Christmas in Europe: Markets, New Year's Eve and Where to Go

December is one of the most magical times to visit Europe. City squares fill with wooden market stalls and the smell of roasted chestnuts, cathedrals and boulevards are lit up, the Alps are covered in snow, and New Year's Eve brings fireworks over Paris, Venice and Rome. For Indian families, the school holidays make Christmas in Europe a popular choice. This guide covers the best places to go, the weather, what to expect on 25 December and 1 January, and how our Christmas and New Year group tours work.

• Festive cities: Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Vienna and Rome are decorated from late November.
• Christmas markets: traditional markets sell ornaments, handicrafts, mulled drinks and sweets.
• Snow in the Alps: Jungfraujoch and Mt. Titlis are snowy all year, but in December the villages below are white too.
• New Year celebrations: fireworks and concerts in every major city.
• Shorter queues at museums in the weeks before Christmas, outside the holiday days themselves.

Most Christmas markets in Europe open in the last week of November and close on 23 or 24 December; a few stay open until early January.

• Strasbourg, France: one of the oldest markets in Europe, around the cathedral.
• Vienna, Austria: the market in front of the City Hall, with a skating path in the park.
• Cologne and Nuremberg, Germany: classic German markets with gingerbread and wooden toys.
• Brussels, Belgium: Winter Wonders, with a light show on the Grand Place.
• Prague, Czech Republic: the Old Town Square market below the astronomical clock.
• Zurich and Montreux, Switzerland: indoor and lakeside markets with Swiss chocolate and cheese.

On a group tour you pass through several of these cities; your tour manager will point out the markets near your hotel or sightseeing stops.

Christmas in Paris means the illuminated Champs-Élysées, the giant Christmas tree and window displays at Galeries Lafayette, and seasonal markets at La Défense and the Tuileries. Disneyland® Paris runs special Christmas parades and shows throughout December. Our Paris and Switzerland tour spends Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Paris, with a Christmas gala dinner.

For New Year in Paris, crowds gather on the Champs-Élysées and around the Eiffel Tower for the countdown and light show. In Venice, fireworks light up St Mark's Basin, and in Rome there are concerts at Circus Maximus and celebrations around Piazza del Popolo. Our longer winter tours celebrate New Year's Eve in Rome or Venice with a gala dinner.

It gets dark around 5 pm in northern Europe, so sightseeing starts early. Pack thermals, a warm waterproof coat, a cap, gloves and shoes with good grip.

Many museums, shops and some attractions close on 25 December and 1 January, and close early on 24 and 31 December. For example, the Palace of Versailles is closed on both days, and boat rides at some waterfalls stop for the winter. Group tours plan around these closures by changing the order of days, so every listed visit is still covered. Restaurants and hotels stay open, and our gala dinners are held at the hotel or a booked venue.

• Book by September or October; December group departures sell out early.
• Apply for your Schengen visa six to eight weeks before departure, as VFS appointments are busy before the holidays.
• Flights from India are at their most expensive around 20–25 December, so book them with the tour.
• Carry a small daypack with gloves and a warm cap for the mountain days.

The Swiss Alps are at their most romantic in December. Lucerne, Interlaken and Montreux have Christmas markets and lights, chalets are dusted with snow, and the trains climb through white forests. Jungfraujoch and Mt. Titlis are open throughout the holidays, with deep snow at the top. Mountain days can be very cold and cloudy, so tour managers keep the plan flexible and choose the clearest day for the big excursions.

Italy is milder than the north in December. In Venice, St Mark's Square is decorated and the canals are quieter than in summer; in Florence, a giant tree stands in front of the Duomo; and in Rome, nativity scenes appear in churches and St Peter's Square has its own tree and crib. On 24 and 25 December, the Vatican is very busy with religious services, so visits are planned for other days.

• Two sets of thermal innerwear and woollen socks
• A long, warm, waterproof jacket with a hood
• Gloves, a warm cap, a scarf and a neck warmer
• Waterproof shoes or boots with good grip for snow and wet streets
• Lip balm, moisturiser and sunglasses for the snow
• A small umbrella and a power bank, as batteries drain faster in the cold

Hotels, coaches, museums and restaurants are well heated, so wear layers you can remove indoors.

This December we run five escorted group tours departing between 22 and 24 December 2026, from 7 to 12 nights: Paris and Switzerland; five countries via Amsterdam; eight countries from Paris to Rome; Paris, Switzerland and Italy; and our nine-country Best of Europe. Each includes a tour manager, superior hotels, Indian meals and Christmas, or Christmas and New Year's Eve, gala dinners. See the full list on our Europe tour packages page.