Perhaps it’s time to make that white Christmas dream a reality? Travelling to Europe in December entails soaking in the festive season, especially with the many Christmas or Advent markets set up in cities and towns across the continent at this time of the year.
These street markets have operated for centuries, with the oldest being that in Vienna, which is reported to date back to 1298.
An air of festivity and merriment
Christmas festivities have begun across Europe, from Montreux to Marseille and most places in between. Illuminated Christmas trees dominate city and town squares, and Advent markets operate in Austria, France, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, and most parts of Britain. The Christmas treats offered at these markets encourage people to gather with family and friends.
Stallholders mull over a piping hot elixir called glühwein, made from wine or grape juice, citrus juices, spices, and herbs. Children drink a hot fruit punsch and play in the snow or skate on ice. Other vendors offer freshly baked biscuits, stollen, and gingerbread cookies with roasted chestnuts, while the aroma of sizzling bratwürst fills the air.
In addition to drinking hot beverages, people stand in the snow around heaters, which in some villages are mostly open fires set within large drums. There is always great anticipation of the family getting together for traditional roast turkey and plum pudding for lunch on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Here are some Christmas festivities in Switzerland, Austria, and Paris that have captured my imagination over years of travelling to Europe during the winter.
Switzerland’s Advent markets
Some of Europe’s most inviting Christmas markets are those in snowbound Switzerland and Austria. The market set up along the lakeside promenade in Montreux is a common sight. One of Switzerland’s most scenic paths at any time of the year becomes a lively Christmas market, with stallholders and local artisans offering an exciting range of Christmas treats.
To keep warm here, people snack on grilled raclette cheese served with pickled onions, potatoes, gherkins, grilled sausages, and cups of glühwein. Christmas decorations and Christmas gifts are sold, and children can join in the festivities by making Christmas cookies and candles to give away as presents.
A local speciality treat, Montreux Noël chocolates, are especially popular and sold in the markets throughout December. Close by, the snowbound villages of Rochers-de-Naye and Caux are destinations where many head to admire the colourful festive decorations and fairytale-like setting.
The city of Lausanne offers a more contemporary-styled Christmas market they call Bô Noël. This caters to the residents of Lausanne and Vaud, plus tourists passing through the city located beside Lake Geneva.
While modern in its approach, the market preserves strong links with the land and local artisans. Over the Advent period, Bô Noël offers a window into Switzerland’s many treasures, with gifts like local wines, cheeses, artisanal craft beers, clothing, and gifts made by local designers.
In tourist towns such as Zermatt, situated at the base of the mighty Matterhorn, there is a large Christmas tree in the square. It greets those who arrive on iconic trains such as the Glacier Express, which operates between Zermatt and the famous alpine resort town of St. Moritz.
Austrian Christkindlmarkts
Almost all Austrian cities and villages organise a month-long Advent market throughout December. Austrians celebrate St. Nikolaus Day on December 6, when good children are rewarded with sweets, and the naughty ones are given warnings. The little ones also open one of the 24 windows in their Advent calendar, and continue to open one each day up until Christmas Eve.
In the capital, Vienna, markets are located in over 20 venues around this romantic city. The main ones are located on Rathausplatz (the plaza in front of the Town Hall), on Maria-Theresien-Platz, and at the magical Schönbrunn Palace. One that is best after dark with its twinkling lights is the market set up on the grounds of the Belvedere Palace.
In Salzburg, the Advent markets are atmospheric and known as some of Austria’s best. Referred to as Christkindlmarkt in German-speaking countries, the main Christmas market in Salzburg is situated on Residenz Square (Residenzplatz) in front of the cathedral, and guarded by the impressive Hohensalzburg Fortress. Open until December 26, people flock to this magical snow-dusted setting, which comes to life each evening.
Christmas carols are an important part of Christmas festivities with the Austrian-penned Still Nacht (Silent Night) being the best known. The song was first performed in 1818 in the village of Obendorf; a short train journey from Salzburg. The memorial chapel of Nikolaus-Kirche is a popular place to visit year-round but especially on Christmas.
Meanwhile, Austrian villages like postcard-perfect Stuhlfelden in the Pinzgau Valley offer traditional Christmas treats and wonderful local accommodations in small family-run hotels like Schwaigerlehen-Berngarten. Sleigh rides through the snow-lined valley can be arranged, while villagers at the Advent market keep warm by standing around open fires and sipping a few mugs of glühwein.
Marchés des Noël in Paris
French Christmas markets, or marchés des Noël, are mostly for the locals, but visitors also join in the festivities. There are several Christmas markets in Paris, with the one in St-Germain being one of the liveliest for its decorations, illuminated trees, and Christmas treats. Parisians buy festive foods for a Christmas meal of shellfish, turkey stuffed with chestnuts, and traditional Yule logs.
On the right bank of the Seine River, along the world’s premier Champs-Elysées shopping area, cafés and shops are adorned with Christmas decorations.
An essential stop for visitors is the window display in the expansive Galeries Lafayette department store situated on Boulevard Haussmann. Shoppers are transported into the dream-like world of the intricate window displays, with raised platforms for children to admire the magical scenes. Inside the store, beneath the vast glass dome, Lafayette Gourmet stocks the finest Christmas treats.
All images by author.
