The gentle, local opener — and Caro's hometown. Gmunden is a porcelain-making town on the Traunsee, an hour from Salzburg, where the Advent stroll wraps the lakefront in lovingly decorated huts, homemade punch, and regional crafts. The real magic is around it: the Salzkammergut treetop walk on the Grünberg lit up as a glowing winter wonderland, atmospheric boat trips on the deepest lake in Austria, the illuminated lakeshore tram, and the fairytale Schloss Ort sitting out on the water. Smaller and quieter than everything that follows — which is exactly why you start here. Pair it with the tiny, romantic market in neighboring Traunkirchen.

One of the oldest markets in Austria, set against the backdrop of Hohensalzburg Fortress. Multiple separate markets spread across the Altstadt — each with different characters. The Christkindlmarkt at Domplatz is the traditional one; the market at Mirabell Palace is more artisan-focused. But the real reason to start here is Krampusnacht on December 5 — a theatrical procession of 850 horned demons through the old town that you will never, ever forget.

Vienna doesn't have one Christmas market — it has about 20. The main one at Rathausplatz is enormous, with 150 stalls, live music, and a giant ice skating rink. The market at Schönbrunn Palace has the most jaw-dropping backdrop of any market in Europe. The Art Advent Market at Karlsplatz is for people who actually want to buy something worth bringing home. Vienna does Christmas with the same theatrical excess it does everything else.

The St. Stephen's Basilica market is regularly voted the best Christmas market in Central/Eastern Europe, and it earns it. The neoclassical basilica is illuminated with a light show projected onto the facade every evening. Artisan craft vendors only — no mass-produced junk, strictly curated. The food is excellent: kürtőskalács (chimney cake), langos, mulled pálinka. The Vörösmarty Square market nearby is larger and more commercial. Budapest also has the most value for money of any capital on this trip — wine and food here cost half of what they do in Vienna or Zürich.

The Old Town Square market is one of the most photographed in Europe — the medieval astronomical clock, the Gothic church spires, the whole medieval cityscape as a backdrop. It runs longer than most (into January), is slightly more touristy than the German/Austrian markets, but visually it's extraordinary. The market on Wenceslas Square has more locals. Classic Czech market food: trdelník, svařák (mulled wine), smoked meats. Prague in December is cold, dramatic, and beautiful.

The Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt is the market that most people picture when they think "German Christmas market." 180 identical red-and-white striped stalls on Hauptmarkt, with the Church of Our Lady as the backdrop. It opens with a theatrical ceremony by the Christkind (a local girl selected for the role). Nuremberg specialties only: finger-sized grilled Bratwürste, Lebkuchen gingerbread from the city that invented it, Zwetschgenmännle (prune figure toys). Genuinely one of the best in Europe.

This is the surprise of the trip. Rothenburg is a perfectly preserved medieval walled town that looks like someone built a Christmas village prop and forgot to take it down after 700 years. The market is small, traditional, and completely genuine. No ice rinks, no ferris wheels — just wooden stalls, old buildings, mulled wine, and snow if you're lucky. The Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village (a year-round Christmas shop the size of a department store) is either charming or overwhelming depending on your disposition.

One of the oldest Christmas markets in Germany (dating to 1692) and one of the largest, with 300+ stalls across the city center. Less famous internationally than Nuremberg or Strasbourg, which means it's slightly more local in feel. Stuttgart is in Swabia — that means Maultaschen, Spätzle, and wine rather than beer. The Schillerplatz section is the most traditional; the market spreads into multiple squares and streets.

Dating to 1570, this is the oldest Christmas market in Europe. Strasbourg calls itself the Capital of Christmas and it's not wrong. The market spreads across 11 different locations throughout the city, centered on Place Broglie and Place de la Cathédrale, with over 300 wooden chalets. The 30-meter Christmas tree at Place Kléber is the centerpiece. Everything here is half-German, half-French — the food, the architecture, the language on the stalls. Vin chaud, tarte flambée, Alsatian gingerbread, hand-blown ornaments.

Colmar is the market that gets shared most on Instagram — the half-timbered buildings reflected in the canal in "Little Venice," strung with lights, draped in snow if December cooperates. Five separate themed markets spread across different historic squares, each with its own character. The toy market, the Alsatian market, the toy train market. Colmar is a small city (70,000 people) that transforms completely in December. Come for at least one night — day-trippers from Strasbourg miss the evening lights and the morning quiet.

Basel has a more local, less-touristed market compared to the German and French giants — spread across several squares in the old city. But the main draw in Zürich is the Hauptbahnhof market inside the train station: 600 illuminated Christmas balls hanging from the ceiling of Europe's largest station, a giant Christmas tree, and 170 stalls selling Swiss specialties. Both make an easy final stop on the way to fly home out of Zürich — stop long enough to see the Zürich station lights at minimum.