European Christmas markets have a history stretching back to the 13th century, and the tradition remains as vibrant as ever — attracting millions of visitors each year to the wooden stalls, Gluhwein (mulled wine) stands and artisan craft vendors that take over city centres across Central and Western Europe from late November through Christmas Eve. Vienna’s Christkindlmarkt on the Rathausplatz in front of the magnificent neo-Gothic City Hall is one of Europe’s finest — over 150 stalls selling handmade decorations, traditional Austrian foods and hot punsch beneath a canopy of lights. The Schonbrunn Palace market and the Am Hof market add further atmospheric options across the city. Strasbourg in Alsace, France claims to run the oldest Christmas market in Europe (dating to 1570) — the Christkindelsmarik spread across multiple squares in the medieval city centre is extraordinary, the cathedral providing a backdrop of stunning Gothic scale. Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt in the medieval old town is among Germany’s most celebrated — a 600-year-old tradition of gilded gingerbread (Lebkuchen), Nuremberg sausages and a distinctive Bavarian atmosphere presided over by the market’s traditional ‘Christkind’ figure. Prague’s Old Town Square market combines Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture with excellent traditional Czech foods and crafts. Budapest, Cologne, Bruges, Brussels and Amsterdam all offer excellent markets with their own distinctive character. River cruises along the Rhine and Danube in December combine multiple Christmas markets in a single itinerary, typically calling at Strasbourg, Cologne, Nuremberg, Vienna and Budapest. City breaks to Vienna, Prague or Strasbourg in late November or early December offer a more concentrated but equally magical alternative.