12 of the best Christmas markets to visit in the UK and Europe
Christmas markets are a tradition that started in Northern Europe but they’re catching on here too. Shopping for festive crafts while sipping mulled wine and snacking on hearty grub in the frosty air… there’s no better way to kick off the festive season. Travel journalist Norman Miller has found the best places in the UK to visit a Christmas market, plus a few further afield…
The best Christmas markets in the UK
Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, 15 Nov to 1 Jan
Why it’s great: Pre-book tickets for the palace’s Great Court market showcasing artisan homewares, fashion, jewellery and toys. There’s an ice rink this year too, while the 18th-century baroque stately home’s rooms host a Peter Pan-themed trail along with Neverland Afternoon Teas, complemented by glorious garden illuminations.
Festive feasting: Stock up on British cheeses and award-winning meats, or indulge your sweet tooth with posh gingerbread, marzipan or traditional treats such as chocolate kisses. There’s street food too.
The drinks: Toast the season with local beers, Hebridean gin from the island of Colonsay and flavoured rums.
Stay over: Just a bracing winter stroll from the Palace, The Woodstock Arms offers five cosy rooms (doubles from £112 room only)) and a picture-perfect old-school village pub vibe, with quirky touches such as wallpaper inspired by Blenheim-born Winston Churchill.
Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire, 22 Nov to 22 Dec
Why it’s great: Framed by water meadows that inspired Keats’ ode To Autumn (Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…), the Cathedral green of England’s early Saxon capital provides a fine backdrop for the market.
Edible highlights: Regional food champion Hampshire Fare sources from over 400 producers, including trout (smoked, pâté and gravadlax), myriad cheeses and more.
The drinks: Bag wines from excellent local vineyards, complemented by Hampshire brews and cockle-warming local apple liqueur from Churchwarden’s.
Stay over: Check into the original Hotel du Vin (doubles from £154 room only) or do time at the cosy vintage-styled The Black Hole B&B (doubles from £95 bed and breakfast), whose bedrooms feature doors sourced from an old prison.
York Christmas Market, 14 Nov to 22 Dec
Why it’s great: York’s atmospheric medieval streetscape becomes a Christmas fairyland, with artisan chalets on Parliament Street and carol singing in St King’s Square, plus festive mini golf at the Spark community space.
Festive feasting: Head to The Shambles – the medieval enclave that reputedly inspired Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley – where the Food Court will dish up an enticing range of seasonal fare and global nosh.
The drinks: The city’s Norse heritage underpins the Scandi vibe at Thor’s Tipi on Parliament Street – a Viking-themed bar with a roaring fire and mulled hooch, plus great hot chocolate.
Stay over: Step straight off the train into The Milner (doubles from £107.10 room only), a grand 155-room Victorian station hotel given a stylish modern redecoration mixing classical style with a restrained soft-toned palette. Try to bag one of the Minster-facing rooms.
Cardiff Christmas Market, Wales, 14 Nov to 23 Dec
Why it’s great: Enlivening the Welsh capital for the duration, Cardiff Christmas Market combines top quality crafts and design with distinctive Welsh food and drink.
Festive feasting: Scoop up artisan farmhouse cheeses, scrumptious Welsh cakes and local honey, while Bake Off fans can look out for bara brith (the classic fruit bread) kits. Taster stalls on Trinity Street showcase newer producers, while St John Street becomes a beacon for German nibbles.
The drinks: Enjoy liqueurs, poteen and Celtic whiskey, local cider and perry, and flavoured rums and gins.
Stay over: Drink in views across Cardiff Bay at the upmarket Voco St David’s Cardiff (doubles from £165 room only), on the city’s regenerated waterfront, augmented by a state-of-the-art spa for corporeal treats and a restaurant creating fine dishes with Welsh produce.
Bath Christmas Market, Somerset, 28 Nov to 15 Dec
Why it’s great: Amid honey-stone Georgian and Roman façades by the Roman Baths and the Abbey Churchyard, Bath’s market features about 200 stalls, an ice rink, plus a glow-in-the-dark mini golf course.
Festive feasting: Look out for excellent West Country produce at stalls selling raclette-covered spuds, hog roasts and confectionery.
The drinks: Local spirits such as Black Cow vodka (made with milk), Lantic and Chew Valley gin and Beckford’s rum – plus West Country wines and Drinks Kitchen’s non-alcoholic aperitifs.
Stay over: Hotel Indigo Bath (doubles from £104 room only) is a substantial Georgian hotel that also feels luxurious and boutique.
Edinburgh Christmas, Scotland, 17 Nov to 5 Jan
Why it’s great: It’s markets, plural, and they carry on into January: a Caledonian Winter Festival with a cracking view, beneath the castle in Princes Street Gardens; the Scottish Market in George Street; and a European Market on The Mound and St Andrew Square Winter Garden – plus a funfair.
Festive feasting: Feel like a local indulging in mulled Irn Bru, haggis and grilled salmon, plus pheasant and venison burgers from Fife’s Screaming Peacock. Look out for hot cheese delights such as oven-baked camembert from Melted by The Pitt.
The drinks: Whisky galore – smuggled into seasonal hot toddies – alongside mulled cider and local ales like Cold Town Beer.
Stay over: At one end of Princes Street Gardens, The Rutland (doubles from £235 room only) is an award-winning boutique hotel balancing Pop Art-tinged bling with relaxed excellence.
Chester Christmas Market, 15 Nov to 22 Dec
Why it’s great: Chester Christmas Market sees traditional wooden chalets light up a historic square by Chester Cathedral. It’s a riverside city whose Roman roots are complemented by the gorgeous medieval shopping streets known as The Rows.
Festive feasting: Try cherry mulled wine to wash down scrumptious meaty offerings from Shires Kitchen, including award-winning Cumberland sausages and Christmas burgers. There’s fine cheese too, plus sweet pleasures including local fudge.
The drinks: Sip a glass of prosecco at the Christmas Market bar and look our for distinctive local liqueurs and producers such as Nidhoggr Mead.
Stay over: Oddfellows (from £89pn B&B) is a Georgian townhouse transformed into a boutique hotel as whimsical as it is stylish, with arty bedrooms and a tea room inspired by Alice in Wonderland.
The best European Christmas markets
Prague, Czech Republic, 30 Nov to 6 Jan
Where better for a festive break than the home of Good King Wenceslas? Expect stalls selling Czech glass, textiles and wooden toys, plus famous local vittles such as carp soup and beer.
Leipzig Christmas Market, Germany, 26 Nov to 3 Dec
Dating back to 1458, this market has 300 stalls in the historic city centre. Travel through time at the ‘Old Leipzig’ market and explore a Finnish-themed village. There are elves’ workshops and a funfair, too.
Copenhagen Christmas Markets, Denmark, 15 Nov to 5 Jan
Denmark’s capital serves up seasonal cheer with beer and glögg amid the rides at Tivoli Gardens (15 Nov to 5 Jan) and Nytorv Square (15 Nov to 21 Dec) – or see the reindeer at the zoo’s market (16 Nov to 2 Jan).
Strasbourg Christmas Market, France, 27 Nov to 27 Dec
France’s oldest Christmas market (c.1570) has 300 stalls around the canal-laced Grande Île, Place Kleber and the cathedral. Tuck into savoury crepes, Alsace wines and local biscuits.
Seville, Spain, 1 Dec to 5 Jan
For a warmer but still traditionally twinkly festive foray, Seville offers Andalucian crafts at the Feria de la Artesanía Creativa by City Hall, and nifty Nativity gifts at the Feria del Belén near the Cathedral.
Feeling festive? Crank up the Christmas music and take a look at our food gift ideas and Christmas baking recipes.