Some posts on this site contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!). You can read my full disclosure policy here.
Updated November 24, 2017
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend 3 winters in Europe leading up to Christmas. One of my favourite things to do this time of the year is to visit all the Christmas markets. Living in Budapest, it was easy for me to visit the various Christmas markets of central Europe.
I managed to visit quite a number of them, but of course, there are still plenty more to see! While on the surface they may all look the same, each city has its own spin on this festive holiday tradition.
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest has a number of markets throughout the city. The largest ones are located outside St. Stephen’s Basilica (Szent István tér) and Vörösmarty Square (Vörösmarty tér), both in the centre of the city. At both, you’ll find stalls featuring classic Hungarian foods, many trinkets and crafts and beautiful Christmas decorations.
One of the unique things about the Christmas market in Vörösmarty square is the light show that is projected onto the Gerbeaud House – the famous pastry shop that stands on one side of the square. The show is set to holiday music and is quite spectacular to see. You can see the lights every evening the market is open at 17.00, 18.00, 19.00 and 20.00. The windows of the Gerbeaud House also have an advent calendar with each corresponding window opening every day at 17:00.
The market in front of St. Stephen’s Basilica comes complete with a tall decorated Christmas tree surrounded by a free ice rink. Bring your own skates for a quick whiz around the rink. It’s not very big and can get busy at nights though so be warned.
One of my favourite snacks to pick up at the markets are kürtös kalács or chimney cakes. Imagine a piping hot pastry sweetened with cinnamon sugar on a cold winter’s night. It’s the perfect dessert. They have other offerings like walnuts and almonds. And of course, no visit to a Christmas market is complete without some forralt bor or mulled wine.
Know Before You Go
Vörösmarty Square – November 10, 2017 – December 31, 2017. This market has a variety of hours, but generally open from 10:00 – 20:00. Keep up to date here.
St. Stephen’s Basilica – November 24, 2017 – January 1, 2018. Open Monday-Friday 11:00 – 22:00; Saturday – Sunday: 10:00 – 22:00. Keep up to date on their website or Facebook page.
Both are easy to get to from all metro lines. Get off at Deak Ference ter and you can easily walk to both and from one to the other.
Kraków, Poland
Set in the centre of the medieval Market Square (Rynek Glowny), Krakow’s Christmas market is the smallest of all the markets that I visited in Central Europe. Stalls were lined with holiday crafts from ornaments to traditional crafts. The juxtaposition of the new with the Baroque and Renaissance buildings of the square is not lost on any visitor.
The first night we were there, we caught an opera performance happening off the balcony of a building that looked into the square. It was bitterly cold that night so we stayed for a little bit before hurry off to find some food. If you’re going to be in Poland over the holidays, remember to pack lots of warm clothing and a thick jacket! You don’t want to end up catching a cold like me.
Unlike the other markets, you don’t need to put a deposit on a cup to get a glass of mulled wine. It came in a plastic cup! It tasted vastly different from the others as well. It was much sweeter than the other ones that I had gotten so accustomed to drinking, but it definitely warmed you up in the bitter cold. If you’re lucky, you might stumble upon some mulled beer. With beer as its base and the addition of the spices found in mulled wine, you find yourself with a treat that is unique to this region.
The best thing I discovered was this grilled cheese below (Polish: Oscypek) which was all over the market. Yes, a chunk of cheese, heated up on a grill. No bread. The Polish know what’s up. We bought it because it looked cool (food with spikes!), not knowing what it was and I ended up really liking it.
Turns out it is a smoked cheese made from salted sheep’s milk. This cheese is made exclusively in the Tatra Mountains in Poland and is a protected name meaning only if the cheese is produced here can it use the name Oscypek. Similar to how only champagne from the Champagne region of France can be called that. You can enjoy it plain as we did or with a spot of cranberry sauce. Curious about how the cheese is made? Check out this photo essay from The Big Picture.
Know Before You Go
Market Square – November 24, 2017 – December 26, 2017; 10:00 – 20:00 daily in Market Square (Rynek Główny). Food stalls are open until 22:00. Website (in Polish)
Praha, Czech Republic
The two main Christmas markets are in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square in the centre of the city within a 5 minutes walk from each other. There are a few other smaller markets dotted around the city most notably at Namesti Republiky and Hevelske Trziste. The stalls are filled with traditional Czech gifts like handmade marionettes, glass and crystal. There is also a wide range of foods available and of course, the Czech version of mulled wine (svarene vino) to keep you warm. Other things to drink are grog, a drink made from rum, hot water, lemon and sugar, and medovina, a honey wine.
At the centre of the market in the Old Town Square there is a pavilion with a constant flow of musical entertainment. Stop to enjoy some Czech Christmas carols – familiar melodies in a completely different language. Every evening the lights on the main Christmas tree come alive at 17:00. There is also a petting zoo at the market where you can get face to face with sheep, goats and donkeys.
Prague to me has the most delicious sausages in the region so make sure you grab a couple of these. You can also find them in the permanent stalls that can be found around Wenceslas Square. The markets also have a pastry that looks and tastes similar to the kürtös kalács in Hungary, except they call it trdelnik here. Eat it when it’s hot off the grill for a delicious dessert or snack.
Know Before You Go
Old Town Square & Wenceslas Square– December 2, 2017 – January 6, 2018. Daily 10:00 – 22:00; Food stalls until midnight.
More info available here.
Wien, Austria
Vienna is home to many Christmas markets. It’s almost as if the whole city is one massive Christmas market. You’ll be walking along and there will be huts set up along the side of the road selling knickknacks and other gifts even though there isn’t officially a Christmas market nearby.
I visited a lot of them as many of them were placed in or by cultural landmark. My favorite two markets were at Schloss Schonbrunn, and the one in front of the Rathaus. Both locations were beautiful and full of lights. The markets were against a backdrop of history and grandeur.
To get your mulled wine, you pay a deposit to receive a cup. If you want to keep the cup go ahead, but you can also return it to get your deposit back. I ended up keeping the cup below as a souvenir. It’s such a good looking cup! Each of the markets have different cup designs so in theory you could go around collecting all the different ones.
Another thing I loved about the markets here more so than anywhere else was the diversity of food. Look at that massive baked potato! It was the size of my face! They also had plenty of pretzels, pastries, candy and sausages. We ate a lot of sausages.
Know Before You Go
For details of all market locations and hours visit this site for a comprehensive listing.
Whether you call it a Christmas market, Christkindlmarkt, Karácsonyi Vásár, Vánoční Trh, or Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy, the spending the holidays in Central Europe isn’t complete without a visit to one of these markets. I have yet to go to a market in Germany and hope one day to be able to do a tour of the different markets there, but until then, I’ll be dreaming of mulled wine and all the delicious foods found at these markets.
Have you been to any of these markets? What did you think? Any major ones that I’ve missed?
If you’re new to Pack Me To, welcome!
Stay on top of the fun by liking me on Facebook and following me on Twitter &Instagram.
Wow, you’ve seen some brilliant Christmas markets! Of your list, I’ve only been to the one in Krakow. The Dutch unfortunately aren’t into Christmas as much as other European countries, so I always nick over the border into Germany to get my fill. I’m off to the one in Aachen on the weekend, can’t wait!
Have you been to the market in Valkenburg in the Netherlands? It’s not that far from Aachen I think. It’s inside a cave which is pretty cool.
Love the similarities and differences among the Christmas markets in central Europe! I’m sure we feel the same way: we should be there in our respective favourite cities/countries now! 🙂 Thanks for your post, Adelina!
On the surface they all seem the same, but sitting down and writing this made me think of how different they actually are. I definitely am wishing I’m in Europe for the holidays now!
Great look at Christmas markets across Europe. I caught several in Vienna recently, and one in Bruges, Belgium. My favourite was the Altwien market in Vienna, near Schottentor, if only for the ambience — can’t say I loved the mulled wine, though: see my post at travellingboomer.com.
I don’t think I saw the Altwein one while I was there. Next time! Mulled wine is definitely an acquired taste 🙂
Oh wow they look amazing! I am jealous, especially as I know I will never get to them as I hate the cold too much for winter in Europe!
I actually went to my first Christmas market ever recently. It was smaller than your Krakow one and and very disappointing though. That’s what I get for going to one outside of Europe 🙂
Btw, I love the snow on this page!!
The cold isn’t too bad actually. Just avoid the one in Krakow. That was the only one that was unbearable for me, but Vienna was fine. That’s disappointing that your first visit wasn’t very good. Maybe one day you’ll make it to one in Europe!
What a fun time at the market you had!
Yes I did! Lots of food and wine to be had 🙂
Nice to see someone recognize Central Europe, as opposed to Eastern. 🙂 I love the Krakow market and have heard great things about the one in Budapest. Hopefully I’ll get to visit!
After living in Budapest for so long I am very aware that it’s Central Europe and not Eastern 🙂 I hope you get a chance to go to the Budapest one too!
Wow, I am about to book a ticket to Poland just to get a few helpings of that grilled cheese. Love the shot of Schönbrunn, too.
Thanks Dave! That cheese was really delicious with just a hint of smokiness. So worth it.
Never been to any of these…probably because I haven’t been to Europe during the winter, but all the posts I’ve read lately make me want to go. That may just have to be a priority after next year! 🙂 Merry Christmas Adelina!
Do it! Definitely recommend it. It’s so much fun and so festive.
Man, why, why did I not go to one of these this year…?
There is always next year! Put it on the to do list 🙂
The photo with Christmas decorations took my breath away. And in Krakow did they have their traditional cribs/Nativity scenes exhibition?
I didn’t see them in the market outside, but I saw a few of them inside the Franciscan Church.
Oh wow! I LOVE grilled cheese without bread. I want some!!!
It was really good! With a slight hint of smokiness too.
First of all, thanks for referring to these countries as Central Europe (I hail from Slovakia, lived in Budapest for a while). The holiday markets in the region *are* amazing. Celebrating Christmas on a Koh Samui beach, I do miss the markets in Bratislava and Košice. The sausages, the mulled wine, the folk crafts, the nativity scenes all combine to create a truly festive atmosphere for the holidays. Your post brought back the memories of home, much obliged.
Thanks Peter! After living in Budapest for so long, there is definitely a distinction between Central and Eastern Europe 🙂 I didn’t have a chance to make it tot he markets in Bratislava and Košice yet, but maybe next year! I’ve heard such great things about Košice. Having a warm Christmas after being in the Northern hemisphere must be a strange experience!
Thanks a lot for your contribution to our Christmas Photo Challenge, Carol! Have a look at the fabulous photos of Christmas traditions around the world we have managed to collect!
Since you’ve joined the proud circle of our contributors, we invite you to use one of our HTML snippets on your website to tell your friends and followers about it 🙂
http://hitchhikershandbook.com/your-contributions/
Happy New Year!
Sorry Adelina, of course, not Carol 🙂
What a great guide – thanks!
It must be fun walking around the markets during the holidays. I’m sure you can pick up some neat holiday decorations. I’ve never been to Europe in the winter, hopefully one day. Thanks for sharing.
I love visiting all the Christmas markets! It’s such a lively atmosphere and super festive. Mulled wine isn’t bad either 🙂
I’m glad that you liked our oscypek! 🙂 Originally it’s made not only in the Tatra Mountains but some other mountains too, like Beskidy (however, to call it ‘Oscypek’ it should be made in the period from May to October – it’s another stupid European Union regulation, because many highlanders just make it every time and sell as ‘Scypek’ 😉 and the taste is the same!) and every time we go to the mountains we bring a whole bag of it! 🙂 We still got some freezed and in the winter we’ll grill it and eat with cranberries! I love it! 🙂
And mulled beer is really popular in Poland, you can even buy spices in a shop and prepare some at home! And we do it quite often now 🙂
Greetings from Poland! 🙂
Thanks for all the info Hanna! It’s so yummy! I ended up buying some of those mulled beer packs and taking them home. I think I still prefer my mulled wine 🙂