Christmas Markets Are Changing, and I Like It

When you think of a Christmas market break, you probably picture mulled wine, wooden stalls, Christmas lights and a couple of nights in Prague, Vienna or Budapest.

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But I think Christmas market breaks can be much more interesting than simply choosing a city because it has a good market.

Start with what else you can do

This is what I look at first.

What else is happening in the city while you're there?

Could you combine the markets with a spa afternoon?

Book a concert or show?

Have dinner somewhere really special?

Watch a football match?

Stay somewhere that makes the hotel part of the break rather than simply somewhere to sleep?

Suddenly, you're not choosing between a list of Christmas markets. You're choosing the kind of weekend you actually want.

Look beyond the obvious cities

Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Kraków are popular for good reason.

But they're not the only options.

There are Christmas markets across Europe, including cities you may never have considered for a festive break.

And this is where things get interesting for me.

Rather than starting with “Where are the best Christmas markets?”, I'd rather know who is going and what you'd enjoy doing while you're there.

Then I can look at the possibilities.

It doesn't have to be a big holiday

A few nights away before Christmas can be enough.

It could be a weekend with friends, a couple of nights away together, a birthday celebration or simply an excuse to go somewhere different before the end of the year.

And because we're looking at the whole break rather than just the market, we might find somewhere you hadn't thought to search for yourself.

That's exactly what I want to do more of at Costello Travel.

I want to show you what you didn't know was there.

If a Christmas break is on your mind, I can price this up for you.