Christmas market lovers have good reasons to rejoice. Their favourite season of the year has started. If you happen to travel to Poland in the upcoming weeks, allow us to suggest you three of the country’s best Christmas fairs.
Gdańsk
The Gdańsk Christmas market has several unique features. The Gdańsk International Fair has organised it in the traditional formula for 30 years. It even got more and more beautiful over the years. Elf parades, a talking moose, the Snow Queen carried by her carollers. These are some of the things that await you.
You can shop for ceramics, original jewellery, and up-cycled clothes such as knitwear and hats, or fill up on the wide variety of delicacies from around the world. The latter include Alsatian pancakes, Greek bougatsa, Spanish churros, and of course traditional Polish cuisine. When it comes to drinks, you’ll find there the classics such as hot chocolate, mulled beer or aromatic mulled wine.
In 2019, it was nominated in the competition for the title of „European Best Christmas Market 2020” and finished in the third position.
Kraków
Kraków hosts what is probably the most popular Christmas market in Poland. It’s located on the city’s 13th-century main square in the heart of the old town. The stalls are located between the famous Cloth Hall and the imposing St Mary’s Basilica. The Kraków Christmas fair is lined with timber huts where you’ll find slow-cooked hearty soups and goulash and delicious grilled and smoked specialities.
Various kinds of handcrafted toys and Christmas decorations to take home or give as gifts are also to be found. Tourists and visitors particularly appreciate Polish dolls. You’ll also find handmade wooden items including kitchen gadgets, Christmas decorations and children’s toys.
Times Travel ranked Kraków 18th on its list of cities hosting the best Christmas market in 2022.
Wrocław
Wrocław’s Christmas fair is arguably the most romantic. Similarly to Kraków, it’s also located on the city’s main square. A big advantage of the Lower Silesian capital is that you can easily get there by walking from most parts of the city.
The local Christmas market offers plenty of opportunities to try local, regional, and international cuisine. Bigos or langos? Potato pancakes or fries? Oscypek or crêpes? The choice is up to you!
Children can also have a good time thanks to attractions such as a fairy tale forest, a roller coaster, and a carousel. There are also lots of opportunities to make pictures of the city’s characteristic dwarfs, Christmas trees, and much more!
The Daily Mail recently referred to Wrocław’s fair as “Europe’s best (and best-value) Christmas market this winter”.
Image: Unsplash
Author: Sébastien Meuwissen
