![Stalls at Christkindlmarkt, Salzburg, Austria](https://images.suitcasemag.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/10201851/eight-nostalgic-european-christmas-markets_652e6d734c3a9.jpeg)
Salzburg, Austria
Best for: traditional trimmings
Fur-wrapped Fraus hunt down wooden decorations and drinking
horns at markets across Austria – a sure sign that the country’s
Christmas fairs are suitably old-school. In Salzburg, the Christkindlmarkt (17 November – 1 January) in
Cathedral Square and Residenze Square keeps things nostalgic.
Follow the nutty scent of toasted almonds dancing through the crisp
winter air to find a festive market arranged beneath strings of
twinkling bulbs, selling hand-knitted socks, sweetly scented
incense and intricate tealight lanterns. The Austrian snack of
choice? A freshly baked apple. Grab one, then head to the cathedral
for 5pm sharp to hear a daily outdoor concert – it might be choral
singing one day; traditional wind instruments the next. On
Tuesdays, a weekly carol singalong commences at dusk.