Sparkling lights, steaming mugs of mulled wine, roast chestnuts and Mariah Carey on repeat – nothing gives you the festive feels more than wandering around a traditional Christmas market.
Wooden stalls selling handmade decorations, marshmallow-topped hot chocolate and mulled wine seem to pop up overnight in city streets, town squares and village greens as soon as Halloween and Bonfire Night are over.
Perfect for festive outings with family and friends, the most atmospheric take their inspiration from Germany where Weihnachtsmärkte - literally ‘Christmas markets’ – began in the late Middle Ages.
This season, the scent of spiced gingerbread and glühwein will fill thousands of towns and cities across Europe. My favourite is in Nuremberg where teenagers dress as angels, there’s a huge nativity scene in a thatched wooden hut outside the gothic Frauenkirche and hot wine is served in collectable ceramic mugs.
The best markets in both Europe and the UK are free to wander around and can be combined with illuminated light trails, ice skating rinks, fairgrounds and a visit to Santa for a very merry weekend break. Here are 8 of the best UK Christmas markets for 2026 . . .
1. Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market
WHEN: 5 November - 24 December
BEST FOR: The largest authentic German Christmas market outside Germany brings bratwurst, pretzels, glühwein, Jagermeister shots and German beer to Victoria Square and New Street. There’s live music, a singing moose (called ‘Chris Moose’ of course), German entertainers and a vintage carousel, as well as over 80 wooden stalls and a giant fir tree. Birmingham is twinned with Frankfurt, which has a Christmas market dating back to 1393.
STAY: The Grand Hotel Birmingham (double rooms from £105 a night), has welcomed everyone from the Beatles, to Winston Churchill. This Grade II listed, building was closed for 20 years until a £45 million restoration project transformed it into the most glamorous address in town - Tom Cruise stayed there when filming Mission Impossible 7. It overlooks St Philip's Cathedral and is a four-minute walk from the Frankfurt Christmas Market in Victoria Square.
2. York Christmas Market
WHEN: 12 November – 21 December, except Tuesdays
BEST FOR: Ye Olde Christmas spirit. Often called Britain’s most festive city, York’s medieval streets, timber-framed buildings and famous Shambles – believed to have inspired Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley – look magical in the run-up to Christmas. You can even join Santa on a festive sailing along the River Ouse with City Cruises York. The city’s award-winning market, also known as St Nicholas Fair, lines Parliament Street and St Sampson’s Square in the centre. It’s a great place to pick up unique local gifts, with more than 80 per cent of the artisan traders coming from Yorkshire.
When the Christmas crowds get too much, head to York Minster, where soaring stained-glass windows and candlelit services provide a moment of calm amongst the chaos. Don’t miss the Christmas Tree Festival inside, with more than 60 individually decorated trees displayed in the Nave, Chapter House and Lady Chapel.
STAY: Hotel Indigo York by IHG (double rooms from £149 a night, including breakfast) occupies one of the city’s oldest streets in the historic Walmgate neighbourhood, just inside the city walls. Individually designed rooms take inspiration from the city’s chocolate-making heritage, while Pasta Evangelists supply the restaurant. The is a 10-minute walk away.
3. Edinburgh Christmas Market
WHEN: 14 November – 3 January 2027
BEST FOR: Wassailing and the chance of snow. The setting is enchanting: think light shows on Edinburgh Castle, carols played by bagpipes, fairground thrills and a Christmas tree maze. Enjoy Rudolf’s red-nosed view of the market in East Princes Street Gardens by riding the LNER Big Wheel or the Around the World Starflyer and indulge in a hot toddy while shopping for tartan scarves, Fair Isle knitwear, tweed clothing and whisky-flavoured fudge. George Street is home to the Edinburgh Christmas Ice Rink and the Polar Ice Bar while at Santa’s Stories in St Andrew Square, children can send letters to the North Pole. Stay until New Year for Edinburgh’s famous Hogmanay celebrations (and a massive hangover).
STAY: You’ll find the five-star Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, (double rooms from £250 a night), in the historic India Buildings on Victoria Street just steps from the Royal Mile and a 10-minute walk from the market. Book the new attic suite, Spellbound (from £1,200 a night)), with its hand-painted murals and views of the Old Town.
4. Bath Christmas Market
Parade Hotel Bath
WHEN: 26 November – 13 December
BEST FOR: Seasonal romance with a Bridgerton vibe. If Christmas markets were judged on looks alone, Bath would be hard to beat. More than 200 chalets wind through the city's elegant Georgian streets, transforming it into a winter wonderland with honey-coloured Bath Abbey as a backdrop. Wandering around this UNESCO World Heritage city, you can imagine Jane Austen enjoying Christmas with her family here in the early 1900s, shopping for Regency-era gifts such as quills, silk ribbons and festive Sally Lunn buns (you can still buy them there today). You’ll find over 250 fairy-lit stalls along Abbeygate and Milsom streets along with carol singers and brass bands. End your day floating in the rooftop pool at Thermae Bath Spa (thermaebathspa.com) while admiring the lights twinkling below.
STAY: At the newly opened Parade Hotel Bath (double rooms from £150 per night, including breakfast), moments from the market on North Parade. William Wordsworth stayed in the original building in 1841, to enjoy the views of Bath Abbey, Parade Gardens and the River Avon.
5. Cardiff Christmas Market
WHEN: 12 November – 23 December
BEST FOR: Handmade Celtic gifts. Say ‘nadolig llawen’ to fellow shoppers in the biggest Christmas market in Wales. The pedestrianised city centre is packed with more than 70 stalls selling Welsh-made silver Celtic jewellery, hand-thrown ceramics, fused glass, hand-stitched red dragons, and intricately carved wooden love spoons (not as naughty as they sound).
There’s an ice rink and Giant Ferris wheel in Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland, atmospheric Edwardian shopping arcades and a new Victorian Christmas experience on Queen Street from 12-15 November.
STAY: At the five-star Voco St David’s (double rooms from around £84 a night), on Cardiff Bay, with 142 bedrooms and suites that have floor-to-ceiling windows and waterside views. Book a spa treatment after carrying all those shopping bags back from the market – it’s a 20-minute walk away.
6. Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market
WHEN: 20 November – 22 December
BEST FOR: Carol singing. This atmospheric market, considered one of Europe’s best, takes place in the shadow of Winchester’s ancient cathedral. Inner Close is home to more than 100 German-style wooden chalets selling sweet treats, hog roasts and pigs in blankets, as well as quirky gifts and decorations. Inside Winchester Cathedral you’ll find festive workshops, carol singing and candlelight concerts.
STAY: The first ever Hotel du Vin (double rooms from £118 a night) opened in Winchester in 1994 and the red-brick Georgian townhouse on Southgate Street is still one of the best addresses in the city. It’s so close to the cathedral you can hear the bells pealing, plus there’s bistro dining and a great wine list, obvs.
7. Winter by the River, London
The Winter Lodge Fondue.
WHEN: 13 November - 4 January 2027
BEST FOR: Market crawls and West End shopping. There are Christmas pop ups all over the capital, from Leicester Square to Covent Garden and King’s Cross, but my favourite stretches along the Thames from London Bridge City. With festive cabins, warming drinks and stunning views of Tower Bridge, you can challenge friends and family to a curling match, then celebrate a win in the apres-ski-themed Aperol bar. Elsewhere, you’ll find a 70m giant wheel, rollercoasters, ice sculpting workshops, ice slides, an ice bar, Santa’s grotto and Neverland-themed Magical Ice Kingdom at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland (19 November – 3 January 2027), as well as a Bavarian village with oompah bands and every kind of sausage you can think of. And for the best festive food in the country (think Colston Bassett stilton from Neal’s Yard Dairy and slow-matured Christmas puddings from McLaren's) don’t miss Borough Market.
STAY: Red Carnation Hotels has six London properties that go all-out with festive decorations – think trees laden with red baubles and velvet bows. The Montague On The Gardens in Bloomsbury (double rooms from £325 a night) has a ski-lodge themed bar; The Chesterfield Mayfair (double rooms from £335 a night) is closest to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and has a Winter Wonderland afternoon tea; while, The Egerton House Hotel in Knightsbridge (double rooms from £505 a night) runs festive martini masterclasses.
8. Manchester Christmas Markets
WHEN: 6 November – 22 December
BEST FOR: The two Noels – Christmas and Gallagher. Go mad for Manchester’s celebrations, which feature 210 stalls spread around the city centre, including Albert Square (home to a 50m tall ferris wheel and a helter-skelter), Cathedral Gardens (for an ice rink), the Corn Exchange, King Street, St Ann’s Square, and Lincoln Square. Elves will give out gifts during the Christmas Parade on 6 December and there are plans for a pop-up pub outside Manchester Town Hall and the return of ‘Zippy Santa’, a light installation that looks more like the character from Rainbow than a man in a red suit.
STAY: The quirky Treehouse Hotel Manchester (double rooms from £199 a night), has whimsical decorations such as cuckoo clocks and patchwork quilts, nine new premium suites on the 11th and 12th floors, fab views over the city and is a five-minute walk from the main Christmas markets.