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4.1Very Good2161 reviews

Apolo Suites Rentalmar

Salou, Salou Area / Costa DoradaClose to the beach

Flights included
16 Nov 2026 – 7 Nights
Room Only

€179_pp

Central European Christmas Markets

The best European Christmas markets are the ones that have run for centuries, and these five set the standard everyone else copies.

Vienna: The Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz is the one most people picture when they think of a market, and Schönbrunn Palace runs a quieter, more elegant version in its forecourt. Around twenty markets open across the city from mid-November, so three nights fills easily without repeating a stall. We rate it the best first-timer choice.

Germany: Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt, Cologne's cathedral-square market and Dresden's Striezelmarkt, which dates from 1434, are the three we get asked about most. Each city has its own bratwurst, its own stollen and its own opening ceremony. Pick one base rather than trying to see all three in a weekend.

Prague: Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square sit ten minutes apart on foot, and the markets in both run through to early January, later than almost anywhere else. Trdelník pastry, hot honey wine and the astronomical clock striking on the hour make the evenings. Hotel prices stay well below the western capitals.

Budapest: The market on Vörösmarty Square and the light show projected onto St Stephen's Basilica are the two evening fixtures, and the Széchenyi thermal baths are the daytime answer to a cold snap. Our guests consistently tell us it is the best-value capital for a December break. Four nights suits it better than two.

Krakow: Rynek Główny is the largest medieval square on the continent, and the market fills it beneath the Cloth Hall from late November until after Christmas. Wawel Castle is a fifteen-minute walk, oscypek smoked cheese grills on every corner, and a hearty dinner costs less than a round of drinks at home. Our cheapest classic market most years.

Weekend Breaks to the Christmas Markets

Christmas market weekend breaks work best when the flight is short and the airport transfer is simple, and these five deliver both.

Amsterdam: The ice rink at Museumplein and the Light Festival, which floats illuminated artworks along the canals from late November, give the city its December character. The main market stalls cluster around Dam Square and the Westergas quarter, and a canal-side hotel is a twenty-minute train ride from the airport. A two-night trip does the job here.

Paris: The big market in the Tuileries Garden is the one to plan around: a Ferris wheel, an ice rink and more than a hundred chalets between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. The department-store window displays on Boulevard Haussmann are free and best seen after dark. A shorter flight than most people expect makes it a strong two-night choice.

Berlin: The WeihnachtsZauber at Gendarmenmarkt, with its ticketed entry and craft-only stalls, is the polished one, and the market outside Charlottenburg Palace is the atmospheric one. The city runs more than sixty markets in total, from a medieval fair to a rooftop version. Cheaper than the southern cities for hotels and dinner alike.

Lyon: The Fête des Lumières fills four evenings in early December with light installations on every major building, and the market on Place Carnot runs alongside it through the month. The city is widely held to be the country's food capital, so the bouchon dinners matter as much as the stalls. Book early for the Fête weekend; hotels fill months out.

Poland: Wrocław's market on the Rynek is the one Polish locals rate highest, with a dwarf-themed trail for children and a fairy-tale forest built among the stalls, while Gdańsk's runs beneath restored Hanseatic facades beside the old harbour. Both are served by low-cost flights from Irish airports. Prices are among the lowest on this page.

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