Mulled wine, magical Christmas scenery, romantic European destinations, roasted chestnuts, local delicacies and the opportunity to shop til you drop. What more could you want? Festive singing, a bit of ice-skating, unusual local arts and crafts and plenty of Christmas cheer – that’s what it’s all about in some of the finest Christmas markets Europe has to offer. Here are 27 of Europe’s best Christmas markets. If you discover one during the fun run-up to Christmas that you feel others should know about, please leave a comment at the end. Happy shopping!
1. Angers, France – 28th November to 28th December
The Soleils d‘Hiver (Winter Suns) festival in Angers is a foodies festival. Delicacies which come from the Loire Valley and also from other places in France, are displayed outside the town’s theatre on gourmet stalls. Drink the local version of mulled wine, and enjoy pommes d’amour – which translates into “apples of love”, which are basically toffee apples. Make sure not to miss out on some of the delicious nougat. In the lanes nearby there are some chic boutiques, for other types of gift shopping.
2. Berlin – 24th November to 1st January
In Berlin there are around 50 or so Christmas markets dotted around the city each year. The biggest and best-known is at Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskir. There you can buy artwork, jewellery and decorations, amongst the offerings. Join in with the traditional drinking of mulled wine, and eating of roast chestnuts.
Copyright © 2014 by A Luxury Travel Blog. This article was written by Jackie de Burca and originally published on aluxurytravelblog.com
*Image of Christmas market via Shutterstock
