If you’ve been to a German Christmas Market and want to venture somewhere different in the run-up to Christmas, Christmas markets are held in most large towns and cities in Belgium, France, Austria and Switzerland.
But stunning Stockholm in Sweden would be the choice of the writer, with a number of Christmas markets in the Old Town (Gamla Stan) and on the island of Skansen, which is home to the country’s Folk Park. You can also take a steamer trip out into the Stockholm archipelago to visit other markets or to simply relax and enjoy Swedish Christmas fare with a traditional Scandinavian smorgasbord.
Christmas gift shopping in Stockholm’s large department stores such as Ahlens and NK is a bonus, with helpful sales assistants gift-wrapping your presents at the till for you. Just make sure you mark which present is which so you don’t have to open them again when you go home!
Another Christmas Market destination worth considering is Tallinn, the almost overpoweringly pretty capital of Estonia. It has a Christmas market in the Townhall Square just yards away from superb medieval restaurant The Old Hansa.
