Guide to Eastern Europe Christmas Markets

Bratislava Christmas Market, Slovak Republic

End Nov - Dec 24

This venue is found on the old town squares in the heart of Bratislava. The market is truly fantastic for those keen on traditional local foods. More than 40 stalls sell mouthwatering savoury snacks such as goose pastries, Christmas cabbage soup with home made sausage, bread with lard and onion, grilled fish, sausages, pork and chicken. Sweet treats include waffles, honey cakes, ginger biscuits, local potted honey and warmed honey wine. Live carp are also sold on the market just before Christmas. For the gifts list there are all kinds of candles, wooden toys, carved figurines, leather goods, pottery, crystal, glassware and porcelain. Also look out for traditional Slovak carol singers and accordeon players and daily performances by local choirs.
After Christmas, the Bratislava New Year celebrations carry on with street parties and midnight fireworks over the Danube, accompanied by music from local bands.

Budapest Christmas Market, Hungary

	1 Dec - 24 Dec
Held on the attractive Vörösmarty square, this Christmas fair is fast growing in popularity with foreign visitors. Only craftspeople selling top quality items are permitted by the Hungarian Society of Folk Arts. Around 100 stalls sell quality glassware, porcelain, ceramics, jewellery, soaps, woollens, dried flowers, wooden toys, leather goods. Street foods include spicy fried sausages (kolbasz), oven-baked lángos (large dough pastries), biscuits and honey cake. For drinks there is the usual hot wine or Hungarian pálinka (fruit brandy). A popular attraction is the floating illuminated Christmas tree on the local lake. Cultural events include puppet theatres, Hungarian folk music and dance, Christmas brass band concerts. Children can meet a real Santa Claus from Finland in early December, try their hand at making decorations and skate on the outdoor skating rink. From 21st-23rd December a live Nativity scene will be enacted on the square with a life size crib and real animals.

Krakow Christmas Market, Poland

	End Nov - end Jan
Krakow should be considered as a place for those wanting to enjoy a white Christmas. Wooden Christmas stalls are set up in Rynek Glowny square in the historic Old Town. An array of hearty Polish foods, sweets, mulled wine, hand-painted glass decorations and more are on offer. Entertainment includes shows, Polish folk dances and carol concerts, or attend a midnight Shepherds Mass in one of the local churches. Krakow is famed for its 'szopka', large and very ornate hand-made Christmas cribs used for staging traditional nativity puppet plays. A number of these extraordinary portable theatres can be admired in the City of Krakow Historical Museum and in local churches throughout the Christmas season. Krakow's celebrations carry on well into the New Year, when revellers party and dance in the city's squares, clubs, cafes and restaurants.

Prague Christmas Markets, Poland

	4th Saturday before Christmas - early Jan
Prague's busiest markets are surrounded by the magnificent architecture of the main Old Town Square (Staromestské námestí) and Wenceslas Square. The centrepiece is a huge blazing Christmas tree and large wooden nativity stable. Up to 80 decorated wooden huts sell crafts like Czech glass and crystal, wooden toys, scented candles, ceramics, bead jewellery. Wooden or plaster puppets and marionettes are another Czech speciality. There are freshly made hot sausages, roast corn cobs and sweet treats, washed down with beer, mulled wine or medovina (warmed honey wine). For children there are cuddly sheep, goats and pony rides in the mini zoo. Musical highlights are the choirs, Christmas concerts and singing schoolchildren dressed in traditional Czech costumes. On December 24, a Midnight Mass is held on Old Town Square, followed a week later by lavish open air New Year's Eve Celebrations.

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