Christmas Market Tips: Everything to Know Before You Go

First time at a European Christmas market? Here's what we wish someone had told us — from paying for your mulled wine to dressing for a long evening outdoors.

Cash or card?

Card and contactless payments are now widely accepted at the big city markets, but plenty of small stalls, village markets and charity stands are still cash-only — and the mug deposit is often paid in cash. Carry some coins and small notes. Outside the eurozone you'll need local currency: Swiss francs, Czech koruna, Hungarian forint, Polish złoty, Danish, Swedish or Norwegian kroner and pounds sterling.

How does the mug deposit (Pfand) work?

Hot drinks usually come in a ceramic mug, often designed specially for that market and that year. You pay a deposit (Pfand) — typically a few euros — on top of the drink. Return the mug to any stall of the same market to get your deposit back, or keep it as a souvenir. Mugs from different markets in the same city are often not interchangeable.

What should you drink at a Christmas market?

• Glühwein — mulled red wine with cinnamon, cloves and orange; white Glühwein and fruit versions are common too. Ask for it mit Schuss for a shot of rum or amaretto.
• Punsch (Austria) — spiced fruit punch, with or without alcohol.
• Feuerzangenbowle — mulled wine with a rum-soaked sugar loaf set on fire above it.
• Gløgg / glögg / glögi (Scandinavia, Finland, Estonia) — served with raisins and almonds.
• Vin chaud (France), svařák (Czech Republic), forralt bor (Hungary), grzaniec (Poland) and kuhano vino (Croatia).
• For children and drivers: Kinderpunsch, hot chocolate and hot apple juice.

What should you eat at a European Christmas market?

• Sausages — Nuremberg Rostbratwurst, Thuringian bratwurst, Polish kiełbasa.
• Potato pancakes (Reibekuchen or Kartoffelpuffer) with apple sauce.
• Raclette and Flammkuchen in Switzerland and Alsace.
• Lebkuchen (gingerbread), Stollen, roasted almonds and chestnuts.
• Lángos and chimney cake (kürtőskalács) in Hungary; trdelník in Prague.
• Æbleskiver in Denmark, fritule in Croatia, waffles and croustillons in Belgium.

What should you buy at a Christmas market?

Look for things made locally: hand-blown glass ornaments, wooden toys and nutcrackers from the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge), candle arches, smoking men (Räuchermännchen), straw stars, beeswax candles, woollens, and edible gifts like Lebkuchen, Stollen, Basler Läckerli or Lübeck marzipan. Mass-produced gifts are common at the big markets — the smaller craft markets are usually better for handmade presents.

What should you wear to a Christmas market?

You'll be standing outside for hours, often on cobblestones, in temperatures around or below freezing. Wear warm, waterproof shoes, layers you can open when you go indoors, a hat, scarf and gloves you can use your phone with. A small cross-body bag keeps your hands free for a hot drink.

How do you avoid the crowds?

• Go on a weekday, ideally Monday to Thursday, and avoid Saturday evenings in December.
• Arrive at opening time or around dusk (about 4 pm in Central Europe) to see the market in daylight and lit up.
• Visit in the last week of November or the first week of December rather than the week before Christmas.
• Book hotels early for Strasbourg, Colmar, Nuremberg, Vienna and Prague — they fill up months ahead.

Are Christmas markets safe?

Busy markets attract pickpockets: keep valuables zipped away, especially in crowds. Bag checks and traffic barriers are normal at big markets. Toilets can be scarce — cafés and department stores nearby are your friend. Most markets are step-free, but cobbles and crowds can be hard work with a pushchair or wheelchair; weekday mornings are easiest.