Most Christmas market coverage will tell you that every market is charming. I have been going for twenty years, and some are considerably more charming than others. That is the entire reason this show exists.
Ultimate Christmas Markets runs for ten episodes, one country at a time. In each one, I rank that country’s markets and say which are worth building a trip around, which are worth an afternoon if you happen to be nearby, and which are not worth the detour at all. Then I answer your questions in a quick Q&A.
The running order is Germany, Austria, France, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, the Baltic States, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands together, and Italy last. New episodes weekly.
You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts, etc or press play below.
Episode 1: Germany
Germany is where all of this started, so it is where I started too. Dresden takes the top spot, and I do not think that is controversial, though I explain why the Green Vault and Münzgasse matter as much as the Striezelmarkt itself. Nuremberg gets the classic market experience but very little else, which is worth knowing before you book three nights there. Munich is the one I would send most people to first, because the markets are only part of the reason you are in the city.
I also cover Bamberg as the smaller alternative, including why it works if you are travelling with someone who cannot walk long distances, Hamburg for the snow, and Ravenna Gorge in the Black Forest, where tickets sell out within a day of release. The second half is a rapid Q&A on dates, the Pfand deposit that makes people think they have been overcharged, what glühwein actually costs this season, and whether the markets really are all selling the same things.
Read the full guide: Christmas markets in Germany
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Episode 2: Austria
My first trip to Vienna was on Christmas Day in the late nineties, at minus five, and I walked the entire Ringstraße anyway. In this episode I explain why Vienna is the place to go if you’re obsessed with Christmas markets, why Salzburg isn’t as overrated as people say, and why I’d treat Innsbruck as a stop rather than a trip. I also cover Hallstatt, the one market here I haven’t managed to see yet.
In the Q&A I explain why you were charged more than the price on the sign, which markets stay open after Christmas, and whether anything at the Austrian markets is actually handmade.
Read the full guide: Christmas markets in Austria
Episode 3: France
If you only visit one Christmas market in France, make it Strasbourg. Alsace has changed hands between France and Germany several times, and it ended up with a culture that feels not quite French and not quite German. I also compare Strasbourg with Colmar, its smaller and quieter counterpart, and explain how to fit both into one trip. Lille is my underrated pick, and one of the best food cities I’ve visited in France. I also share how I’d plan a day, from the Place Rihour market at opening to the Grand Place Ferris wheel as the lights come on. On Paris, I don’t think the Christmas markets are worth a dedicated trip, but Paris in winter is. A quick-fire round covers Bordeaux, Lyon and its Fête des Lumières, a quiet winter break in Nice, and Montpellier, where I used to live.
In the Q&A I answer which markets stay open after Christmas, why 26th December catches people out in Alsace, and how the cup deposit works. I also cover combining Paris with Alsace or Lille, crowds and pickpockets, and packing for northern and southern France. The final questions are what vin chaud blanc is, how French markets differ from German ones, whether they’re overrated, and whether anything is actually handmade.
Read the full guide: Christmas markets in France