“To many people, holidays are not just voyages of discovery but a ritual of reassurance.”
~Philips Adam
You can visit the Christmas markets of Central Europe for the perfect winter holiday. The festive period is always bustling with activities, with everyone mixed together to enjoy classic food, drinks, decorations, and entertainment throughout the area. With twinkling lights, drizzling snow, and the smell of delicious food, especially roasting chestnuts and freshly baked gingerbread, you can almost taste the excitement. That’s why most people say it’s a magical period to be in Europe.
There are special itineraries available throughout December for famous Christmas markets in Europe, including Germany and Austria. You can enjoy the best of the Yuletide celebrations in Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, and Budapest. You’ll have a lot of free time and a lot of sightseeing opportunities. You can check out the stalls and eat and drink in the evening at the Christmas markets. Whether you choose to travel by river or by land, you can't go wrong either way!
Salzburg
You can visit Salzburg’s hills, the set of the famous movie “Sound of Music” and watch the hills come alive at Christmas time. The Christmas Market in Cathedral Square is famous among tourists; with plenty of sugary snacks to appease your sweet tooth during live performances at the market.
You can munch your Cinnamon-dusted baked apple as you explore the stalls and listen to the sonorous voices of the Salzburg choirs and feel the magic of Christmas.
If you want a toned-down version of the celebrations, you can visit the iconic Hohensalzburg Fortress and go to a more cozy Christmas market called the Advent Market. You will have to go by cable car to the fortress, but as soon all you see the amazing Christmas lights surrounding the area you will realize it is all worth it. Enjoy local treats and do your Christmas shopping as you listen to the sounds of the local trumpeters.
Vienna
If you are a lover of arts and crafts, visit the Christmas Village at Vienna hospital and shop for handmade wares from local craftsmen and women all over the country. You can also enjoy eating at the Christmas market in front of Schönbrunn Palace. Here you have a variety of Christmas snacks and seasonal Viennese treats to indulge on, such as hot grilled sausages, donuts, pretzels, waffles, and maroni (simmered chestnuts). Don’t forget to grab a cup of weihnachtspunsch, which is a local spiced liqueur usually served hot.
You can explore the Spittelberg Markets for a bit of everything — delicious cuisine, shopping, and sightseeing. It is located at the historical Biedermeier quarter, which is popular for its state-of-art architecture.
Budapest
Budapest is always beautiful to see any time of the year but there is something special about visiting Budapest during the holiday period. You can visit Vorosmarty Square, the biggest and brightest Christmas market in Budapest. It is the brightest because the whole area is usually decorated with appealing Christmas lights and beautiful trees.
There are a lot of stalls to discover and shop from. You also have a lot of local delicacies to savor such as lángos, a deep-fried flatbread served with various toppings, sour cream, cheese, and garlic butter, and the dödölle, a traditional potato dumpling. And if you have a sweet tooth, you can gratify your taste buds by trying out Kürtoskalács which is a cinnamon Hungarian chimney cake and wash it all down with a glass of a local mulled wine.
If you want to experience all the fun of uncovering the local secrets of Christmas markets of Central Europe but you don’t have the time to plan it all out, why not leave all the planning to me? I have a whole of itineraries available for the Christmas Market season.
Contact me for a jolly winter holiday! It's never too early to start planning for the next holiday season.
So tell me... Which of the scrumptious delights intrigued you the most?
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