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Rail · 5 trains
Luxury train journeys
Five great trains, from the Orient Express to the Andes.
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One day in Rome
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The Maldives, month by month
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The Great Migration
Where two million animals will be, and where you should be waiting.
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Seasonal · Christmas markets
Our Christmas markets Europe guide is for a weekend that feels special: ten cities with their real 2026 market dates, how to get there from London, one hotel worth it and an honest cost for two.
Chris Bahr, Unsplash
The short answer
Prices checked 19 October 2026
Our Christmas markets Europe pick, cheapest first for two nights for two with return travel: Bruges (about £775), Salzburg (£858), Cologne (£1,076), Strasbourg (£1,195), Colmar (£1,358), Budapest (£1,474), Basel (£1,780), Prague (£1,972), Vienna (£2,780) and Copenhagen (£3,154). Meals, drinks and what you buy at the stalls are on top.
Five of them need no flight. Eurostar reaches Brussels in about two hours and Paris in 2 hours 20 minutes, and from there Bruges, Cologne, Strasbourg, Colmar and Basel are one more train away. If you would rather make the journey part of the trip, our luxury train journeys page has the longer rail routes.
The other five are short flights of about two to two and a half hours from Heathrow or Gatwick. Every hotel is a well-reviewed one within a short walk of the main market, and every weekend cost shows its arithmetic under the item.
Dates are the 2026 dates each market or city publishes, read on 19 October 2026. Most open between 13 and 28 November; the German and Swiss ones close on 23 December, while Bruges, Prague and Salzburg run into the new year. Strasbourg has published its opening day but not yet its last.
Planning the trip around it? Start with luxury train journeys, if the train is half the point and first class flights, for a short hop done properly and catered ski chalets, to carry on into the snow.
No flight
About £1,195 for two in Strasbourg
A short hop
About £858 for two in Salzburg
Go big
About £2,780 for two
Pick how you want the weekend to feel, and our Christmas markets Europe shortlist will show the ones that fit.
The ten
01StrasbourgA no-fly trip with the most market for your money
02ViennaA grand, snowy-if-lucky city weekend
03ColmarThe prettiest small town, by train
04CologneMarket-hopping in one big city
05BrugesThe easiest, cheapest first Christmas market
06SalzburgSnow, carols and an old town on foot
07BaselEating your way round a market
08PragueA fairy-tale old town with a long season
09BudapestFood stalls, thermal baths and a big-city break
10CopenhagenA design-minded city with an amusement park at its heartEvery stop on our Christmas markets Europe list is a real, bookable weekend with a published 2026 date. Tap a city to jump to it.
01 · France's oldest Christmas market and a 30-metre tree
5 hours 10 minutes to 5 hours 40 minutes by train, changing in Paris
"Strasbourg Christkindelsmärik is France's oldest Christmas market."
Angela Symons, Euronews Travel
The one to start with. The Christkindelsmärik has been held on Place Broglie since 1570, the city calls itself the Capital of Christmas, and you get there without going near an airport. The markets spread across the old town, so a weekend is mostly walking from one square to the next, eating Alsatian biscuits as you go.
Skip it if you hate crowds. TravelMole reported 3.4 million visitors in 2024; go on a Friday rather than a Saturday afternoon.
How to do it
Book Eurostar first: bookings open up to 11 months ahead, and the cheapest fares go first. Then book the Paris to Strasbourg train (from about $22 each way on Trainline) and the hotel. Allow up to 20 minutes on foot to cross from Gare du Nord to Gare de l'Est, or take the single daily connection through Lille instead.
Two nights at £486 is £972. Travel for two is £223: Eurostar from £78 return each, plus Paris to Strasbourg from $22.46 each way (about £16.85, so £33.70 return each). Total about £1,195. Eurostar's £78 is its lowest fare; December weekends usually cost more.
Sources: Strasbourg, Capital of Christmas: official site · Strasbourg Christmas: the Christkindelsmärik · Strasbourg Christmas: the must-sees · Visit Strasbourg: the capital of Christmas · TravelMole: Strasbourg shines bright again as Europe's Capital of Christmas (October 2025) · Euronews Travel: Europe's best Christmas markets by train (October 2024) · Show Me The Journey: London to Strasbourg by train · Seat 61: London to France by train · Trainline: Paris Gare de l'Est to Strasbourg · KAYAK: Maison Rouge Strasbourg Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection · European Central Bank: euro reference rates, 19 October 2026
02 · A City Hall market, an ice rink and Hotel Sacher
About 2 hours 15 minutes by air from Heathrow
"more than 100 top quality stalls dotted around here during December"
Time Out, on Rathausplatz
The classic, done properly. The City Hall market is the one Time Out calls the most popular, the rink runs right beside it, and Lonely Planet calls the market at Schönbrunn Palace the fairest of the lot. Hotel Sacher is 84 yards from the State Opera. Vienna averages about six snowy days in December, so a white weekend is possible but not promised.
Skip it if the budget matters. December is Hotel Sacher's dearest month on KAYAK, at £1,273 a night; Monday nights there averaged £499.
How to do it
Book the hotel first, because it sets the price: December is its dearest month on KAYAK. Then flights: KAYAK found a Friday to Monday return in December at £117. The market closes at 6.30pm on Christmas Eve and does not reopen after 26 December, though the rink carries on until 6 January.
Two nights at £1,273 (KAYAK's December average) is £2,546. Flights for two at £117 return each (KAYAK's fare for 11 to 14 December) are £234. Total about £2,780.
Sources: Wiener Christkindlmarkt: official site · FlightsFrom: Heathrow to Vienna · KAYAK: flights from London to Vienna · KAYAK: Hotel Sacher Wien · Time Out: the best Christmas markets in Europe (October 2025) · Lonely Planet: the best Christmas markets in Europe (updated August 2026) · Wikipedia: Vienna climate, Hohe Warte 1991 to 2020
03 · Six markets, canals and a whole town dressed up
From 5 hours 47 minutes by train, changing in Paris
"with six Christmas markets taking over virtually the entire town"
Time Out
The postcard. Colmar is small enough that the six markets join up into one walk, and the villages around it (Eguisheim, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr) run their own markets on set dates. L'Esquisse adds a spa for the cold afternoons. Colmar averages about five snowy days in December, so there is a fair chance of a dusting.
Skip it if you want late nights. The markets shut at 7pm Monday to Thursday and close exactly on time for security reasons; only the Gourmet Market and the Ferris wheel stay open until 10pm.
How to do it
Book Eurostar the day the dates you want go on sale (up to 11 months ahead), then the Paris to Colmar train (from £22.09 each way on Trainline) and the hotel. A Christmas shuttle runs from Colmar station from 27 November to 20 December 2026.
Two nights at £557 (KAYAK's December average) is £1,114. Travel for two is £244: Eurostar from £78 return each, plus Paris to Colmar from £22.09 each way. Total about £1,358. The fastest trip needs one change; Trainline's average is 7 hours 34 minutes.
Sources: La Magie de Noël à Colmar: official site · La Magie de Noël à Colmar: dates and opening hours · Time Out: the best Christmas markets in Europe (October 2025) · Trainline: London to Colmar by train · Trainline: Paris Gare de l'Est to Colmar · Seat 61: London to France by train · KAYAK: L'Esquisse Hotel & Spa Colmar, MGallery · Wikipedia: Colmar climate
04 · A market under the cathedral, and a dozen more
About 4 hours 10 minutes by train, changing in Brussels
"Germany is king of the Christmas markets, and Cologne alone has several."
Sarah Riches, National Geographic
The best value for a big-city weekend by train. koeln.de lists thirteen markets for 2026, from the one beneath the cathedral to a harbour market on the Rhine, and the Excelsior Hotel Ernst is 143 yards from the cathedral. One change in Brussels and you are there by lunchtime from an early Eurostar.
Skip it if you want Christmas week itself. The cathedral market and most of the others close on 23 December; only the harbour and Old Town markets run into January.
How to do it
Book Eurostar to Brussels first, then the ICE from Brussels (from €18.99 each way, plus an optional €5.50 seat reservation). Avoid Sunday 22 November, when the cathedral market is closed. Book the hotel for a Friday and Saturday: KAYAK's weekend average there is lower than its weeknight one.
Two nights at £428 (KAYAK's December average) is £856. Travel for two is £220: Eurostar from £78 return each, plus the ICE from €18.99 each way (€37.98, about £32, return each). Total about £1,076.
Sources: koeln.de: Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom 2026 · koeln.de: Cologne's Christmas markets 2026 · National Geographic: the best Christmas markets to visit by rail in Europe · Seat 61: London to Germany by train · KAYAK: Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom · European Central Bank: euro reference rates, 19 October 2026
05 · Canals, a belfry and the cheapest weekend here
About 4 hours by train, changing in Brussels
"Wood-cabin stalls fill Simon Stevinplein square for Bruges' Christmas market"
Time Out
The one to do first. It is the shortest train trip here, the cheapest weekend, and the markets stay open late every night and on into January. Dukes' Palace is 328 yards from the Markt and rated 9.2 by more than 6,000 KAYAK reviewers.
Skip it if you want a big market. Bruges is about atmosphere rather than size, and a day is enough to see the stalls; the second day is for the canals and museums.
How to do it
Book Eurostar to Brussels first, then a separate Belgian train: Eurostar stopped selling tickets to any Belgian station on 31 March 2025. Brussels to Bruges is a fixed €17.60 each way (€12.30 at weekends), so you can buy it on the day.
Two nights at £280 (KAYAK's December average) is £560. Travel for two is £215: Eurostar from £78 return each, plus Brussels to Bruges at €17.60 each way (€35.20, about £30, return each). Total about £775.
Sources: Visit Bruges: Winter Glow Christmas markets · Visit Bruges: Winter Glow · Time Out: the best Christmas markets in Europe (October 2025) · Seat 61: London to Bruges and Belgium by train · KAYAK: Dukes' Palace Brugge · European Central Bank: euro reference rates, 19 October 2026
06 · A cathedral-square market with mountains behind it
About 2 hours by air from Gatwick
The best chance of a white Christmas market here: Salzburg averages ten snowy days in December. The market of around 100 stalls fills the cathedral square, its roots go back to a market held there in the late 15th century, and Boutiquehotel Am Dom is a couple of minutes away. Short flights and a small hotel keep the cost down.
Skip it if you need a guaranteed cheap flight. KAYAK's fares are low, but FlightsFrom showed British Airways flying only three times a week in a late-October sample week, and the budget airlines' winter flights only start in December.
How to do it
Book flights first: the low-cost seats are limited and only start in December. Then the hotel. Note the short hours on 24 December (9am to 3pm) and 25 and 26 December (11am to 6pm). The market's 2027 dates are already out too: 18 November 2027 to 1 January 2028.
Two nights at £339 (KAYAK's Friday and Saturday average over the past two weeks; it gives no December figure, so expect more) is £678. Flights for two at £90 return each (easyJet, 12 to 13 December, on KAYAK) are £180. Total about £858.
Sources: Salzburger Christkindlmarkt: 2026/27 dates and hours · Salzburg.info: the Salzburg Christmas market · FlightsFrom: Salzburg to Gatwick · KAYAK: flights from London to Salzburg · KAYAK: Boutiquehotel Am Dom, Salzburg · Wikipedia: Salzburg climate, Salzburg airport 1991 to 2020
07 · Swiss raclette, Läckerli and a market on the Rhine
About 8 hours 25 minutes by train, changing in Paris
The food-first pick. Around 150 stalls run from Barfüsserplatz up to Münsterplatz, selling Basler Läckerli, raclette and mulled wine, and the market was voted Best Christmas Market 2021 by European Best Destinations' readers, the first Swiss winner. Les Trois Rois is in the old town, 0.3 miles from the centre.
Skip it if you want a short journey. It is the longest train trip here, and Switzerland is dear: the hotel alone is about £1,500 for two nights.
How to do it
Book Eurostar and the TGV Lyria together, as early as you can: both price like airlines. Go before 23 December, when the Münsterplatz market closes at 6pm and Barfüsserplatz at 8pm, and the season ends.
Two nights at £763 (KAYAK's November average; it gives no December figure) is £1,526. Travel for two is £254: Eurostar from £78 return each, plus TGV Lyria from €29 each way (€58, about £49, return each). Total about £1,780.
Sources: Basel Tourism: the Basel Christmas market 2026 · Canton of Basel-Stadt: Best Christmas Market 2021 (press release, December 2020) · Seat 61: London to Switzerland by train · KAYAK: Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, Basel · European Central Bank: euro reference rates, 19 October 2026
08 · Old Town Square, Czech crafts and the Charles Bridge
1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes by air from Heathrow
The long-season pick. Prague's main market runs from late November right through to Three Kings Day on 6 January, so it works for a weekend between Christmas and New Year too. The stalls favour Czech makers, and the Four Seasons is 316 yards from the Charles Bridge and 0.3 miles from Old Town Square.
Skip it if you mind crowds. The tourist board says the market draws hundreds of thousands of visitors a year, and December is the second-dearest month to fly.
How to do it
Book the hotel first, then flights: KAYAK's average December return is £162, against a typical £88 to £163. Opening hours were not yet published on 19 October, so check before you plan an evening around the square.
Two nights at £824 (KAYAK's December average) is £1,648. Flights for two at £162 return each (KAYAK's December average) are £324. Total about £1,972.
Sources: Prague.eu: Christmas markets 2026 (Old Town Square listing) · Prague.eu: Old Town Square Christmas Market · FlightsFrom: Heathrow to Prague · KAYAK: flights from London to Prague · KAYAK: Four Seasons Hotel Prague
09 · A light show on the basilica and Vörösmarty Square
2 hours 25 minutes to 2 hours 35 minutes by air from Heathrow
"Vörösmarty tér is Budapest's oldest and most traditional Christmas market"
Time Out
The best value of the big cities. Two markets in the centre, a nightly light show on the basilica, and the Gresham Palace, 0.3 miles from the basilica, for less than the Four Seasons in Prague. Hungary Unlocked notes the basilica market has been named Europe's best four times. Add an afternoon in the thermal baths and it is a very different weekend from the German markets.
Skip it if you want to eat cheaply at the stalls. Hungary Unlocked warns a full plate at the downtown markets can cost as much as a sit-down meal a few streets away.
How to do it
Book flights first, then the hotel. Time your visit to the basilica for 5.30pm, when the projection starts. On 31 December the basilica market stays open until 3am.
Two nights at £644 (KAYAK's Friday and Saturday average over the past two weeks; it gives no December figure, so expect more) is £1,288. Flights for two at £93 return each (the low end of KAYAK's typical range) are £186. Total about £1,474.
Sources: Advent Bazilika: 2026 opening hours · Hungary Unlocked: Budapest Christmas markets 2026 (checked 17 October 2026) · Time Out: the best Christmas markets in Europe (October 2025) · FlightsFrom: Heathrow to Budapest · KAYAK: flights from London to Budapest · KAYAK: Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest
10 · Tivoli at Christmas, and a hotel inside the gardens
1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes by air from Heathrow
"For six weeks, Copenhagen's most fashionable fairground becomes a carnival"
Time Out
The splurge. Tivoli turns into a Christmas fair of thousands of lights (99% of them LED, Tivoli says), and the Nimb sits right beside it. It is the dearest weekend on this page by some way, and the only one built around a single venue rather than a town square, so it suits a couple who want one long, warm evening rather than a market crawl.
Skip it if you are watching the cost. The Nimb's recent weekend average is £1,417 a night, and December flights are among the year's dearest at a median £160 return.
How to do it
Book the hotel first, then flights. Buy Tivoli entry before you go, and if you are there on 25 or 26 December, stay for the fireworks at 8.45pm (Tivoli's page lists the times without a year, so check them nearer the date).
Two nights at £1,417 (KAYAK's Friday and Saturday average over the past two weeks; it gives no December figure) is £2,834. Flights for two at £160 return each (KAYAK's December median) are £320. Total about £3,154. Tivoli entry is extra.
Sources: VisitCopenhagen: Christmas in Tivoli · Tivoli: opening hours and seasons · Tivoli: Christmas fireworks · Time Out: the best Christmas markets in Europe (October 2025) · FlightsFrom: Heathrow to Copenhagen · KAYAK: flights from London to Copenhagen · KAYAK: Nimb Hotel, Copenhagen
The price ladder
What each Christmas markets Europe weekend costs: two nights in a double at our named hotel plus return travel for two, at the cheapest published train fares or KAYAK's December flight figures. Meals, drinks and market shopping are extra. €1 is treated as about £0.842 and US$1 as about £0.750.
The numbers
Our Christmas markets Europe shortlist with 2026 market dates, how long the journey from London takes, what a weekend costs for two and who each one suits.
| City | Market dates 2026 | Getting there | Weekend for two | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strasbourg | From 27 Nov (end date not yet out) | 5 hr 10 min to 5 hr 40 min by train | about £1,195 | No-fly, most market |
| Vienna | 13 Nov to 26 Dec | about 2 hr 15 min by air | about £2,780 | A grand city weekend |
| Colmar | 23 Nov to 29 Dec | from 5 hr 47 min by train | about £1,358 | The prettiest small town |
| Cologne | 16 Nov to 23 Dec | about 4 hr 10 min by train | about £1,076 | Market-hopping |
| Bruges | 20 Nov to 3 Jan | about 4 hr by train | about £775 | A first, easy trip |
| Salzburg | 19 Nov to 1 Jan | about 2 hr by air | about £858 | Snow and carols |
| Basel | 26 Nov to 23 Dec | about 8 hr 25 min by train | about £1,780 | Food first |
| Prague | 28 Nov to 6 Jan | 1 hr 50 min to 2 hr 5 min by air | about £1,972 | A long season |
| Budapest | 13 Nov to 1 Jan | 2 hr 25 min to 2 hr 35 min by air | about £1,474 | Big city, good value |
| Copenhagen | 13 Nov to 3 Jan | 1 hr 45 min to 2 hr 5 min by air | about £3,154 | The splurge |
Sources: Strasbourg, Capital of Christmas: official site · Wiener Christkindlmarkt: official site · La Magie de Noël à Colmar: dates and opening hours · koeln.de: Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom 2026 · Visit Bruges: Winter Glow Christmas markets · Salzburger Christkindlmarkt: 2026/27 dates and hours · Basel Tourism: the Basel Christmas market 2026 · Prague.eu: Christmas markets 2026 (Old Town Square listing) · Advent Bazilika: 2026 opening hours · VisitCopenhagen: Christmas in Tivoli · Seat 61: London to Germany by train · FlightsFrom: Heathrow to Vienna
Side by side
| By train | By plane | |
|---|---|---|
| Our picks | Bruges, Cologne, Strasbourg, Colmar, Basel | Salzburg, Budapest, Prague, Vienna, Copenhagen |
| Journey from London | About 4 hours (Bruges, Cologne) to about 8 hours 25 minutes (Basel), city centre to city centre | About 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 35 minutes in the air, plus the airports at each end |
| Weekend for two | About £775 to £1,780 | About £858 to £3,154 |
| Fares | Eurostar from £78 return, bookable up to 11 months ahead; onward trains from about €19 each way | KAYAK's December returns run from about £90 (Salzburg) to £162 (Prague) |
| Pros | No airports; you leave from St Pancras and arrive in the middle of town | Faster, and reaches Austria, Hungary, Czechia and Denmark in a morning |
| Cons | Long days for Colmar and Basel; a change in Paris or Brussels | December is high season for fares; Salzburg's budget flights only start in December |
Questions
Of the Christmas markets Europe-wide, Germany and Austria are the heartland, and France, Switzerland, Belgium, Czechia, Hungary and Denmark all have markets worth a weekend: our ten cover all eight. Time Out's 2025 list spans 16 countries, from Lithuania to Portugal, and puts Nuremberg first. For a UK traveller, France and Belgium have the edge, because you can get there by Eurostar.
Strasbourg makes the strongest claim. It calls itself the Capital of Christmas, its Christkindelsmärik has been held on Place Broglie since 1570, and Euronews calls it France's oldest Christmas market. For snow as well as stalls, Salzburg is the likeliest of our ten, with about ten snowy days in an average December.
An open-air Advent market of wooden stalls, usually in a town's main square, selling decorations, crafts, local food and hot drinks from mid or late November until Christmas, and sometimes into January. They are old: Salzburg's goes back to a market held on its cathedral square in the late 15th century, and Strasbourg's to 1570.
By traveller vote, European Best Destinations' 2026 top ten is Craiova, Zurich, Riga, Lisbon, Debrecen, Govone and Asti, Valkenburg, Vienna, Montbéliard and Paris, as reported by Euronews on 11 October 2026. Our ten are chosen differently: for 2026 dates, how easily you can get there from the UK and one good hotel nearby.
Mostly between mid and late November. In 2026, Vienna, Budapest and Tivoli open on 13 November, Cologne on 16 November, Salzburg on 19 November, Bruges on 20 November, Colmar on 23 November, Basel on 26 November, Strasbourg on 27 November and Prague on 28 November. Cologne's and Basel's close on 23 December, while Bruges, Prague and Salzburg run into January.
With one change, five of our ten: Bruges (about 4 hours) and Cologne (about 4 hours 10 minutes) via Brussels, and Strasbourg (5 hours 10 minutes to 5 hours 40 minutes), Colmar (from 5 hours 47 minutes) and Basel (about 8 hours 25 minutes) via Paris. Eurostar opens bookings up to 11 months ahead, and fares rise as trains fill.
For two nights for two in a well-reviewed hotel near the market, with return travel, our ten run from about £775 in Bruges to about £3,154 in Copenhagen. Meals, drinks and what you buy at the stalls are on top, and hotels near the big markets are at their dearest in December.
Sources: Time Out: the best Christmas markets in Europe (October 2025) · Time Out: Europe's best Christmas market to visit this year (October 2025) · Euronews: Europe's best Christmas markets in 2026, by traveller vote (11 October 2026) · Visit Strasbourg: the capital of Christmas · Salzburg.info: the Salzburg Christmas market · Seat 61: London to France by train · Seat 61: London to Bruges and Belgium by train · Lonely Planet: the best Christmas markets in Europe (updated August 2026)
How we chose: markets a UK traveller can reach in a day by train or a direct flight from London, each with 2026 dates published by the market or its city, a well-reviewed hotel within a short walk, and a weekend cost for two built from published hotel averages and fares, read on 19 October 2026. No one paid to be included. Every price and specification links to where we checked it on 19 October 2026. How we choose.
The journey · RailLuxury train journeysFive great trains, from the Orient Express to the Andes.
Pair it withThe Orient Express, month by monthAt its best: Mar, Apr, Jul, Aug, Nov.
Pair it withJapan, month by monthAt its best: Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov.
Where to stayKyoto ryokan: the shortlist11 ryokan, each one recognised by named judges.
