If you haven’t travelled abroad for a Christmas market, you should definitely add it to your bucket list
ECHO reporter Jess Molyneux in Salzburg(Image: Jess Molyneux)
While we’re only at the start of autumn and Halloween hasn’t come along just yet – many of us will already be thinking ahead to Christmas and all the festivities ahead. This year, the 2025 Liverpool Christmas Market is set to return in November, making its comeback to St George’s Plateau for 2025.
The annual market draws in thousands of visitors each year, and with the event running until Christmas Eve, shoppers have plenty of time to visit and soak up the atmosphere. But if you’re a lover of all things Christmas like me, you may want to consider venturing out a bit further and consider visiting a Christmas market abroad.
While many people opt to use much of their annual leave on a summer holiday, I definitely prefer the winter and choose to take mine during the most wonderful time of the year, to experience all things festive in a different European city. From the traditional markets to mulled wine in souvenir mugs and a chance of seeing a beautiful city covered in snow – you honestly can’t beat it.
In recent years, I’ve made the trip to Budapest, Cologne and Frankfurt in late November and early December. But if you wanting to make the most of your time off, you could easily double up and visit two cities in two countries like I did on one of my favourite trips with the girls.
Christmas markets have long been a tradition in the likes of Germany and Austria – so when it came to choosing our next trip, myself, my sister and our three best friends wanted to add Munich and Salzburg to our bucket list. At the time, we flew from Manchester to Munich, but you could also do our itinerary in reverse as you can fly from Liverpool to Salzburg from Liverpool John Lennon Airport in around two hours.
ECHO reporter Jess Molyneux visited Salzburg for the Christmas markets with her friends(Image: Jess Molyneux)
When we landed in Munich, we immediately went to the train station beneath the airport and made the journey to Salzburg. Around an hour and a half by train, it made sense for us to head to the city we weren’t flying from first to make things less complicated – so you could do the same in reverse also.
Austria is one of the most scenic destinations in the world and in the winter, Salzburg is definitely like something out of a Christmas card. Located on the border of Germany, with stunning views of the Eastern Alps, there is so much to see and do – and so many Christmas markets.
The Makartsteg bridge(Image: Jess Molyneux)
Famous for being the birthplace of Mozart, fans will also know it to be the classic setting for film The Sound of Music. We stayed not too far from Salzburg Hbf main station and when we arrived, it had already been snowing and thin, white sheet was laid across the city.
To get to the many markets, we headed to the Makartsteg, a modern pedestrian and cyclist bridge known as the “love lock bridge.” At the time, it was glistening with Christmas lights and when we travelled over it, we were immediately met with mini markets full of everything from hand-crafted decorations to candles, glass ornaments and more.
Salzburg had many markets(Image: Jess Molyneux)
Out of all the Christmas markets I have visited, I’d say that Salzburg is less commercial, celebrating traditional advent and having their own traditions like Krampus. The historic Salzburg Christmas market on Domplatz and Residenzplatz are the main attractions and have a long history as one of the oldest and most beautiful advent markets in the world.
You could spend hours just going around all the markets, drinking mulled wine and hot chocolates and indulging in everything from giant pretzels to goulash, chocolate covered marshmallows and more. But there is obviously so much to see and do in the city itself and in December if it snows and there are decorations brightening up the city, it just makes it that much more magical.
Mirabellgarten in the snow(Image: Jess Molyneux)
If you love The Sound of Music, you should definitely head to Mirabellgarten where Maria and the children sang Do-Re-Mi. But my favourite landmark in the city had to be Hohensalzburg Fortress, a large medieval fortress boasting incredible views across the city and out into the mountains.
We spent two nights in Salzburg and three nights in Munich – and we loved both cities for very different reasons. Bavaria’s capital, Munich is often famed for its incredible Oktoberfest.
But you shouldn’t count it out for Christmas either. We got the train back but to a more central station near our hotel and when we arrived, we were met with what I can only described as the thickest snow that we’d only ever seen in the classic festive films, covering Muncih’s famous cobbled streets.
Munich in the snow(Image: Jess Molyneux)
The main Christmas market in Munich is the Münchner Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz – the city’s largest and oldest Christmas market. When we arrived later in the evening, we weren’t only met with a beautiful market, but carol singers performing to the crowds from the New Town Hall.
Germany is renowned for its Christmas markets – and Munich was no exception. And with so many staples and local dishes, I don’t think I’ve ever ate so much in my life.
A must try is the Currywurst, sausage on it’s own or in a bun with curry ketchup. And if you’re looking for a sweet treat, you can’t go wrong with Stollen – a fruit bread of nits and spices that’s the perfect gift to bring back home.
The currywurst is a must try(Image: Jess Molyneux)
Whenever I go abroad, I love to get to a viewpoint to take incredible aerial views of then city, and we did just that above the market from St Peter’s Church. Steep and tight, it’s not for the faint-hearted, so I would recommend going on a weekday and avoid busy times.
There is so much to see and do in Munich and we couldn’t not have a stein beer Hofbräuhaus München. The beer hall famously saw Hitler co-found the Nazi party there, but today, it is the perfect place to immerse yourself in Bavarian culture.
If I’m being totally honest, we spent more time going around the markets and trying out the many bars. But if you’re lucky enough to experience snow in Munich, you should head to Hofgarten, the court garden in Munich.
No doubt beautiful in all weather – when we arrived, everybody was taking photos jumping in the snow. And we couldn’t not do the same.
Jess outside Hofbräuhaus München(Image: Jess Molyneux)
For four days annual leave, we got to visit two incredible cities in two incredible countries and really got into the Christmas spirit before we returned home for the rest of the festive period. As somebody who starts getting excited for Christmas in September and never gets bored of trying new places – and visiting thousands of tat shops to choose the perfect fridge magnet – I couldn’t recommend this type of trip enough.
This year, the five of us are recreating it in Vienna, Austria and Bratislava, Slovakia and hoping it is just as incredible as the last trip.
Flights from Liverpool to Salzburg take two hours and 10 minutes, with airline carrier easyJet. However, at the time of writing,we sadly only found one direct flight ahead of Christmas on Saturday, December 20 – so best to check if there are any more as we head closer to November and December.
Hofgarten covered in snow(Image: Jess Molyneux)
But like many from the city, it’s not too far to head to Manchester for a preferred flight time or to fly to a different city that you can’t from Liverpool. From Manchester, you can fly to both Salzburg and Munich – so there are definitely plenty of options.
But if you’re thinking of going in November – do double check when the markets start as you wouldn’t want to miss them. If you’re looking for a last minute festive trip, with friends, family or your partner, you should definitely consider doing something similar in these picturesque cities.