The Year of the Christmas Market

Vaci Utca (the main shopping street) in Budapest

Budapest is all dressed up in lights and Christmas markets are everywhere!  I LOVE Christmas season, and Europe sure knows how to do Christmas right. Yesterday I even saw one of the trams that runs along the Danube completely covered in lights!  I felt compelled to chase after it, but figured that would become tiring and potentially dangerous, so I refrained.

For the past three years Bill and I have made sure to fit in a trip to the German Christkindlmarkt in Chicago. This year though, there is no need to put 'visit Christmas market' on the calendar, because you inevitably run into them and are immediately sucked in by the sparkling lights and smell of Christmas.  So far we have been to four different Christmas markets in Budapest, and all except the main one were merely because we couldn't help but stumbling upon them when going from point A to point B.  We have been to six other Christmas markets outside of Budapest (three in Vienna and three in Berlin), and once again, only two of those were really 'planned.'  Thanks to the many markets we have come across in the past few weeks, we have been able to cover nearly our entire (small) tree with unique handmade ornaments!

Christmas Market at Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna

Main Christmas Market in Vienna

Christmas Market in Berlin

Christmas Market at St. Istvan Cathedral in Budapest

Drinking forralt wine at the main Christmas Market in Budapest

The main Christmas market at Vorosmarty Ter in Budapest has been my favorite so far. There are many stalls with crafts, and plenty of food and forralt bor (mulled wine).  The quality of what is sold at this particular market is the best I've seen so far. You can tell everything is handmade and individually unique (which I cannot say is true of the main Vienna Christmas Market).  And the prices are actually really reasonable.  We have been able to get handmade ceramic ornaments for as little as 300 forint, which comes out to about $1.50.