Only 1 hour 40 minutes’ flying time from London, Salzburg in Austria is an ideal quick-getaway destination for a short break at any time of year. Mum and I chose a weekend in Salzburg for our annual Christmas Market pilgrimage. We discovered this beautiful, riverside city has a wonderfully, festive atmosphere.
Mum and I have visited a European Christmas market every year for the last 12 years or so. Having become somewhat something of a Christmas Market connoisseur, I’ve put together my guide to the Top 5 Christmas Markets in Europe.
While a lot of people think visiting Christmas Markets is all about shopping, for me it’s the food and drink that draws me in. Every one of these markets has the evocative smell of mulled wine wafting through the air. Depending on the location, this often mingles with the scent of hot sausages, roasting chestnuts or melted cheese. Over the years, we have worked our way through countless mugs of glühwein, along with hot chocolate mit rum, bratwurst, waffles, gulaschsuppe, crêpes, raclette, tartiflette and, one of my favourites so far, hot wood-smoked salmon.