online presence, even in the smallest of villages. Be sure to visit their website or social media site to know what days of the week, and what hours, they are open. Most Christmas markets operate from 11AM-9PM daily, but don’t plan to show up at 11AM and expect the stalls to be open. We visited several markets right at 11AM and were disappointed to find most vendor stalls were just beginning to open. Best to arrive at noon or even a little later. And 9PM is not a hard stop for the local stalls…they’ll stay open as long as there is interest.

5.        Go after dark for the full experience. There is nothing more charming than a Christmas market all lit up at night, and it is worth visiting just to see the lights. But don’t expect to be able to shop. It will be crowded, and shopping is challenging, but that’s part of the charm. Nighttime visits to Christmas markets are all about the experience. Take your time and enjoy it, even if it means waiting in line for your glühwein and sausage.

6.        Don’t bother collecting glühwein mugs. Each market works with a sponsor to create a unique collectable mug that they use for that season’s market. It is popular to collect a mug from each market you visit, trouble is…what do you do with them? They are cheaply made and aren’t good for anything other than one serving of glühwein. And you have to pay more for if you plan to keep the mug.

7.        Do try the local food. Even though crafts are the real draw of Christmas markets, the food stalls add to the atmosphere and experience. Let your nose be your guide, find a stall with aromas that appeal to you, then dig in. Food offerings range from sausages, grilled meats, fried and grilled potatoes, chimney cakes, and confections. If I’m being honest, chimney cakes are Janet and my favorite. A chimney cake consists of strands of dough wrapped around a conical mold, then baked. After baking they get treated with butter….yummm… and cinnamon and sugar or other delicious flavors. I will say we’ve sampled chimney cakes across Europe, and hands down the best are in Budapest. But the others are still worth sampling. How can you go wrong with freshly baked dough bathed in butter, cinnamon, and sugar?

8.        If you want to charge your purchases bring along a Visa or Mastercard because most vendors will not accept American Express. Better yet…use cash. After using our Visa credit card at several Christmas market stalls, our account was compromised. It’s a sad fact that cyber criminals are opportunistic, and Christmas markets are too good of an opportunity for them to pass up. If you do use a credit card, be sure to monitor your account for unauthorized transactions and be quick to let your bank know about any suspicious activity.

9.        If you have flexibility with your schedule, plan to visit your top Christmas market on December 6th. That’s when most of Europe celebrates St. Nicholas Day…their version of our Christmas day. Markets will feature characters dressed as Nikolo, or St. Nicholas…a bishop dressed in a red cape and red miter hat with white cross, carrying a staff and bag of candy to hand out to children who were good the previous year. Any children who misbehaved will get treated to the Krampus…the evil opposite of St. Nicholas. And while the literature is unclear on the specifics of what the Krampus metes out, it isn’t good. Worse than coal. We encountered St. Nicholas and the Krampus in a Christmas market in Passau. Janet must have looked like a well-behaved girl as St. Nicholas gave her a chocolate Santa figurine and the Krampus ignored her.

10.  Each Christmas market is different so visit as many as you can pack into your schedule. We visited many, and found each to be unique. If you plan to visit the Christmas markets on a river cruise, choose an itinerary that offers overnight or late evening stays so you can experience the markets after dark. Also look for itineraries that offer a mix of small village and big city markets.

11.  Christmas markets are open regardless of the weather, but dress appropriately. And if it is raining, wear a poncho…don’t use an umbrella. The markets are too packed to use an umbrellas without risk of hurting someone.

Christmas markets offer the special charm of European villages during the holidays and are worth visiting. Do your homework and plan your visit to make the most of your time. Be sure to visit at least one major Christmas market after dark…the lights and charm are worth putting up with the crowds. And be sure to sample the local food and beverages wherever you go. That’s part of the charm. But if you are eager to find local crafts, ask about the origin of whatever you want to buy. Most linens are machine made, and many crafts aren’t local. Still, the charm of Europe’s Christmas markets is alive and well. If, like Janet, you have wanted to visit an authentic Christmas market in Europe, plan well and you’ll enjoy a lifelong Christmas memory!