Christmas markets started in Germany and Austria in the late Middle Ages. Today they run on every continent except Antarctica, from Cologne and Vienna to Chicago, Tokyo, Dubai and Sydney. Some are centuries-old traditions on historic town squares, others are modern holiday villages in city parks, and a few take place in caves, castles or the summer heat.
We mapped 140+ of the best Christmas markets in the world across 39 countries. Use the map below to explore them by style, then click any pin for the story behind the market, visiting details and a link to its official website.
Organising a Christmas market that isn’t on the map yet? Use the form inside the map to apply, and our team will review it and add it.
How to use this Christmas market map
Every market is sorted into one of four categories, so you can filter the map to the kind of experience you want:
- Historical markets are the traditional, centuries-old icons, many held on the same square for hundreds of years.
- Urban and Metropolitan markets bring festive chalets to big-city plazas, from Paris to New York.
- Markets in Unique Settings are the unusual ones, held in caves, castles, theme parks and deserts.
- Winter Wonderlands are the snowy, mountain and Nordic markets that look like a Christmas card.
Zoom into any region to see markets close together, which is useful if you want to visit several in one trip.
The oldest Christmas markets in the world
Germany’s Dresden Striezelmarkt, first held in 1434, is widely cited as the oldest Christmas market in the world. It is famous for Dresden Stollen and a giant Christmas pyramid on the Altmarkt. Leipzig’s market is not far behind, dating to 1458, and Rothenburg ob der Tauber’s Reiterlesmarkt has been held inside the town’s medieval walls since the 15th century.
Outside Germany, Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmarik has run since 1570, earning the city its “Capital of Christmas” title. Barcelona’s Fira de Santa Llúcia has filled the square in front of the cathedral since 1786. In the Baltics, Tallinn has raised a public Christmas tree on Town Hall Square since 1441, while Riga claims the first decorated tree in 1510.
The largest Christmas markets in the world
Vienna’s Christmas World on Rathausplatz has been recognised by the World Record Academy as the largest Christmas market in the world, with around 150 stalls and an ice-skating trail in front of the neo-Gothic City Hall. By stall count, Stuttgart and Leipzig each host around 300, and Stuttgart’s elaborately decorated chalet rooftops are a sight on their own. Berlin’s Spandau market adds around 250 more.
Outside the German-speaking world, Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market is the largest authentic German market outside Germany and Austria. In North America, Christkindlmarket Chicago holds that title for the US.
The best Christmas markets in Europe
Germany
Germany remains the heart of the tradition. Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt is opened each year by the Christkind and allows only traditional handmade goods. Munich’s market on Marienplatz sits before the New Town Hall with daily music from the balcony. Cologne’s flagship market sits directly below the twin spires of the cathedral, Frankfurt’s fills the Römerberg below its half-timbered houses, and Erfurt’s Domplatz setting is one of the most photogenic in the country. For something different, the Ravenna Gorge market in the Black Forest is set beneath a floodlit railway viaduct, with entry by timed ticket.
Austria and Switzerland
Beyond Vienna’s Rathausplatz, the imperial market in front of Schönbrunn Palace offers around 80 craft stalls and daily classical concerts. Salzburg’s Christkindlmarkt sits beneath the cathedral and the Hohensalzburg fortress, and Innsbruck’s Old Town market is ringed by Alpine peaks. In Switzerland, Basel is regularly voted the country’s best, Zurich’s Wienachtsdorf sits by the opera house, and Montreux lines Lake Geneva with more than 160 chalets and a flying Santa.
France
Alsace is France’s Christmas capital. Strasbourg spreads its market across Place Broglie and the cathedral square, while nearby Colmar runs six markets through its half-timbered old town and along the canals of “Little Venice.” Metz rivals both with more than 120 chalets across five squares. Reims places around 145 chalets at the foot of its Gothic cathedral, Amiens stretches nearly 2km of stalls with a nightly light show on the cathedral facade, and Lyon’s market on Place Carnot coincides with the city’s Fête des Lumières.
Central and Eastern Europe
Prague’s Old Town Square market, set around a towering tree below the Astronomical Clock, is one of the most recognisable in the world. Budapest’s Advent Feast at the Basilica is repeatedly ranked among Europe’s best, with a nightly light show on St Stephen’s Basilica. Poland has four standouts on our map: Kraków’s market on Europe’s largest medieval square, Wrocław’s fairy-tale wooden village, Gdańsk’s award-winning market by the Golden Gate, and Warsaw’s old town market. Zagreb, Ljubljana, Bratislava, Brno, Sibiu and Bucharest round out the region.
The Nordics and Baltics
Stockholm’s Stortorget market on the medieval main square of Gamla Stan is the city’s oldest, and Skansen, the world’s oldest open-air museum, hosts a traditional folk market. Copenhagen offers Tivoli Gardens and the postcard-perfect Nyhavn canal. Helsinki’s market on Senate Square is Finland’s oldest, Bergen’s sits a short walk from the world’s largest gingerbread town, and the UNESCO-listed mining town of Røros adds reindeer and Sami crafts. In the Baltics, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius each hold markets in their UNESCO old towns.
Italy
Bolzano’s market on Piazza Walther is Italy’s largest and oldest, blending Italian and Austrian traditions. Merano and Trento complete a South Tyrol and Trentino circuit with Dolomite backdrops. Further south, Verona’s market was inspired by Nuremberg, and Rome’s Piazza Navona hosts a historic Befana market tied to Epiphany.
The UK and Ireland
Bath’s market winds around 150 chalets through its Georgian streets near the Abbey and Roman Baths. York’s St Nicholas Fair fills medieval lanes near the Shambles, Edinburgh’s sits in Princes Street Gardens below the castle, and Manchester spreads across nine city-centre sites. London’s Hyde Park Winter Wonderland combines markets with more than 100 rides, and Galway’s Eyre Square market leads the way in Ireland.
Benelux, Spain and Portugal
In Belgium, Bruges places its market below the Belfry, Brussels runs a 200-plus chalet circuit around the Grand-Place, and Liège is famous for waffles and peket. The Netherlands has one of the most unusual markets in the world at Valkenburg, set in ancient marlstone caves. In Spain, Madrid’s Plaza Mayor and Barcelona’s Fira de Santa Llúcia specialise in nativity figures, while Lisbon’s Wonderland Lisboa has been named Europe’s best sunny Christmas market.
Christmas markets in the USA and Canada
Our map includes 35 Christmas markets in the United States, many founded by German-heritage communities. Christkindlmarket Chicago on Daley Plaza is the country’s largest, famous for its collectible boot mug. Philadelphia’s Christmas Village at LOVE Park is modelled on Nuremberg, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (“Christmas City USA”) hosts a market with live glassblowing, and Carmel, Indiana has an award-winning market with an ice rink and fire pits.
New York has two major options: Bryant Park Winter Village, with 170-plus glass kiosks around a free ice rink, and the Columbus Circle Holiday Market by Central Park. For a full themed experience, visit the Bavarian-style towns of Leavenworth, Washington, Helen, Georgia and Frankenmuth, Michigan, the Danish-founded village of Solvang, California, or San Francisco’s Great Dickens Christmas Fair, a recreation of Victorian London.
In Canada, Toronto’s Distillery Winter Village fills a cobblestoned Victorian district with laneway cabins, Quebec City’s German market sits in its UNESCO old town, and Winnipeg’s Christkindlmarket, held since 1985, is the country’s oldest running German market. Banff adds a mountain market with more than 100 vendors in the Rockies.
Christmas markets in Asia and the Middle East
Japan has embraced the German market tradition. The Tokyo Christmas Market, backed by the German embassy, centres on a 14-metre Christmas pyramid shipped from Germany. Sapporo’s market in Odori Park has celebrated the city’s sister-city ties with Munich since 2002, and Yokohama’s sits beside the harbour at the historic Red Brick Warehouse.
Elsewhere, Seoul’s Gwanghwamun market showcases Korean makers, Hong Kong’s WestK WinterFest fills the harbourside lawns with illuminated trees, and Singapore’s Christmas Wonderland at Gardens by the Bay has been ranked among the world’s best by CNN Travel. In Dubai, the Madinat Jumeirah market pairs air-conditioned chalets with Middle Eastern sweets, and Haifa’s Holiday of Holidays celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah and Ramadan together.
Summer Christmas markets in the Southern Hemisphere
In Australia, Christmas falls in summer, so markets move to warm evenings. Sydney’s The Rocks hosts festive night markets in its historic cobblestone precinct, Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market runs Wednesday-evening Christmas markets, and Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest surviving German settlement, has its own Christkindlmarkt-style celebration. In Brazil, Natal Luz de Gramado is Latin America’s biggest Christmas event, running for more than 80 days in a German-founded mountain town.
Christmas markets in the most unusual settings
If you want a market you won’t forget, filter the map by “Markets in Unique Settings.” Highlights include the underground caves of Valkenburg, the railway viaduct of the Ravenna Gorge, Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, around five million lights at Gothenburg’s Liseberg amusement park, and the imperial forecourt of Schönbrunn Palace.
Tips for planning a Christmas market trip
Most Christmas markets open in mid to late November, around the start of Advent, and close on December 23 or 24. A few, such as Rome’s Befana market, continue into January. Weekday afternoons are much quieter than weekend evenings, especially at famous markets like Nuremberg, Strasbourg and Vienna. Many German-style markets serve mulled wine in a mug with a small deposit, which you can return or keep as a souvenir. Dates change every year, so check the official website linked in each map pin before you book.
If you plan to visit several markets, use the map to cluster them. Alsace (Strasbourg, Colmar), the Rhine (Cologne, Aachen), South Tyrol (Bolzano, Merano, Trento) and Central Europe (Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest) all make easy multi-market trips by train.
Frequently asked questions
What is the oldest Christmas market in the world?
Dresden’s Striezelmarkt, first held in 1434, is widely cited as the oldest Christmas market in Germany and the world. Leipzig’s market dates to 1458, and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmarik has run since 1570.
What is the biggest Christmas market in the world?
Vienna’s Christmas World on Rathausplatz has been recognised by the World Record Academy as the world’s largest Christmas market. Stuttgart and Leipzig each host around 300 stalls, and Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market is the largest authentic German market outside Germany and Austria.
When do Christmas markets open?
Most Christmas markets open in mid to late November, around the start of Advent, and close on December 23 or 24. Some run into early January, so always check the official website linked on each map pin before you travel.
Which country has the best Christmas markets?
Germany is the traditional home of the Christmas market and has more famous markets than any other country, including Nuremberg, Dresden, Cologne and Munich. Austria, France, Czechia, Hungary and Poland are also known for outstanding markets.
Are there Christmas markets outside Europe?
Yes. Our map includes 35 Christmas markets in the United States, seven in Canada, and markets in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, Israel, Australia, Brazil and Argentina.
What is the largest Christmas market in the United States?
Christkindlmarket Chicago is generally considered the largest Christmas market in the US. It started on Pioneer Court in 1996 and now fills Daley Plaza with German vendors and its famous collectible boot mug.
Organising a Christmas market? Get it on the map
If you run a Christmas market, holiday fair or winter village anywhere in the world, we’d love to include it. Open the map and fill in the application form with your market’s name, location, dates and website. Our team reviews every submission and adds approved markets to the map, so thousands of visitors planning their Christmas trips can find you.
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