Our Top 10 Most Beautiful and Romantic Christmas Markets in Europe For Couples
The air smells of spicey mulled wine, cinnamon-y gingerbread fills the air and twinkling Christmas lights light up the night – welcome to Europe at Christmas! After visiting 50+ Christmas markets in Europe, Caleb and I know a thing or fifty about which are the best to visit as a couple. And, spoiler alert, some markets in Europe are the opposite of romantic!
In this article, we’ll share our top 10 most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe like Prague, Strasbourg, and Bratislava so you can put together the perfect Christmas market itinerary to make magical Christmas memories as a couple!
Let’s dive in, starting with a video showing the markets on this list!
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☑️ Quick Tips:
⏰ When to go: early December
🏨 Where to stay: as close to the markets as possible and book in advance
❌ Avoid the crowds: Go to smaller, lesser-known towns for a more festive experience. The markets on this list are great options.
🌟 Insider tip: use specific city websites to find unique events at each market.
Markets in this guide: Old town square in Prague, Peace square in Prague, Place De la Cathedrale in Strasbourg, Main Square Market in Bratislava, Town Hall Square in Tallinn, Winter market in Berlin, Old Town Market in Esslingen, Tubingen market, Rynek Głwony in Krakow, Julemarked and Tivoli in Copenhagen.
1. Old Town Square in Prague, Czechia
While the Christmas market in Prague is one of the most famous Christmas markets in the World, it’s for good reason. Typically, Caleb and I hated every single “famous” Christmas market because that meant it came with so many humans that you could barely move, so you would end up doing the “Christmas Market Shuffle” everywhere you went.
While Prague was VERY BUSY and there were hordes of tourists, we still found it to be very romantic because of a few things. 1. It’s laid out REALLY well, with lots of space between the vendors. Old Town Square is pretty big, and the Christmas Market powers that be used the space well so you could actually walk around.
Also? It’s incredibly beautiful with all the churches around the square lit up at night and this MASSIVE Christmas tree in the center! Plus, if you’re a foodie couple like us, you will LOVE that many of the stalls are food-focused, not trinket-focused.
TAYLOR’S TIP: If you want to get an awesome overhead view like we have in our photos, make sure you go up the stairs in Old Town Hall! It’s not free, and it’s not open all night, but it’s worth the wait. If you can, go right at sunset so you have time for photos. They say they close at 9, but they kicked us out at 8:40pm, and we were super rushed.
Another thing we love about Prague is that the old town square is surrounded by lots of restaurants, so you can still enjoy the whole “market vibe” without being right in the action if you don’t want to be. Also important to note: we noticed that mulled wine prices were a lot cheaper here than at the market stalls, so do what you will with that info.
We stayed at Unitas Residence, which was AMAZING. The staff was incredible; we had free mulled wine in the lobby some nights, and the rooms were clean, although a bit of an old-school decoration. Awesome, central location where you could walk EVERYWHERE.
>>Check prices, reviews and availability <<
2. Peace Square Market in Prague, Czechia
If you have some extra time, Caleb and I STRONGLY urge you to walk to Peace Square, outside the city center. It’s a much more local Christmas market that is just as beautiful as Old Town Square but more romantic because of the chill vibes and the beautiful church backdrop.
The circle of stalls is all wooden and has wine-colored paneling and strings of twinkling fairy lights leading up to a big Christmas tree in the center! It also had better mulled wine if that’s a priority for you like us.
READ NEXT: our ultimate guide to Prague’s Christmas markets to get all the details about our first two favorite markets!
TAYLOR’S TIP: For the best couples photo with the market in the background, walk up the stairs of the church!
3. Place De la Cathedrale in Strasbourg, France
Before we get into this market, we need to share a caveat. This is *only* one of the most romantic Christmas markets in Europe on weekdays. The weekends are an absolute gong show with so many people around that you’ll be continuing on the Christmas Market Shuffle.
While everyone goes to the huge market on Place Broglie in Strasbourg, we would tell you to give that one a miss because it seemed over-commercialized, and all the items were mass-produced. Not very beautiful or romantic!
We visited so many different Christmas markets in Strasbourg, but the one that we found to be the most romantic was the one in Place de La Cathedrale! It’s right in front of Strasbourg’s Notre Dame cathedral, which is stupidly beautiful when it gets lit up at night.
It’s also spread out quite well, so as long as you choose the right time to visit the market, you should be able to stroll around while you drink your mulled wine. This was also one of the few Christmas markets where we saw the mugs, and they have boxes to return your mug, and then your deposit goes to charity, which is cool.
TAYLOR’S TIP:If you want to get a super Instagrammy photo together, walk down to Le Gruber restaurant outside the market because it is all decorated with ribbons and Christmas ornamets, as you can see above. Everyone is taking a picture, but it’s pretty!
We stayed at City Residence Access and loved it. Strasbourg is VERY expensive, and this place was reasonable and clean and super walkable to Le Petit, France, the most beautiful area in Strasbourg!
>>Check prices, reviews and availability <<
4. Main Square Market in Bratislava, Slovakia
Okayyyy, this is one of the best European Christmas markets for couples because it’s in a main city, but it still does not seem as hit by tourism as other markets. That means fewer people to shuffle through for you guys!
Bratislava’s old town is absolutely beautiful, with pastel-colored houses that kinda reminded us of Prague (which you could easily pair as a road trip with Bratislava) without the people. Everyone here seemed to just be looking to have fun!
The market stalls were SO quaint and different from other markets with their red, wooden paneling that was all lit up with fairy lights. We were able to stroll between them easily, and we had some of the best Christmas food at the market.
Also to note: the DRINKS OMG. We saw at least 15 different varieties of mulled wine and even had hot mead! The drinks here are one of the things that make this Christmas market worth visiting!
TAYLOR’S TIP: Make sure you stroll down some of the side streets. They’re beautiful and quiet, which is nice and romantic, but we also ran into so many cute (and cheap!) mulled wine stands!
One thing that you must know here is that you will see “hot wine,” which is literally just wine that is hot. Make sure it says MULLED WINE.
We stayed at an Airbnb, and it was a great location for us. Just a little bit of a walk to the city center but nice and clean!
>>Check prices, reviews and availability <<
5. Town Hall Square in Tallinn, Estonia
If you’ve researched the most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe, I’m willing to bet that Tallinn has come up on the list. Now, in full transparency, we visited Tallinn the day before the Christmas markets opened because we didn’t know the best time to visit Christmas markets.
However, we saw it getting set up, and we will 100% go back this year to check it out because it looked gorgeous. The town of Tallinn itself was one of the most beautiful cities we’ve ever walked around. Everything feels SO old and medieval (it has the best preserved and oldest square in Europe), and the combination of pastel buildings is gorgeous.
Another super romantic thing about Tallinn? It was literally DEAD when we visited in December. Like, VERY FEW PEOPLE. And there was SNOW. We drank mulled wine while strolling through snow-covered medieval streets, and we felt like we were on one of those cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies that you guys pretend to hate but secretly look forward to.
We stayed at an adorable apartment, and it was one of our favorite stays right by the Christmas market!
>>Check prices, reviews and availability <<
6. Winter Market at Schlossplatz in Berlin, Germany
It’s said that Berlin has over 100 Christmas markets, which is a little mental, don’t you think? We went to about 12 of them, and the one that we still talk about to this day is the Winter Market at Sclossplatz Berlin Mitte.
It’s literally just the cutest market ever. It’s tucked inside a small square, and all the stalls are blue and lit up with lights, and there are star projections all over the surrounding buildings. It was much less busy than other markets around Berlin, so we could walk around slowly together and really take in the magical atmosphere.
We also felt like this market was the most traditional and with the most handmade items. It didn’t feel over-commercialized, and it had SUCH GOOD FOOD. You have to try the krappelchen (apple donuts) and quark balls because nothing spells romance like eating fried food, right?
READ NEXT: WHAT TO EXPECT AT BERLIN CHRISTMAS MARKETS
Or, check out our ultimate guide to the best Christmas markets in Berlin
We stayed at Maritin proArte hotel for our Christmas market adventure, and it was the perfect location, as it was walkable to some of the biggest markets. The rooms were super spacious and clean and felt more bougie than we usually say. The price was also reasonable compared to other options around Berlin!
>>Check prices, reviews and availability <<
7. Old Town Market in Esslingen, Germany
Just a 10-minute train ride from Stuttgart, you’ll find the ADORABLE town of Esslinggen, which looks like a German fairy tale with its colorful half-timbered houses everywhere.
We thought that the SUPER traditional, dark wooden chalets that were decorated with garlands were super beautiful, and we saw quite a few handmade stalls here. We were there during the day and then right around sunset, and it stayed pretty open and not packed with people, so it was a more chill and romantic vibe.
If you like unique markets, they also have a super cool “medieval market” that feels like you walked into Christmas in the dark ages.
READ NEXT: ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ESSLINGEN CHRISTMAS MARKET
8. Tubingen Market in Germany
Another day trip from Stuttgart, Tubingen is one of the cutest Christmas markets in Europe! It’s also one that you really have to PLAN your Christmas market trip around because it’s only open 3 days of the ENTIRE year, on the third weekend of advent!
We were lucky that we just happened to be in Stuttgart this weekend (unplanned), so we had to go. When we were doing our research, we read a lot of people refer to it as a town that looks like a snow globe, and that is 100% true.
While the market stalls themselves are not all that beautiful, the surrounding buildings make the market so pretty. And, the whole market winds ALL THROUGH the city, so you get to stroll down the streets together, sipping cheap and delicious mulled wine at 10am (it’s magical, trust us.)
This was also the LEAST commercial market we had visited in all of Europe. The whole point of it only being 3 days is it’s because it’s for locals to set up stalls selling their wares. So, if you want a unique and romantic experience, check this one out.
Just try to go during the day because the people started to pick up later in the night as we were leaving!
9. Rynek Głwony in Krakow, Poland
READ NEXT: ULTIMATE GUIDE TO KRAKOW CHRISTMAS MARKET
We might be biased because we LOVE Poland (umm, pierogies. Need we say more??), but we thought the market in the old town, A UNESCO world heritage site, was just GORGEOUS, and the whole vibe was chill and romantic.
We were lucky enough to visit when there was snow on the ground, which added to the “romance-fairytale” vibe. The market is surrounded by the beautiful, colorful buildings of the old town and is relatively well spread out, so you can walk around and enjoy perusing the shops together.
We also thought the mulled wine here was the BEST we had all across Europe. If you’re a foodie couple like us, you also have to try the Oscypek, which is fried sheep cheese wrapped in ham and topped with cranberry sauce. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds, and you’ll dream of it.
TAYLOR’S TIP: The mulled wine stalls are not visible. Just look for long lines of humans getting things from a window, usually around the outskirts, with a sign that says “grzane” which is the mulled wine. We called them the mulled wine speakeasy chalets.
We stayed at the Roller aparthotel which was 4 minutes from the main square, clean, well serviced and quite spacious inside. Highly recommend!
>>Check prices, reviews and availability <<
10. Julemarked and Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen smells like cinnamon, and that is enough reason to go there, we think! But, the Christmas markets were INCREDIBLE. They opened earlier than many across Europe, and they were practically DEAD when we went at the end of November, so you could have a very “just you two” kinda experience.
We lovedlovedloved the Hans Christian Andersen Julemarked right in the city center. It’s small but has these gorgeous little huts that look like Christmas threw up inside with lights and Chrismas decorations, and it’s a very romantic, cozy place to drink mulled wine.
TAYLOR’S TIP: It’s actually called “Glogg” in Scandinavia, and it’s way better than mulled wine because raisins are steeped into it. You gotta try it!
Another romantic market is inside Tivoli Gardens. The whole park is decorated GORGEOUSLY for Christmas, and there is a quaint area in the middle with lots of little houses selling Glogg and other eats that you can cuddle up in front of a Christmas tree and bask in the magical-ness together! It even has an ice skating rink, so you can do that together. I just fall on my butt, so Caleb won’t do it with me.
PRO TIP: make sure to be down on the lake for the light show. The times change regularly, so check the website for the current times.
READ NEXT: COPENHAGEN CHRISTMAS MARKET GUIDE
We stayed at this Cabinn Copenhagen. While it’s outside the city center and a little bit of a walk, it’s cheap for Copenhagen. The rooms are VERY small, but we don’t prioritize that, as we are never in the room. It’s clean, and the staff is nice and helpful.
>>Check prices, reviews and availability <<
There you have it friends! These were the markets that we loved and found to be super special and romantic. We know you will love them just as much as we do! Of course, if you have any questions, just leave a comment and we’ll get back to you!
After you pick which markets to visit, you have to know how to pack to stay warm and cozy. If you’re cold and miserable, no markets will be romantic! We put together our ultimate Christmas market packing list to help you out!
Or, check out our guide on the 28 foods you must eat the markets if you are unsure what to eat!
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