The main square in Krakow, Rynek Główny, is one of the largest medieval squares on the continent and come December it’s full of red-roofed huts selling handcarved rolling pins, Polish Christmas china, fur hats and sheepskins at great prices. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, try their mulled beer, which pairs very well with some pierogies or kielbasa. And be sure to stick around for the nightly dance party in the square, which ends with a trumpeter playing a bugle call from the Basilica tower.

Vienna’s Christkindlmarkt at Rathausplatz is a postcard moment, with an ice skating rink, carousel and nativity scene under strung lights and hung garlands. But the smaller Spittelberg Market or Freyung Market are where you should head for artisan made ceramics, wooden toys and traditional folk crafts.

Strasbourg didn’t earn the title “The Capital of Christmas” for nothing. Christkindelsmärik, the oldest market in France, has drawn crowds for a dose of holiday spirit since the 1570s, and still to this day attracts several million people to the small Alsatian city each December. Of course, the food is a highlight—how about some foie gras and white wine (served hot or cold) while you browse wooden chalets full of Alsatian pottery and gingerbread?

Prague’s two biggest markets, Old Town and Wenceslas Square, are just a five minute stroll apart, so between the two you’ll surely find the perfect blown-glass ornament, and can then warm up with some trdelník (chimney cake), roasted over an open spit and rolled in cinnamon sugar.

Leipzig’s Christmas Market dates back to 1458, making it one of the oldest in Europe. A towering tree and daily choir concerts only add to the vibe as you browse stalls selling Erzgebirge wooden ornaments, hand-poured candles and tin toys. Don’t miss their medieval market tucked around St. Nicholas Church, where craftsmen in historical dress forge metalwork and carve figurines right in front of you.

Five small markets wind through the cobblestone streets of Colmar’s half-timbered old town. Between them you’ll find all sorts of Alsatian pottery, beeswax candles, nativity scenes and delicate paper-cut ornaments. After working up an appetite, grab some oysters and a glass of vin chaud, then wander along the canals in the fairytale-like old town.

In the heart of South Tyrol, Bolzano’s market has the best of German and Italian traditions, and you’ll hear both languages being spoken at the wooden stalls in the center of this town that’s the gateway to the Dolomites. Look for wool blankets and knit hats, woodcarved nativity sets and delicate glass ornaments, alongside huts selling warm apple strudel and alpine honeys.

For a very family-friendly option, you can’t beat the market in Tivoli Gardens, which was Walt Disney's original inspiration for Disneyland. Twinkling lights, an antique carousel, and stalls selling Danish knitwear, Christmas gnomes and handmade candles. Fuel up with æbleskiver (little pancake puffs dusted with sugar) and warm gløgg between rides.

Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt is the most famous in Germany, and for good reason. Rows of red-and-white striped stalls sell hand-carved ornaments and the iconic Zwetschgenmännla—little figurines made of dried plums. Warm up with a mug of glühwein and try the city’s signature gingerbread and tiny grilled sausages, known as Nürnberger Bratwurst.