Ready to trade the frantic dash through your next holiday season for something a little more magical? Let’s be real: after hitting the same dozen spots for mulled wine in your city, your December date night this year needs an epic glow-up. 

Imagine this: you’re snuggled up with your favourite person, sipping on a steaming mug of Glühwein (aka mulled wine) while catching lazy, picturesque snowflakes on your tongue. The air is thick with the sweet smell of roasted chestnuts, honey-smoked ham, and cinnamon, and the hardest decision you have to make is which gorgeous, handmade ornament to bring home for the tree.

Forget browsing online – we’re talking about diving headfirst into the charm of Europe’s most legendary Christmas markets on a Berlin to Vienna Christmas market tour with G Adventures! 

Your passport to local magic

The beauty of a small-group trip is that it takes the logistics off your plate and gives you direct access to local life. You don’t worry about deciphering train schedules or finding the best hidden markets.

Your Chief Experience Officer (CEO) is there as your personal local expert, not just to handle the boring stuff, but to immerse you in the culture and point you to the local secrets. It’s like traveling with a savvy friend who knows every cozy spot.

Moments to fill your story (and your soul)

Gluhwein goals

No market experience is complete without a festive beverage, but you’ll find no soggy paper cups here! These all-out markets serve up all the hot cider, spiced punch, and famous Glühwein in beautiful, collectible ceramic mugs which differ depending on the location.

You pay a small deposit, and then you face the crucial decision: return it for your cash back, or start collecting? (Spoiler: you’ll want to collect them all and your trip will quickly turn into a festive scavenger hunt across Europe.)

Make sure to leave room in your suitcase because these mugs are the best, coziest memory of your trip!

Festive foods

It’s not truly a Christmas market trip without delicious eats, and Central Europe certainly brings its A-game this time of year. Included in your G Adventures tour you’ll get to sample full portions of succulent currywurst, spiced gluhwein, chewy Nürnberger Lebkuchen (an original German gingerbread cookie that’s so special, it has its own designation), and rich, velvety cake and coffee in Vienna.

With plenty of time to explore on your own, you can continue your culinary journey with cheesy spaetzle, crispy Reibekuchen with garlic spread, and light and fluffy pancakes drenched in sugary plum sauce. This is a trip where you’ll want to bring your stretchy pants. 

Royals and reindeers

If you’ve ever dreamed of saying, “meet me at the palace,” this is your official, festive chance. Specialty markets set on former royal grounds swap the quaint for the magnificent, instantly adding sophistication and historical majesty to your holiday vibe.

In Berlin, the Charlottenburg Palace market feels like a  storybook romance, wrapping the entire Baroque mansion in a spectacular, colorful light display that has to be seen to be believed.

Then, get ready for max glamour in Vienna at the Schönbrunn Palace market, situated in front of the sprawling former residence of the Habsburgs. Here, every detail is elevated. Even your mug of Glühwein feels regal, often featuring glittering golden motifs or a portrait of Empress Sisi herself. It’s like stepping directly into the most stunning, royal holiday movie. 

Medieval magic

If a different time period is more your speed, you can trade the modern day for Medieval Christmas magic at the lively Wittelsbacher Platz. Vendors are dressed head-to-toe in authentic period costumes, roasting meat over blazing open fires and showcasing handmade leather goods, authentic blacksmith wares, and unique trinkets like handmade wool witch hats, fairy ornaments and hefty beer steins.

This is a great place to try Feuerzangenbowle, a flaming version of Glühwein with a rum-soaked sugar loaf, enjoyed out of rugged clay goblets (it’s literally a goblet of fire). This market is totally unique, gritty, authentic, and the perfect place to release your inner festive knight or noblewoman.

Love and lights

During the tour, you’ll get to experience the markets during different times. Daytime visits are perfect for ticking off your souvenir shopping list, but the real, breathtaking magic happens when the sun dips, and the markets transform under brilliant, glittering lights.

The final stop of the tour is Rathausplatz market in Vienna, which was recently named one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in the world. We’re talking hundreds of twinkling lights, festive carousels, and a maze of stalls with treats and handmade goods.

Keep watching the sky above the square for the glittering heart that ‘flies’ overhead every half hour, plugging into, and illuminating the ‘tree of hearts’! This market is big, vibrant, and captures the massive, joyful, celebratory feeling of Christmas better than anywhere else!

Which magical tour will you choose?

Your perfect Christmas Market adventure starts here! G Adventures has designed several magical market crawls to choose from, including journeys through Berlin and Vienna, Poland, Italy, and Eastern Europe.

These special seasonal trips are pure holiday magic and are always in high demand.

So, if you want to sip gluhwein under the lights in 2026, you need to move quickly: spots are disappearing fast for these festive getaways. 

Written by Sara Marcucci.

Plan your year of travel with your favourite person here!