This German Christmas market may be kitsch, but it’s the essence of the holiday season

Here are five of the best Christmas markets to visit in Europe.

Budapest, Hungary

Too often overlooked for other European medieval hotspots such as Prague, Budapest offers up one of Europe’s most surprising Christmas market venues. The city is carved in two (Buda and Pest) by the Danube, but a walk down Pest’s ancient cobbled lanes, past castles and in view of the river, will bring you to holiday markets that won’t break the bank (Hungary doesn’t use the euro, and its currency, the forint, offers value for Australians). The food on offer is spectacular: bowls of hearty goulash, finished with traditional marzipan sweets and Budapest ice-cream – try some, it’s the best in Europe. Come from late November to avoid crowds, or wait until December when folk dancers take over the streets.

Vienna, Austria

Want to see an entire city bewitched by Christmas? Vienna’s stunning First District – full of buildings built when it was the headquarters of the Hapsburg Empire – turns into a non-stop Christmas party. Markets are set up among the city’s finest buildings and you can easily walk between them all. Choirs sing carols on the streets, while locals and tourists enjoy roasted chestnuts, punsch (warm fruit punch) and gluehwein (mulled wine) as they sit and watch the happy scene. As well as hundreds of stalls, there’s an ice rink and free concerts near City Hall, beside where horse-drawn carriages trot down cobbled streets. If this doesn’t feel romantic, nowhere will; though it’s just as suitable for families, too.

Strasbourg, France

Dubbed the capital of Christmas, this charming medieval border town in north-east France provides the perfect blend of French elegance and German tradition in its hearty celebrations. The markets throughout its historic centre date back almost 500 years; use your imagination here with helpings of vin chaud (more mulled wine!) and it might still be the 16th century. More than 300 illuminated wooden chalets line cobbled squares set against a 30-metre-high tree. It’s largely car-free, too, so walking is easy and safe. The city’s canals enhance the experience; take a walk beside them for excellent views.

Gdansk, Poland

The least known of all on the list, Gdansk is often overlooked even among Poles for destinations such as Krakow and Warsaw. Yet this is where you’ll find Europe’s most under-rated Christmas markets, selling food and gifts at very reasonable prices. Set among its compact medieval old town, there are five markets, but they’re so close they’re treated as one. Smell the salt air (it’s on the Baltic Sea) mixed with mulled wine (again!), and walk among stalls on cobbled streets. The market begins on November 21; check it out mid-week for live music events, and you’ll probably avoid the crowds of Europe’s more famous Christmas markets.

Nuremberg, Germany

These are the ultimate German Christmas markets; you’ll feel like you’re in a fairytale, but expect crowds. They are also among Europe’s most traditional markets: Nuremberg is dubbed “the little city of wood and cloth”. You’ll feel giddy with the smell of roasting chestnuts mixed with grilled bratwurst in the chilly night air, against a backdrop of Gothic church towers and cobbled streets. While the markets, some of the world’s oldest, have become a tad kitsch, everything here feels like the epitome of Christmas. Come for the food alone: try a Nuremberger – three mini bratwursts on a roll – and the gingerbread (lebkuchen). There’s a real party vibe, and kids have a Christmas section of their own, complete with a ferris wheel.

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