The Ultimate European Christmas Market Road Trip

Everyone has the European Christmas markets on their bucket list, right? And what better way to see some of the best markets and most festive cities than on a European Christmas market road trip!

When we lived in Prague in 2019/2020, my husband Colin, dog Ellie, and I went on an epic Christmas market road trip through the Czech Republic, Austria and Germany.

We had a magical trip visiting the Christmas markets of Prague, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich and Nuremberg, plus a few smaller markets in between.

Each stop had its own charm, with different food stalls, decor, activities and gifts for sale. We enjoyed some cities and markets more than others and quickly learned what to do and not to do at a Christmas market (hint: Don’t bring your dog when it’s crowded!).

Keep reading for my full European Christmas market itinerary, including our route, where we stayed and what we saw. And stay tuned to find out what we did right and what you can do better.

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Our European Christmas Market Road Trip itinerary

I designed our road trip to be a loop that starts and ends in Prague. So you can pick up the route anywhere along the way and just circle back to your first point. You can even drive it in reverse!

Here are the stops on our festive road trip:

• Prague, Czech Republic
• Vienna, Austria
• Salzburg, Austria
• Munich, Germany
• Nuremberg, Germany

We rented a car (shout out to Discover Cars, which is my go-to platform for comparing car rentals and getting the best deal) but you can actually do this itinerary by train as well. I’ll include both driving and train directions in the itinerary below.

And last thing to note: You can do this trip as quickly or as slowly as you want. All of the travel times are under four hours, so you could arrive in the morning and see the markets in the afternoon/evening.

That being said, I’d recommend at least one week to complete this Christmas market itinerary. If you have 10 days, that’s even better as you’ll be able to spend two nights in each of the five destinations on the route.

Stop 1: Prague

• Getting there: I recommend starting and ending your trip in Prague, so you can fly into Prague’s international airport (Václava Havla Praha) or take a train to the main station (Praha hlavní nádraží).
• Where to stay: I recommend Maximilian Hotel as a modern, boutique hotel with a delicious restaurant and great location in the Old Town. Fun fact: My husband actually worked as a concierge at this hotel for a few months when it opened in 2019!
• What else to do: Check out my Prague itinerary for more things to do in the city, plus check out nearby day trips to Kutna Hora and Cesky Krumlov.

Prague is one of the most magical places to celebrate Christmas, so we were excited to tour some of our local markets while living abroad in Prague.

My favourite Christmas Market in Prague is the market at Namesti Miru in the Vinohrady area (open from Nov 20-Dec 24, 2026). This was our local market and the same place where we walked our dog every day.

The market here is super cute, nice and small, and beautifully decorated. It’s not huge, but feels very local and picturesque. And just nearby is Riegrovy Sady, my favourite spot to watch the sun set over Prague Castle.

The Wenceslas Square Christmas Market is one of the main markets in Prague (open Nov 28, 2026 to Jan 6, 2027). If you’re arriving by train, you’ll be just around the corner from this giant market.

This market is interesting in that it’s super linear, basically one long line of markets down the entire square. So it makes it very easy to navigate. It’s also really beautiful at night when the street is all lit up and the National Museum is glowing at the end of the square.

This market has everything you want out of a European Christmas Market – lots of mulled wine, cute handmade products, beautiful trees, music and tons of people. Beware of the crowds!

We headed to the Wenceslas Square Christmas Market on St. Nicholas Day (Dec 5th) when St Nick, an angel and a devil see how well children have behaved.

If the child is good, and performs a little song or poem, the angel gives them a treat. But if they’re bad, the devil puts them in his sack and carries them down to hell!

Traumatic, no? That’s what we thought too. But it was quite a sight to see these three figures wandering around the market. And very cute to see kids getting up on stage to perform their songs and poems.

The most famous Christmas Market in Prague is the Old Town Square Christmas Market (open Nov 28, 2026 to Jan 6, 2027), located in front of Prague’s Astronomical Clock and near the entrance of Charles Bridge.

We visited this market on a weekday before noon, so we weren’t packed in like sardines, but always expect big crowds as this is one of Europe’s most popular markets. It’s also said to be one of the most beautiul!

The Old Town Square Christmas Market is definitely food focused, with most of the stalls selling food and not as many handmade products.

In addition to food, there’s a beautiful big tree, festive decor and a daily program of music and activities. It’s a fun atmosphere and a good place to go for more sightseeing around Prague.

PS: Did you notice that some of Prague’s Christmas markets are open after Christmas? The main ones stay open until Three Kings Day (Jan 6th) as this follows the Orthodox Christmas calendar.

This is great because while most of Europe’s Christmas markets close by Dec 25, you can keep celebrating in Prague with much smaller crowds. We went back to the Old Town Square Market with my uncle after Christmas and it was way less busy, but still so fun!

Pit stop: Brno

• Getting there: 2 hour drive or 2.5-3 hour train from Prague
• Where to stay: You can just stop in Brno for a few hours on your drive/train from Prague to Vienna. But if you do want to explore more of Brno, Hotel Passage looks like a stylish, central base.
• What else to do: I haven’t spent much time there but there is lots to do in Brno and you can find a cozy spot with my friend Carolin’s cafe guide to the city!

To break up the drive to Vienna, you can stop in the Czech Republic’s second biggest city, Brno to stretch your legs, grab a snack and check out a few Christmas markets.

The Brno Christmas Markets are spread throughout the city (open Nov 13-Dec 31, 2026) and seem to offer lots of fun extras like a skating rink, craft workshops, photo spots and a ferris wheel.

But when we visited, I’ll be honest and admit we were a bit disappointed. The market we stopped at was small and and instead of seeing rows of adorable wooden stalls, all of the stalls were shoved into big, white tents.

Sure, the tents helped beat the chill (why was it so much colder in Brno compared to Prague?), but it wasn’t very magical.

We didn’t stay too long in Brno. We got some roast chicken from the food tent, walked through the crafts tent, admired the ferris wheel and took a quick picture in front of the tree.

I’d be happy to revisit Brno, explore more of the city and give the Christmas markets another chance. But based on my 2019 experience, I think it’s okay if you skip them if you’re in a rush.

Stop 2: Vienna

• Getting there: 2 hour drive or 90 min train from Brno. Or if you skipped Brno, it’s a 4 hour drive or train ride from Prague.
• Where to stay: We stayed at DoubleTree by Hilton Vienna Bosei which is a bit outside of the city centre but affordable, spacious and had free parking. But if you want to be more central, we’ve also stayed at Austria Trend Hotel Savoyen Vienna and really enjoyed it!
• What else to do: My favourite part of Vienna was Schonbrunn Palace. Otherwise, we made a lot of mistakes on our previous trip to Vienna, so do the opposite of what we did!

Vienna has a number of Christmas markets all over the city, running from mid November to late December (though some go into January). Check out this post on Visiting Vienna for 2026 dates and times.

I was really excited to visit Vienna’s Christmas markets as I had watched a few YouTube videos and thought they looked awesome. Unfortunately, we made three big mistakes on our day at the markets.

1. We visited on a Saturday afternoon, one of the busiest times to go to Christmas markets.
2. We brought our dog Ellie, who’s not a fan of crowds.
3. We took an Uber from our hotel because we thought parking would be impossible, but found free parking right in front of the first market entrance!

But it wasn’t all horrible. The first Christmas market we visited was the main one in Vienna at Rathaus, Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz. I really loved this market because there were different sections and a lot going on.

We walked along a path with nativity scenes and a Christmas train before sitting underneath a heart tree drinking mulled wine. We took pictures in front of the giant Christmas tree, wandered around the very busy stalls, and considered skating on the ice rink (but the price turned us off).

I loved the decor at Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz, but we struggled to find good food options. In fact, this was a theme amongst all of the Vienna Christmas markets – where was the good food?

All we could find were sausages and pretzels. And while that works for some, I was expecting a lot more variety. Hopefully things have improved for their 2026 markets!

One awesome thing about the Vienna Christmas markets is that most are within walking distance from one another. So from Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz, we were easily able to walk to four or five other markets.

It was cool to see so much Christmas in just a few blocks! But it was really tough to enjoy the markets with so many people, especially when we were trying to make sure Ellie didn’t get stepped on.

The worst crowds were at The Weihnachtsdorf on Maria-Theresien-Platz, where we were stuck in a sea of people that was not moving. It was suffocating, and poor Colin had to carry Ellie the whole time.

But once we finally broke out of that, we made it to a quieter spot in Museumsquartier where a race car track and shuffle board games were set up. It was a welcome escape from the crowds!

Pit stop: Hallstatt

• Getting there: 3 hour drive from Vienna. You can take the train, but it requires connections and a ferry, taking 4-5 hours. If you’re not driving, I recommend doing a day tour to Hallstatt from Vienna instead.
• Where to stay: I recommend doing this as a day trip from Vienna or on your way from Vienna to Salzburg. But if you do want to extend your trip, Polreich Bed & Breakfast is very highly rated and has gorgeous views!
• What else to do: We only spent a short time in Hallstatt but check out this post by Happy to Wander for more ideas of what to do in town.

Note: Hallstatt is a one hour detour. If you’re short on time or not interested in visiting Hallstatt, you can just head directly from Vienna to Salzburg.

When we travelled for 3 weeks in Europe with our moms in September, I was really trying to squeeze Hallstatt into our itinerary. But it just wasn’t possible.

So this time, since we had a car and more flexibility, we decided the one hour detour was worth it and I finally got to check Hallstatt, Austria off of my bucket list!

I’m so glad we waited to visit Hallstatt in winter! This town is super charming and it looks even cuter with all of the nearby mountains covered in snow. Plus, the crowds were much smaller than they would have been in the summer.

To be honest, there’s not a ton to do in Hallstatt. We spent about an hour wandering around, appreciating the view, and poking our heads into little shops. We had planned to have lunch there, but the only open restaurants were over-priced and overly touristy.

I think I would have been disappointed if we had visited in September with lots of crowds, having trekked all that way for not a lot to do.

I would say Hallstatt is worth a visit, but I wouldn’t go too far out of your way to make it happen. If you’re a sucker for scenery and cute towns, make the stop. But if you don’t want the extra drive, worry about the crowds and think you’ll be bored, skip it.

PS: If you weren’t able to visit Hallstatt from Vienna, you can also visit it as a day trip from Salzburg. Hallstatt is closer to Salzburg, so you can go on a half day tour or opt for a full day tour with more sightseeing options.

Stop 3: Salzburg

• Getting there: 1 hour drive or 2.5 hour ferry/train from Hallstatt. Or if you skipped Hallstatt, Salzburg is a 3 hour drive or 2.5 hour train ride from Vienna.
• Where to stay: If you’re on a budget, stay at Adlerhof like we did. The location, breakfast and parking were good, but the hotel itself was a little shabby. If you want nicer digs, check out IMLAUER HOTEL PITTER Salzburg. We didn’t stay here but we did eat at the Braurestaurant IMLAUER twice and it was awesome (get the roast pork!).
• What else to do: Go up the Hohensalzburg Fortress, explore Mirabell Palace and check out more of the gorgeous views in Salzburg!

Not only is Salzburg my favourite of the cities I’ve visited in Austria, but it was also my favourite stop on our European Christmas market road trip! The city is beautiful – charming while still being big enough to explore – and the markets offered a little something extra.

The main Christmas markets in Salzburg, Salzburg Christkindlmarkt on Dom- and Residenzplatz Square, are located in the Old Town. They’re open from Nov 19, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.

We learned from our mistake in Vienna and headed out to the Salzburg markets before noon on a weekday. The crowds were so small and it really felt like we had some areas all to ourselves.

My favourite markets were the tiny ones tucked into the alleyways of Salzburg’s Old Town. They were like secret little Christmas fairytales!

And they had everything a Christmas market should have: gorgeous decor, a manageable number of stalls with handcrafted products, Christmas carols and nice smelling gluhwein.

There was even an adorable shopkeeper telling us how her husband carves the wooden ornaments back in their small town.

Once you’ve had your fill of the little side markets, make your way to Domplatz and Residenzplatz for the main Christmas markets. I was expecting these to be busy but the crowds were nothing compared to the ones we dealt with in Vienna.

We got to visit all of the stalls, grabbed lunch and even found a free table to sit at. After that we simply enjoyed the ambiance, Christmas music and skaters on the ice rink.

We also visited the Christmas market at Mirabell Palace at night, which was nice to see all lit up. It reminded me a lot of our local market in Prague at Namesti Miru – beautiful, small and not too crowded.

We didn’t make it up to the Advent Market at the Hohensalzburg Fortress, but just those views alone would make it worth it! They also have activities for kids, like crafts, baking, reading and games.

PS: Have you heard of the Krampus Run? It’s hard to explain, but imagine a group of horned half-goat, half-devils running through town and swatting spectators…and that’s just a normal part of Christmas!

If you’re intrigued (or terrified), Salzburg hosts a Krampus Run every year. Join in on Dec 5, 2026!

Stop 4: Munich

• Getting there: 1.5 hour drive or 2 hour train ride from Salzburg.
• Where to stay: We stayed at BOLD Hotel München Giesing and really enjoyed it! The hotel was very cool with thoughtful touches, though outside of the city centre. If you want to stay closer to the action and in a really stylish and well-rated place, check out Hotel Deutsche Eiche.
• What else to do: We visited Munich in the summer and enjoyed a walking tour of the Old Town and learning more at the nearby concentration camp, Dachau. Of course, another great time to visit Munich is Oktoberfest!

From Salzburg, you’ll head into the third and final country of our European Christmas market trip, Germany. Germany is famous for having some of the biggest, best and most beautiful Christmas markets in Europe, so we’re ending this trip with a bang!

After checking into our hotel, we headed to Munich’s main Christmas market at Marienplatz (open Nov 20 – Dec 24, 2026). It was cool to see Marienplatz all lit up for Christmas with a giant tree and street after street of booths.

It seemed like the markets here focused more on German Christmas Market food than products. Every second booth was selling food or drink.

Of the stalls that weren’t selling food, many were selling figurines for the nativity scene, like tiny sheep, hay bales, wise men, etc. The tiny figurines were so cute and so plentiful that Colin and I wondered if we should take up a new hobby of creating our own manger scenes!

Sadly, since we were only in Munich for one night, we only had time for the one main Christmas Market. We missed out on some of Munich’s other markets, like the Christmas Village at Munich Residenz, Medieval Market and Pink Christmas Market.

I really liked the vibe at Munich’s Christmas markets and wish we had been able to stay longer. Unlike Vienna, Munich’s crowds felt much more manageable with the market stalls were nicely spread out.

Pit stop: Ingolstadt

• Getting there: 1 hour drive or 50 min train from Munich
• Where to stay: You could spend a couple of hours in Ingolstadt and continue onto Nuremberg for the night. But if you want to extend your stay, I’d prioritize staying right in the centre of town. Hotel Rappensberger is well-located and well-rated (though a little old looking) or try Maritim Hotel Ingolstadt if you want to splurge on something more modern and comfortable.
• What else to do: We only had a short time in this little town, but check out this YouTube video for some more inspiration on what to see and do.

While the drive from Munich to Nuremberg isn’t long enough to need a pit stop, we decided to make one anyway. One of the best parts of our European Christmas Market road trip was having the freedom to pull off the road whenever we wanted to discover something new.

Ingolstadt is a small Bavarian town halfway between Munich and Nuremberg. And the Ingolstadt Christmas Market (open Nov 20 – Dec 22, 2026) actually goes all the way back to 1570, making it one of the oldest Christmas markets in the world.

If we were to do our road trip again, I would try to choose more small town stops. I love the small town Christmas Markets because they’re rarely crowded, super unique and charming, and a manageable size.

I wish we had spent more time in Ingolstadt to properly browse their Christmas Market, try out their ice rink, grab a warm drink, and do a quick shopping spree in the city centre.

But the small bit of Ingolstadt’s Christmas we did get to experience was wonderful!

Stop 5: Nuremberg

• Getting there: 1 hour drive or 30 min train from Ingolstadt. Or if you didn’t stop at Ingolstadt, Nurmerbeg is a 2 hour drive or 75 min train ride from Munich.
• Where to stay: We stayed at NH Collection Nürnberg City and I’d highly recommend it. It’s right next to the train station and a 10 min walk to the Christmas markets. Plus it’s modern, spacious and very clean!
• What else to do: There’s so much to do in Nuremberg! We had visited earlier in the fall and really loved the medieval streets, rich history and nearby day trips.

Congrats, you’ve made it to the final stop on our Christmas market tour. And we’ve saved the best for last because Nuremberg is one of the oldest and largest Christmas markets in the world!

The Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt (open Nov 27 – Dec 24, 2026) takes over the Old Town of Nuremberg. And being such a popular market, it’s understandably very crowded. Smartly, we decided to leave Ellie back at the hotel this time!

It was fun to walk up and down the streets of stalls. There were tons of people out shopping but also lots of groups just standing around and sipping on mulled wine.

I really liked this hang-out atmosphere at the Nuremberg Christmas market. It made the market feel a lot more friendly and local!

We didn’t try to get to every stall, but we did our best to explore as much as possible. We also picked up a final gnome for our collection – we had bought a gnome in Vienna and then at every market after that.

Once we got our gnome, and Colin got his Nuremberg sausages, we headed to LêBar, an awesome Indian restaurant. They have an incredible atmosphere, playlist and butter chicken, so I highly recommend visiting.

Ending your Christmas market road trip

Sadly, we’ve reached the end of your Christmas market road trip through Czechia, Austria and Germany.

From Nuremberg, you can return to Prague (3 hour drive) to return your rental car and catch your flight onward/home. You can also take the train back to Prague (4.5 hours with one connection) if you didn’t drive.

Or if you don’t need to return to Prague, you can start your onward journey from Nuremberg. The closest major airports to Nuremberg are in Munich, Stuttgart and Frankfurt, all reachable within two hours from Nurermberg by train.

Or if you want to continue having more festive fun in Europe, check out these suggestions for more Christmas market cities to visit:

• England: Visit London at Christmas like we did in 2025. Or the small town of Lincoln for something more local.
• Eastern Europe: Christmas in Krakow, anyone? What about Riga, Latvia? We loved our time in Budapest and would love to visit the Budapest Christmas Markets.
• Germany: From Nuremberg, you’re close enough to visit the markets in Dresden or Berlin. Hamburg Christmas Markets look awesome – especially Hamburg’s R rated market! And, of course, visit the famous Cologne Christmas Markets – more tips in this Cologne Christmas Market guide. Don’t forget about Aachen!
• Belgium: Pop over to Brussels, see Christmas Markets in Antwerp or visit my favourite Belgian city, Ghent.
• Italy & France: You could also head south for Christmas in Italy, or visit Colmar, one of France’s famous Christmas towns.

12 tips for your European Christmas Market Road Trip

If you’re planning your own European Christmas Market road trip, here are my top tips:

Before you go 

1) Check hotel fees. This goes for any kind of trip, but things like parking fees, pet fees and breakfast can add up quickly. Make sure your “great deal hotel” isn’t actually going to cost you double once all the extra fees are added in.

2) Check the location of your hotel in relation to the Christmas Markets. Ideally, you want to be able to park at the hotel and then just walk to the markets or take an easy transit route.

3) If you’re driving, check gas prices ahead of time. We learned that Austria and the Czech Republic have cheaper gas prices than Germany, so we strategically filled up before and after entering Germany.

4) Download music, audiobooks or podcasts for the drive. We forgot to do this so the first two hours of our drive to Brno were spent furiously trying to find a station that played any English song we could stand, before inevitably losing the station to static as we drove farther from Prague.

5) Stay a couple of nights. If you can afford it, stay at least two nights in each main stop. That gives you enough time to explore the markets and do other sightseeing in the city.

6) Plan to visit smaller Christmas Markets too. I really loved the market we stumbled upon in Ingolstadt and wish we had put more small towns on our itinerary. These markets are often smaller, more unique and less crowded. Give them a try!

While you’re there 

7) Don’t bring your dog! I’m a huge fan of travelling with a dog, but if you’re headed to a big Christmas Market at peak time, please leave your dog back at the hotel. It’s super stressful, for you and your pup, and takes away from the experience.

8) Decide when you want to see the markets – day or night? During the day, the markets will be less crowded and you’ll be able to see more. But at night, they light up and the festive mood is in full swing. I like both, so would recommend mixing it up along your trip.

9) Plan to pay to pee. With all the gluhwein they’re serving, Christmas Markets know better than to leave you stranded without a bathroom. Surprisingly, the bathrooms we went to at the markets were all very clean.

Be sure to carry change with you as most public bathrooms are pay-to-use (some do accept credit cards).

10) Are you keeping the cup? Gluhwein is usually served in a souvenir mug, with each market having their own unique mug that’s different each year. You pay a deposit when you buy your gluhwein which you can either forfeit if you want to bring home the cup or get back when you return your cup.

I think the gluhwein mugs make very cute souvenirs and are usually much cheaper than buying a mug in a tourist store would be. That being said, it can get heavy if you’re collecting mugs at every market!

11) Food options may be limited (especially if you don’t enjoy the local cuisine). Germany seemed to have more options than Austria, but it still wasn’t extensive. If you’re not into sausages, sandwiches, pretzels or other bread/meat combos, prepare to have your meals outside of the markets.

Speaking of, keep in mind that many grocery stores are not open on Sundays in Austria and Germany. So if you were planning to buy some road trip snacks, make sure you look at opening hours first.

12) Take a break from Christmas markets. I know the whole point of this road trip is to visit Christmas markets but trust me, you’ll want to give yourself a break.

Christmas markets can get very repetitive – the same songs, the same food, the same products, the same decor and the same big crowds. And it can be tiring if you’re cold, squished or out of spending money.

Wrapping up my European Christmas market road trip

Looking back at this road trip all these years later has me nostalgic for all of the magic of Christmas in Europe. And after experiencing London at Christmas in 2025, I’m even more desperate to get back and enjoy it all again!

Though, if I’m being perfectly honest, I definitely got a little burnt out on Christmas markets during this road trip. The big crowds and similar stalls started to drain on me.

My favourite parts of this road trip were the small markets – the alleys we stumbled upon in Salzburg, our local market in Prague, or the small towns in Bavaria. I also loved all of the non-traditional Christmas things we did, like having awesome Korean food in Vienna!

So if I were to leave you with any advice, it would be to go and experience all of the joy of Christmas in Europe. Shop at the markets, sip the gluhwein, listen to the carols and take so, so many photos.

But then take a step back. Remember that this incredible city or town you’re in is more than a dozen crowded market stalls. Go off and explore something completely unrelated to the popular Christmas markets.

I’m never going to tell you to skip the popular thing, because it’s usually popular for a reason. But I love the idea of mixing the bucket list item with something you stumble upon, inspiring you to book a trip back to Europe next Christmas (or even sooner!).

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