The world’s best Christmas markets

Dresden Striezelmarkt

Founded in 1434 as a one-day affair, Dresden’s Christmas market has become a sprawling celebration, with nine separate markets spread across the Saxon capital’s Old Town. More than 200 stalls sell traditional gifts such as Herrnhut poinsettia stars, Pflaumentoffel figurines and the city’s beloved stollen. For those looking to venture out in search of the Saxon Wine Route, striezelmarkt-inspired festivities and tastings will also be taking place at the Schloss Proschwitz winery in nearby Meissen. Until 24 December, striezelmarkt.dresden.de

Tallinn Christmas Market

The city lays claim to being the first ever to put up a Christmas tree, in the centre of its medieval Town Hall Square in 1441. Each year, Estonia has a hotly contested competition to decide which fir or spruce should be chosen. Beneath its branches, stalls fan out selling traditional felt hats, sheepskins, sauerkraut, black pudding, gingerbread and a host of warming glöggs. A short stroll away on nearby Viru Tänav, on 2 and 10 December, musicians and dancers from the Tallinn School of Music and Ballet can be found performing in the windows of the shops. From 1 December until 7 January, christmasmarket.ee

Bath Christmas Market

Located in and around the illuminated Abbey Churchyard, Bath’s Christmas Market only adds to the city’s Georgian charm. It is a fossil fuel- and plastic-free event and proudly celebrates local traders, with two-thirds of its 175 chalets showcasing the best of the south west: from Mendip Hills Aldwick Estate wines to Colebrook Clay ceramic pottery and Park Farm Cheese’s signature Bath Blue. Until 10 December, bathchristmasmarket.co.uk

Les Lumières de Noël, Montbéliard 

As an alternative to Alsace’s well known Christkindelsmärik in Strasbourg, head to Montbéliard for its Lumières de Noël festivities. The town is home to one of France’s oldest Protestant churches, and with its impressive Christmas light display has consistently been voted one of the top five markets to visit in Europe. In a typical French homage to terroir, market-goers will be able to sample the best Bourgogne-Franche-Comté produce, including Montbéliard saucisse and local cheese such as the raclette-ready Mont d’Or. Keep an eye out for the region’s answer to Father Christmas, La Tante Arie, a local legend thought to be a reincarnation of charitable medieval countess Henriette de Montbéliard. Until 24 December, lumieres-de-noel.fr

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair & Victorian Holiday Party, San Francisco

The Great Dickens Christmas Fair was inaugurated in 1970 in San Francisco’s waterside Embarcadero district by Californian dramatists Ron and Phyllis Patterson. Inspired by the novels of Charles Dickens and late 19th-century history, the month-long event plunges attendees into a bustling Victorian London, accompanied by characters in costume straight from A Christmas Carol. Stalls selling antique books and handmade garlands, a Jekyll and Hyde Pub Crawl and a traditional pantomime all throng the four-acre arena in Cow Palace, where guests can also purchase freshly cut Christmas trees. Until 17 December, dickensfair.com

Advent Zagreb

Zagreb doesn’t limit its Christmas activities to just one spot; the annual Advent spectacular takes over the entire city, with seemingly every corner dedicated to merry-making. Traditional Croatian delicacies such as fritule doughnuts and sarma cabbage rolls can be savoured amid sparkling Christmas decorations at Zrinjevac Park and Ban Jelačić Square, while musical performances will be taking place at trendy Caffe de Matoš and from Zagreb’s balconies. The highlight, according to hip Zagrebians, is the Fuliranje (Croatian for “fooling around”) DJ and street-food fest in Strossmayer Square, where the city’s best chefs reinvent traditional Istrian fare. From 2 December to 7 January, adventzagreb.hr

Copenhagen Tivoli Gardens

First opened in 1843, Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens attracts thousands of families year after year with its array of gourmet stalls, twinkling decorations and hygge atmosphere. Ornate Christmas chalets sell Danish Aebleskiver fritters and Flæskesteg pork sandwiches, and a Michelin-starred open-fire Swedish menu is on offer in the Japanese Pagoda Knystaforsen pop-up restaurant. A special ballet performance of The Snow Queen and an immersive Northern Lights installation will also be taking place in the park grounds on Tivoli’s 180th anniversary. Until 31 December, tivoli.dk

Christkindlmarkt Chicago

Closely modelled on Nuremberg’s centuries-old Christmas celebrations, the Chicago Christkindlmarkt was first introduced 27 years ago. Situated in downtown Chicago’s Daley Plaza, it includes a Bavarian beer-house tent and more than 50 stalls selling handmade Black Forest clocks, Nürnberger sausages and Dutch Poffertjes. Another Nurembergian icon, the Christkind Christmas angel, will also be in attendance, walking around to spread festive good cheer. Until 24 December, christkindlmarket.com

Vienna Christkindlmarkt

The Christkindlmarkt at Rathausplatz lights up the town hall square with a Herzerlbaum (heart-covered) tree and an array of wooden huts. The home of coffee-house culture, Mozart and Sigmund Freud is also the original pioneer of the Christmas market as we know it today, following Duke Albrecht I’s original December Krippenmarkt in 1296. In 2023, Vienna’s celebrations will be championing sustainability with a programme of largely organic vendors, music from local brass ensembles and plenty of the finest Austrian schnitzel. Until 26 December, christkindlmarkt.at

Christmas Wonderland, Singapore

Singapore’s futuristic Gardens By The Bay is the perfect place for a tropical Yuletide experience. The event covers more than 27,000sq m with carnival rides, tree-light shows and a simulated blizzard. Mistletoe Alley is the address for an alternative market selling Re.juve cold-pressed juices, Rayne or Shine cactuses and Candescent Box soy candles; sweet-treat stalls can be found down Gingerbread Grove. The centrepiece of the occasion is the magnificent Spalliera – a 20m-tall glowing installation modelled on Mesola Castle in the Italian province of Ferrara. From 1 December until 1 January, christmaswonderland.sg