{"id":558813,"date":"2025-11-09T06:36:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T06:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/558813\/"},"modified":"2025-11-09T06:36:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T06:36:23","slug":"budget-friendly-christmas-market-is-one-of-the-longest-running-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/558813\/","title":{"rendered":"Budget-friendly Christmas market is one of the longest-running in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

The massive market has been running for more than a century, and there’s plenty to see and do<\/p>\n

Natalie King<\/strong> and Ben Lyons<\/strong> Content Editor<\/p>\n

06:00, 09 Nov 2025<\/p>\n

\"TraditionalCraiova’s Christmas Market serves up traditional Romanian dishes(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n

Europe offers a vast selection of Christmas<\/a> markets, often larger and longer-lasting than those in the UK. During this season, they provide an excellent option for a weekend getaway.<\/p>\n

There’s nothing quite like enjoying a hot chocolate while strolling through a historic town adorned with Christmas lights.<\/p>\n

But with such an array of spectacular markets, how do you decide which one to visit?<\/p>\n

European travel<\/a> expert Tollwayr <\/a>recently compiled a top ten list of the best Christmas markets, featuring heavyweights like Strasbourg and Vienna. However, one market that made the cut is located in a town you might not be familiar with, and it could be an ideal choice if you’re seeking budget-friendly festive fun.<\/p>\n

Craiova in Romania, just over three hours from London Luton, offers flights on Wizz Air starting at merely \u00a368 each way. While Craiova may not ring a bell, it’s one of Romania’s largest cities and the capital of the country’s southwestern region, reports the Express<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Craiova Christmas Market is among the longest-running in Europe, opening on 15 November and continuing until 4 January, giving visitors ample time to explore its massive 280,000 square metre expanse.<\/p>\n

The market is so expansive that it’s divided into four distinct ‘worlds’, each boasting its own unique theme. One world will be inspired by Beauty and the Beast, another will be a futuristic realm named Galactic Christmas, there will be one embodying a traditional Romanian Christmas, and naturally, Santa’s Village for the essential visit to Father Christmas.<\/p>\n

You’ll also have the opportunity to take a spin on Santa’s sleigh at the funfair, savour panoramic views of the city on a Ferris wheel, or enjoy a skate on an outdoor ice rink. And of course, no Christmas market would be complete without wooden stalls, which you’ll find scattered across the city centre<\/a> selling handmade arts and crafts.<\/p>\n

Alongside the classic food stalls offering bratwurst and roasted chestnuts, keep an eye out for traditional Romanian Christmas delicacies such as cabbage rolls known as sarmale or ku\u0308rtskala\u0301cs, also referred to as spit cakes, made from sweet dough fried into a cone shape.<\/p>\n

\"Craiova'sCraiova Christmas Market has been named one of the best in Europe(Image: Getty)<\/p>\n

Craiova provides the ideal setting for a Christmas market, with its enchanting 17th-century architecture lending the centre a magical atmosphere when illuminated for the festive season. It’s worth paying a visit to the Craiova Art Museum, located in a former palace, adorned with grand chandeliers and gold stucco trimmings.<\/p>\n

The Oltenia Museum of History and Archaeology, situated in one of the city’s oldest buildings, houses significant artefacts ranging from Roman treasures to intricate folk costumes. You can also delve into the rich Oltenian traditions that continue to thrive in this region of Romania.<\/p>\n

In the heart of Craiova, the Musical Fountain is a must-see. Illuminated at night and accompanied by music, it’s likely to be playing festive tunes during the Christmas market.<\/p>\n

For your Christmas shopping needs, head to the expansive Promenada mall on the city outskirts. This modern, gleaming mall houses European favourites from Zara to Sephora, and will be adorned with decorations to get you in the gift-giving spirit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The massive market has been running for more than a century, and there’s plenty to see and do…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558814,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5174],"tags":[35745,2000,299,5187,4729,183],"class_list":{"0":"post-558813","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-eu","8":"tag-christmas","9":"tag-eu","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-european","12":"tag-museums","13":"tag-travel"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115518360326691740","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558813\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}