Best Christmas Markets in Europe
Christmas is coming, and today I'll tell you about the most interesting annual Christmas markets in European countries, and what to eat and buy there.
Belgium
On Brussels' markets that usually start in late November you can buy a lot of Christmas wares and cute trinkets. It's one of the oldest marketplaces in Europe with many Christmas shops and interesting winter attractions. Here you can taste world-famous Belgian waffles and chocolates, national Belgium fries, sugar doughnuts and, of course, tasty beer.
Austria
You'll never forget the sound and smell of Viennese Christkindlmarkt. It opens daily starting mid-November and attracts millions of tourists. Here you can taste a wide range of delicious food: children's favourite candied fruit and popular cream-filled pastries. Have you ever tasted roasted chestnuts with a mix of warm fruit juices and a spiced brandy or schnapps, so called Christmas punch? It's a great chance to do it in such a magic place. Here you can also buy funny wooden toys of Santa Claus, beeswax statuettes and candles, and other stuff.
Sweden
On Liseberg Christmas Market in Gothenburg you'll be pleasantly surprised not only buying many handcrafted items but also tasting traditional Christmas food. That is pickled herring with hot wine or even ice-cold drinks, and tasty waffles with different fillings or marzipan.
Denmark
This year in the capital and most popular city of Denmark Copenhagen you can visit a lot of beautiful places decorated with many Christmas trees and lights. One of such places is well-known among tourists Tivoli Gardens. It's the second oldest historic amusement park in the world where every year you can find many Christmas souvenirs and sweets to cater to every taste. You'll be pleased with yummy traditional doughnuts and glögg, a Scandinavian mulled wine made with brandy, almonds, cloves, cinnamon sticks, raisins and other spices.
Italy
At the Trento Christmas Market there are thousands of wooden glittering stalls that offer a lot of gifts and souvenirs including copper crafts, wooden gnomes, stained glass, natural soap and perfumes, handmade candles, jewelry etc. It's the best place to enjoy local Italian wines and cookies.
Germany
The tastiest Christmas food I've ever tried was in Berlin at the Gendarmenmarkt where you can taste traditional gingerbread, fruitcakes, sausages or roasted bratwurst and hot wine scented with vanilla or cinnamon. These delicious aromas and a festive atmosphere will make winter holidays unforgettable. At different thematic markets everyone can find many handmade gifts, toys, antiques, jewelry, ceramics and enjoy some baked goods.
Estonia
Have a great time at the Tallin's Xmas market on the old Town Hall Square where there was the world's first Christmas tree. Every year a lot of visitors from different countries can find many interesting gifts and souvenirs in the wooden stalls: stained glass, handmade candles, ethnic knitwear and quilts, Christmas ornaments as well as bottles of a local liqueur.
Czech Republic
Prague's Christmas markets won't disappoint you either. Here winter holidays last from early December till early January and it's a real holiday for your stomach. You may taste grilled corn with mulled wine, or honeyed gingerbread with rum. You won't arrive home with empty pockets: the market stalls sell different toys, such as classic Czech marionettes and traditional sweets and cookies.
Vocabulary
wares ― goods which someone is selling
a trinket ― a pretty piece of jewellery or just a small thing that is not expensive
a doughnut ― a small sweet cake, often ring-shaped with a jam or cream filling, cooked in hot fat
candied fruit ― fruit that have been covered with sugar or cooked in sugar syrup
pastries ― sweet baked food made of dough
roasted chestnuts ― large brown nuts that grow on chestnut trees that can be cooked in the oven and eaten
spiced ― cooked with spices
schnapps ― a strong alcoholic drink from Germany often flavored with fruit
a beeswax statuette ― a very small sculpture of a person or an animal made from the wax
handcrafted ― made with somebody's hands in a skilful way
a pickled herring ― a long silver-coloured fish kept in vinegar or salt water to be preserved
to cater to every taste – to satisfy every taste
yummy ― tasty
a mulled wine ― a wine that has sugar and spice added to it and is then heated
almonds ― flat white nuts with a brown skin
cloves ― the dried flower bud of a tropical tree, used as an aromatic spice
cinnamon ― an aromatic spice made from a Southeast Asian tree
raisins ― dried grapes
glittering ― shining with a sparkling light
a stall ― a stand or booth for the sale of goods in a market
copper crafts ― handmade things of a red-brown metal
stained glass ― glass that has been colored or painted
a gingerbread ― a cake flavored with ginger
a fruitcake ― a cake containing dried fruit and nuts
a bratwurst ― a type of fine German pork sausage
knitwear ― handmade knitted clothes
a quilt ― a warm bed covering consisting of several layers of cloth sewn together
