Discover your ideal Christmas market
For traditional Yuletide fun, it’s hard to beat a Christmas market. But with so many sprinkled around the world, it can be tricky to choose the right one. Luckily, High Life is here to help you stuff those stockings. Answer the five questions in our quiz to find your ideal festive destination, whether your priority is fairytale historical settings, feasting on gingerbread and glühwein or finding gifts for fussy relatives.
Words: Tamara Hinson and Harriet Cooper
Illustration: Johnny Wren
02/10/2025
Where else could you have got?
Montreal, Canada
With its offbeat architecture, sprawling network of underground shopping malls and thriving restaurant scene (you’ll find some of North America’s top chefs here), Montreal has it all. The Great Montreal Christmas Market, in the Quartier des Spectacles, returns for six enchanting weeks with chalet stalls, dazzling illuminations and live music. Hungry? The Jean-Talon Market offers a cornucopia of ready-to-eat bites, while the sweet-toothed will love the sugar shacks at Marché de Quartier, where maple syrup is the star - over waffles, in hot cider and, of course, in maple taffy on ‘snow’. Afterwards, swap festive bonhomie for flying bugs with a visit to the Insectarium, a museum housing one of the world’s largest living insect exhibitions.
Budapest, Hungary
Head to Hungary’s capital and you’ll find a smattering of magical markets. While Vörösmarty Square is considered one of the best, for stop-in-your-tracks sparkles, head to St Stephen’s Square, where the Basilica’s façade comes to life with a spectacular 3D laser light show. Be sure to squeeze in a few twirls on the City Park ice rink, too, before warming up in one of the city’s steamy thermal baths. Alternatively, as the light fades, take a scenic boat tour along the Danube to see Parliament and Buda Castle shine in the gloaming – or book seats at the Opera House for The Nutcracker. Fuel your explorations with local cuisine; Budapest is famous for its chimney cake, a funnel-shaped pastry flavoured with walnut, hazelnut or cinnamon.
Salzburg, Austria
Though Vienna takes the tinsel crown for Austria’s most famous Christmas market, the Christkindlmärkt in Salzburg is much-loved. Dating back to the 15th century, it is held in the cobbled beauty of Residenzplatz and Domplatz. Tradition runs deep here, with cute wooden chalets selling hand-crafted trinkets and glasses of spiced punsch, while choirs tra-la-la every afternoon - the carol ‘Silent Night’ was written and first performed nearby. Little eyes will shine bright at the Children’s World of Christmas at Hellbrunn, where 700 twinkling conifers transform the palace grounds into a Narnia-esque wonderland complete with a miniature Christmas train and a post office that’s the place for sending letters to Santa.
Cologne and Bonn, Germany
It takes just 20 minutes to travel between Cologne and Bonn by train, with both cities alive with gemütlichkeit (winter cheer). In Cologne, every city quarter has at least one Christmas market, including the most famous at the base of the cathedral, and the family-focused St Nicholas Market in the aptly named Rudolfplatz. Bonn’s festivities spread outwards from Münsterplatz, where rosy-cheeked kids spin on carousels, grownups sip spicy glühwein and the scent of roasting chestnuts hangs in the air. Don’t forget to stock up on wooden nutcracker dolls and pretty paper star lanterns. Time to spare? Soar above the rooftops on the Cologne Ferris wheel at the Chocolate Museum. In Bonn, the hometown of Beethoven, it has to be a classical concert.
Prague, Czech Republic
Prague does Advent with aplomb. It is, after all, the birthplace of Wenceslas. Indeed, the city’s largest Christmas markets are held in the Good King’s eponymous square and the Old Town Square, although you’ll find some of the nicest souvenirs browsing the smaller markets in and around Republic Square. Once you’ve stocked up on hand-blown glass ornaments and wooden marionettes, fortifying yourself with sugar almonds and a grog (rum, hot water, lemon, sugar) along the way, hop on a tram to the 650-year-old Charles Bridge. As dusk falls throughout December, you might see the lamplighter manually lighting its 46 gas lanterns, using an original 19th-century pole and burning wick – a long-held tradition that’ll warm your heart.
Graz, Austria
In Graz, they call Christmas the ‘fifth’ season (i.e. they take it very seriously indeed). That said, there is plenty to enjoy year round: the centuries-old Unesco-listed Old Town, a lively contemporary arts scene and cooking that draws foodies from across the world. But as the first sprinkling of snow arrives, Austria’s second largest city invites you on merry adventures. You’ll find a huge skating rink, festive light projections, fairground rides and markets full of jovialität. Leave room in your suitcase for a box of Sissibusserl from Hofbäckerei Edegger-Tax, the oldest working bakery in town, established in 1569. The bite-sized, jam-filled macarons – once a favourite of Empress Elizabeth of Austria – are the perfect stocking filler.
