Christmas markets of the Greater Region

Luxembourg sits at the meeting point of the German, French and Belgian Christmas market traditions, which means that within two hours of the capital you can reach several of the best in Europe and a few of the most crowded. The season runs from late November to the days before Christmas, most of it is reachable by train, and the difference between a good visit and a miserable one is almost entirely a matter of which day you go.

Luxembourg City

The capital's Winterlights programme spreads markets across several squares rather than concentrating them in one.

• Place d'Armes is the main market, with chalets, food and the central atmosphere.
• Place de la Constitution carries the big wheel and the view over the Pétrusse valley, which is the best photograph of the season.
• Place Guillaume II and the Place de Paris in the Gare district run their own smaller markets.
• The whole thing is walkable and connected by the tram, and it is free to move between them.

Weekday evenings are considerably better than Saturdays. The city fills at weekends with visitors from across the borders, and the Place d'Armes in particular becomes difficult after six on a Saturday.

Trier

Fifty minutes by train, and the best combination of market and setting within easy reach. The market occupies the Hauptmarkt and the area around the cathedral, in a genuinely medieval square, and the scale is manageable rather than overwhelming.

This is the one to do if you want a German market without a long journey. The Glühwein is better, the food is better and the prices are lower than in Luxembourg. Go on a weekday afternoon and take the train back.

Metz

An hour by train, and larger than Trier, spread across several squares with a Ferris wheel and a good deal of Lorraine food. The French approach differs from the German: more emphasis on food and produce, less on the wooden chalet aesthetic.

The cathedral illuminated at night is worth the visit on its own, and the combination of the market and the glass is the reason to go in December rather than another month.

The bigger ones, further out

Strasbourg

The self-styled capital of Christmas, and the oldest market in France, with an enormous tree in the Place Kléber and markets throughout the old town. It is roughly two hours from Luxembourg by road or rail with a connection.

It is spectacular and it is extremely crowded. Go midweek, go early, and expect security arrangements at the entrances to the island.

Cologne

Around three hours, with several distinct markets, the largest at the foot of the cathedral. It is the full German experience at scale, and it is the best of the ones far enough away to require an overnight.

Aachen

Around two and a half hours, smaller than Cologne and set around the cathedral and town hall, with a strong reputation and the Printen gingerbread the city is known for. A good compromise between scale and manageability.

Brussels

Around three hours by train, with the Winter Wonders market spread across the centre, an ice rink and a light show on the Grand Place. Different in character from the German markets and worth it for the city as much as the market.

How to do it well

• Go on a weekday. This is the single piece of advice that matters. Saturday afternoons at any of these are an exercise in crowd management.
• Go early in the season. Late November and the first week of December are markedly calmer than the ten days before Christmas.
• Take the train. Parking at all of these is difficult in December and the Glühwein makes driving a poor idea.
• Check the closing dates. Some markets finish before Christmas Eve and some continue into the new year.
• Dress properly. Standing outdoors in the Greater Region in December is colder than it looks from a photograph.
• Carry cash. Many stalls take cards now and not all of them.
• Deposits on mugs are standard, and returning them is how you get the deposit back.

A workable plan for the season

• Late November: Luxembourg City on a weekday evening, when it opens and before the crowds.
• Early December: Trier on a weekday, by train, half a day.
• Mid December: Metz on a Saturday morning, with the market and lunch.
• One weekend: an overnight in Strasbourg, Aachen or Cologne, booked well in advance because accommodation prices rise sharply.

With children

Christmas markets are made for children and are also cold, crowded and full of things to buy. The practical approach is short visits rather than long ones, early rather than late, and one clear treat agreed in advance.

The big wheel at the Place de la Constitution in Luxembourg and the ice rinks at several markets are the reliable hits. Pushchairs are difficult in dense crowds, so a carrier is easier for small children.

What to actually eat and drink

The food is a large part of why these markets are worth the journey, and it differs by country in ways worth knowing.

• Glühwein in Germany, mulled red wine, served in a deposit mug. The white version and the version with a shot in it both exist and are both worth asking for.
• Vin chaud in France, similar in principle and generally sweeter.
• Feuerzangenbowle, where a sugar loaf soaked in rum is set alight over the wine, is a spectacle as much as a drink.
• Flammkuchen and tartes flambées, thin, hot and the best value on any market.
• Bratwurst and Reibekuchen, the German staples, the latter being fried potato cakes with apple sauce.
• Printen in Aachen, spiced gingerbread that is a serious local product rather than a souvenir.
• Luxembourg's own Gromperekichelcher, potato fritters, which appear at every winter event in the country and are excellent.

Eat standing up and early. The queues after six are the difference between a pleasant evening and a cold one.

Three questions we are asked about the markets

Which is the best one near Luxembourg?

Trier, for the balance of quality, setting, price and journey time. Luxembourg City's own is genuinely good and has the advantage of being at home. Metz is the best of the French options within an hour.

Is Strasbourg worth the journey?

Once, yes, for the scale and the old town. It is a long day or a short overnight, and it is busy in a way that the closer markets are not. Book accommodation early if you stay.

When do they open and close?

Most run from around the third week of November to shortly before or after Christmas, with variation by city and year. Confirm the dates for the specific market before travelling, since a market that closed on 23 December is a wasted journey on the 27th.

Why we write these

December is when Luxembourg is at its best and when new arrivals decide whether they like living here. Being an hour from Trier and Metz is a large part of the answer.

When comparing two options on a workable plan for the season, avoid scoring them only on the feature named in the title. For the question raised by “A workable plan for the season”, the useful detail is not a generic list of advantages.

For what to actually eat and drink, note what you can see, what you can measure, what you need to ask and what would be expensive to change. For the question raised by “A workable plan for the season”, the useful detail is not a generic list of advantages.

A stronger reading of a workable plan for the season starts by asking what would change for the resident on an ordinary weekday.