The highest-rated Christmas markets in Europe
Cities across Europe are preparing for their Christmas market season, with travellers seeking out the best markets to experience some festive atmosphere and delicious food and drink.
Since October, there have been over 1.6 million searches for “Christmas markets” globally, highlighting the demand. The travel industry is also booming during the festive season. According to Visa research, spending at European holiday markets has risen by an average of 15% per year since 2022.
But have you ever wondered which European Christmas markets are the best?
To help holidaymakers plan the perfect festive getaway, we have revealed the best Christmas markets in Europe for 2026. We used TripAdvisor data to calculate the percentage of five-star (excellent) reviews across 60 of Europe's most popular markets. The following markets received the highest five-star percentages.
Contents:
- Cologne, Germany
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Esslingen, Germany
- Dresden, Germany
- Nuremberg, Germany
- Vienna, Austria
- Zagreb, Croatia
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Munich, Germany
- Salzburg, Austria
1. Cologne, Germany
Score: 76.7%
Cologne, Germany, takes the crown as Europe's best Christmas market. This Christmas market is a scattered network that spreads across the city, rather than a standalone market. This means visitors can explore four major markets within easy walking distance of one another or jump on the Christmas market mini-train, which links them.
The most famous market is at Cologne Cathedral. Here, visitors will find a massive Norway spruce Christmas tree, and over 140 wooden huts featuring ornaments, gifts, and food and drink stalls. There’s also free live music from carol singers and theatre shows. Another popular Christmas market in Cologne is Heinzels Wintermärchen, located between Cologne Town Hall and the Rhine River. This market is popular with families thanks to the massive outdoor ice-skating track.
2. Prague, Czech Republic
Score: 73.7%
Prague transforms every winter into one of Europe's most visually dramatic festive capitals. The Christmas markets are spread across the city centre, with the two largest markets only a 5-minute walk apart. The Old Town Square is home to the largest market, between the Gothic twin towers of Our Lady before Týn and the famous Astronomical Clock. Here, you’ll find the giant Christmas tree and wooden nativity scene.
A short walk to Wenceslas Square brings you to another popular Christmas market. Here, you’ll find delicious food, including spit-roasted meats and pastries, along with hot chocolate, mulled wine, or traditional Czech digestifs like Becherovka. While most Western European markets close by Christmas Eve, Prague’s two main markets stay fully open daily through 6 January, making it an ideal destination for New Year travellers.
3. Esslingen, Germany
Score: 71.9%
Esslingen am Neckar is a town located in southwestern Germany, 15 minutes from Stuttgart. The Market Square is where you’ll find the main traditional Christmas market, sitting directly beneath the 14th-century St. Dionys Church. By the Postmichel Fountain, visitors can also explore an area known as “Christmas Land” featuring a live nativity scene with real animals.
While most European Christmas markets rely on modern electric lighting, Esslingen commits fully to historical authenticity. Vendors wear medieval tunics, cloaks, and aprons and illuminate their stalls with torches and oil lamps, making you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time. From late November to late December, the market hosts over 500 live cultural performances, with street theatre and choral music happening around every corner.
4. Dresden, Germany
Score: 64.9%
Located in eastern Germany, the Dresden Christmas market is the oldest in Germany, established in the early 1400s. The main market is found at the central square in Dresden’s Old Town. The city sits at the foot of the Ore Mountains, the world capital of wooden toy-making. As a result, many stalls feature authentic hand-crafted Nutcrackers.
With over 200 stalls, the Dresden Christmas market is one of the largest in Germany, with traditional crafts, food and drink, and speciality goods. One of the most famous food items to sample is the Dresden Stollen, a butter-rich, fruit-and-spice Christmas bread that gave the Striezelmarkt its historical name.
5. Nuremberg, Germany
Score: 61.8%
The Nuremberg Christmas markets are held in the medieval Old Town, overlooked by a 14th-century Gothic church, which provides a dramatic backdrop. What’s unique about these markets is that they sell produce from their “sister cities” of Venice, Glasgow, Córdoba, Atlanta, and Shenzhen, appealing to all kinds of shoppers.
By city law, all 180 stalls at Nuremberg market must be crafted from regional spruce wood and covered in matching red-and-white striped cloth roofs, lit with classic warm-bulb illumination. This helps create a harmonious aesthetic, making them a standout option for those looking for a traditional German market.
6. Vienna, Austria
Score: 61%
Vienna is a city known for its rich imperial history, classical music and grand architecture. During Christmas, the city hosts more than 15 Christmas markets, spread throughout the central districts and palace estates. The City Square Hall is home to Vienna's largest market, which comes alive with world-class live music, including trumpet orchestras from the Rathaus balcony and choir performances.
At Rathauspark, visitors will find the ice skating trail, a seasonal outdoor ice-skating experience that winds through the illuminated park paths. This is a truly unique experience where skaters can glide through romantic wooded paths directly beside the lively market stalls.
7. Zagreb, Croatia
Score: 60.9%
Zagreb probably isn’t the first place you think of when you picture a Christmas market, but the city ranked higher than many others across Europe. The festivities are spread across 25 distinct themed hubs in the Lower Town and Upper Town. Local and traditional Croatian cuisine is a massive part of the market experience, including Sarma, a traditional fermented cabbage roll stuffed with minced pork and rice.
The Christmas markets in Zagreb are also known for their atmosphere. Rather than winding down around 8 PM, as in many traditional Western European markets, Zagreb's venues double as evening gathering hubs, with live DJ sets, jazz concerts, and social crowds staying active late into the night.
8. Frankfurt, Germany
Score: 57.6%
The Frankfurt Christmas market draws in around three million visitors annually, according to Christmas Markets Germany. Whilst many German Christmas markets focus on mulled wine, Frankfurt stands out as the leader in mulled cider, pressed from regional tart apples and heated with cinnamon sticks, cloves, and lemon peels, offering a lighter, fruitier alternative.
For those looking to visit, at 5pm on the 28th November, and again on Christmas Eve, ten downtown churches synchronise all 50 church bells across the city centre in a thunderous 30-minute acoustic concert.
9. Munich, Germany
Score: 56.9%
Munich is another German city with a famous Christmas market. The Marienplatz market in the Old Town is the city's oldest and most central market, sitting in front of the neo-Gothic New Town Hall. Here you’ll find a giant sparkling Christmas tree, live evening carols from the town hall balcony, and over 140 wooden stalls.
Munich is also world-famous for its beer. The historic beer halls, like the Hofbräuhaus, are directly adjacent to the stalls, allowing travellers to warm up indoors with winter bock beers and hearty Bavarian roasts during their visit to the Christmas market.
10. Salzburg, Austria
Score: 54.4%
Salzburg is located in north-central Austria, right near the border of Bavaria, Germany, and on the northern edge of the Alps. Unlike markets with scattered light strands, Salzburg connects around 100 stalls under a network of warm fairy-light garlands, forming an illuminated "starry roof" designed specifically to respect the sightlines of the surrounding Baroque palaces.
Local cuisine to try includes spiced grilled pork sausages served inside a toasted, hollowed-out baguette roll with raw chopped onions, fresh parsley, and a secret blend of spicy curry powder. The city is also framed by mountains, meaning snowy peaks are visible directly above the market chalets, creating a perfect winter wonderland.
Ready to explore the Christmas markets?
If you want to visit the Christmas markets across Europe, why not consider a cruise? We offer Christmas cruises for 2026 and beyond, visiting popular ports such as Rotterdam, Hamburg, Copenhagen and more. We have plenty of no-fly options available too, sailing straight from Southampton. These include short breaks and mini-cruises, as well as all-inclusive cruises and even river cruises.