--- title: Eight Magical Places to Visit Before Christmas, From Valkenburg's Underground Market to Madeira's Lights description: "Valkenburg, Tallinn, Montreux, Dresden, Nuremberg, Prague, Zagreb and Madeira: eight magical Christmas trips with 2026 dates and where to stay." author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-11-05T14:00:00.044Z updated: 2026-11-06T12:42:13.885Z canonical: https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/magical-christmas-destinations-europe-2026 image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-29732298.webp categories: Destinations, Luxury Travel content_type: Feature region: Europe publication: Rich Travel Magazine schema_type: Article --- [Some Christmas trips are about the market](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/uk-christmas-markets-2026-dates). These eight are about [the moment that makes you stop](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/editor-s-letter-wish-you-were-here-and-this-winter-you-can-be): stalls glowing in caves under a Dutch hill, a sleigh crossing the sky above Lake Geneva at dusk, a hillside city in the Atlantic switching on its lights at once. None of them appeared in [our first guide to luxury escapes before Christmas](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/luxury-destinations-before-christmas-2026), which took you to Vienna, Salzburg, Venice, Zermatt and Swedish Lapland. Here they are, listed in the order their season begins. ## Valkenburg's Christmas Caves in the Netherlands In the far south of the Netherlands, a short train ride from Maastricht, the town of Valkenburg aan de Geul holds its Christmas markets inside the hill. From 13th November to 30th December 2026, stalls fill the marl galleries of two caves. The Gemeentegrot, under the Cauberg, is billed as the largest underground Christmas market in Europe. The Fluweelengrot, the Velvet Cave beneath the castle ruin, takes a North Pole theme this year. Both caves close on 25th December. Each cave needs its own timed ticket, bought online. At the Gemeentegrot, an adult ticket costs €9.30 from Monday to Thursday and €11.30 from Friday to Sunday, and weekend slots sell out first. The galleries stay cool all year, so bring a warm layer. Above ground, Christmas Town Valkenburg keeps its parade and lights going until 3rd January 2027. **Where to stay:** the Kruisherenhotel in Maastricht occupies a 15th-century Gothic monastery and church. ## Tallinn's Medieval Town Hall Square in Estonia Tallinn has raised a Christmas tree on its Town Hall Square since 1441, one of the oldest public Christmas tree traditions in Europe. From 20th November 2026 to 6th January 2027, wooden huts ring the square around the tree, with the Gothic Town Hall on one side and the merchant houses of the UNESCO-listed Old Town on the others. Stalls usually open from about 10am to 8pm, with drinks served later into the evening. Between stalls, step into the Town Hall Pharmacy on the same square. It has traded since 1422, which makes it one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe still in business. In December the light fades by mid-afternoon, so the market glows at its brightest from about 4pm. **Where to stay:** Hotel Telegraaf, in a former telegraph station a few minutes' walk from the square. ## Montreux and the Flying Father Christmas on Lake Geneva Montreux Noël runs from 20th November to 24th December 2026, with more than 170 lit chalets along the Lake Geneva promenade, through the Grand-Rue and into the covered market. The market has been held since 1995, and every evening Father Christmas flies over it in his sleigh. To see the flight from the water, book the Flying Father Christmas cruise on the Belle Époque ship Vevey, a 45-minute sail to Villeneuve and back that costs CHF 49 for adults. To visit Father Christmas at home, ride the cog railway up to his house on the Rochers-de-Naye, at 2,042 metres above the lake. Down on the shore, the Château de Chillon holds its own medieval Christmas fair. **Where to stay:** the Fairmont Le Montreux Palace has faced the lake since 1906. ## Dresden's Striezelmarkt in Germany Dresden's Striezelmarkt was first recorded in 1434, which makes it the oldest documented Christmas market in Germany. Its 592nd edition opens on the Altmarkt on 25th November 2026, when the mayor cuts the first stollen, the buttery fruit loaf Dresden has baked for Christmas for centuries, and the market runs until 24th December. More than 200 stalls sell wooden toys, candle arches and nutcrackers carved in the villages of the Ore Mountains, and above them stands the largest walkable stepped Christmas pyramid of its kind in the world, 14.61 metres tall. On the second Saturday of Advent, 5th December, the stollen festival parades a giant loaf through the old town before it is cut on the market square. **Where to stay:** the Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski, a baroque palace facing the Zwinger. ## Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt in Germany At 5.30pm on 27th November 2026, the Nuremberg Christkind, a young woman in a golden crown elected to play the Christ Child, steps onto the balcony of the Frauenkirche and opens the Christkindlesmarkt with a prologue to the crowd below. The market, first recorded in 1628, then fills the Hauptmarkt with around 180 stalls until 24th December, open daily from 10am to 9pm and until 2pm on Christmas Eve. Nuremberg keeps strict rules on what its stallholders sell, so you find handmade decorations, wooden figures and the city's spiced gingerbread rather than mass-produced gifts. Try the small grilled sausages, served three to a bread roll, and drink your mulled wine from a collectible mug, returned for a deposit. **Where to stay:** Le Méridien Grand Hotel Nuremberg, across the square from the main station. ## Prague's Old Town Square in the Czech Republic Prague's main Christmas markets on the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square run from 28th November 2026 to 6th January 2027, daily from 10am to 10pm. On the Old Town Square, the great tree stands between the Old Town Hall and the twin towers of the Týn Church, and its lights are switched on with music several times each evening. For the finest view, climb the Old Town Hall Tower and look down over the stalls and rooftops. If the main squares feel crowded, walk to the smaller markets on Republic Square, open from 25th November to 24th December, and Peace Square, where you pay less for the same mulled wine and grilled ham. **Where to stay:** the Four Seasons Hotel Prague, on the Vltava beside Charles Bridge. ## Advent in Zagreb, Croatia Advent in Zagreb is a festival across the whole city centre rather than one market. It officially opens on 28th November 2026 and runs until 7th January 2027, with stalls trading from 25th November. You move from Ban Jelačić Square, the main square, to Europski trg, through the lit avenues of Zrinjevac park and up to the Upper Town, with music, skating and food along the way. Entry is free everywhere, and last season a cup of mulled wine cost about €4, so Zagreb gives you six weeks of Advent at a fraction of the price of the big Alpine markets. Go in the late afternoon on a weekday, when the crowds are thinner. **Where to stay:** the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, opened in 1925 for passengers of the Orient Express. ## Madeira's Christmas Lights in Funchal, Portugal On 1st December 2026, as night falls, Funchal switches on the Christmas lights that cover its city centre and the hillside amphitheatre above the harbour, and they stay lit until 10th January 2027, according to the official calendar. December days in Madeira reach around 19°C to 20°C, so you can walk the lit streets in a light jacket. On 23rd December, the night before Christmas Eve, the Mercado dos Lavradores farmers' market stays open through the night for Market Night, one of the island's best-loved traditions. If you stay on, the New Year's Eve fireworks rise over the bay from 59 launch sites across the land and sea. **Where to stay:** Belmond Reid's Palace, on its clifftop above the Atlantic since 1891. ## How to Choose For the most unusual setting, go to Valkenburg's caves. For snow and medieval streets, choose Tallinn or Prague. Montreux and Dresden give you the strongest Christmas traditions, Nuremberg the finest handmade gifts and Zagreb the best value. If you would rather spend December in sunshine, Madeira gives you Christmas lights without a winter coat. Check each opening date against your free week and book soon, as the best rooms go first.