Planning a European Christmas market tour by train is one of the most rewarding ways to experience the festive season. From Germany’s iconic Christkindlesmarkt to Strasbourg’s cobbled streets, the best Christmas markets in Europe come alive when you travel by rail, connecting historic squares, Alpine scenery, and centuries of tradition in a single journey
No Christmas market is quite the same, and a rail tour is the efficient and relaxed way to experience the continent at its most sparkling. Europe’s brilliantly connected rail network is the ticket to threading together cities rich in history and culture, with a mug of steaming Glühwein and festive fun available at every stop.
Rail Escape offers tailor-made Christmas market rail tours for travelers who want all the festive magic without the logistical headaches. Ask our rail travel specialists for a personalized itinerary calling at Europe’s best Christmas markets.
For ideas and insights on where to go and what to expect, read on as we reveal the wonderful possibilities when touring Europe’s Christmas markets by train.
Steeped in centuries of tradition, Christmas markets breathe life into historic centers and market squares. It’s a singular time to roam between some of Europe’s most exciting destinations. And a European Christmas market tour by train is the most flexible and scenic way to do it.
Rail travel adds more layers. Warm, comfortable, and typically the fastest way to explore regions, trains let you build a vacation that blends Europe’s most exciting cities with its best Christmas markets.
Trains drop you directly in city centers where markets usually unfold. You can look forward to stepping off the train and dropping your bags in your hotel, refreshed and ready to explore.
Having savored one destination, you can roll onto your next train five minutes before departure, sinking into a snug seat for a scenic ride through winter landscapes.
Your luggage travels with you. And rail is a greener choice, with Europe’s rail network the carbon-efficient way to travel long distances.
Crucially, there are few limits on where you can roam. High-speed trains cross international borders across Europe. With 29 border-free countries in the Schengen Area, it’s the effortless way to connect a medley of Christmas markets by train.
Rail Escape doesn’t just reserve seats on the fastest and most comfortable trains. We plan an itinerary around your travel style that visits the places you want to go. First-class travel enriches the experience, and we select premium hotels in prime locations for onward travel and local exploration.
Our ever-expanding catalog of pre-crafted tours includes destinations that pull out all the stops for the festive seasons. However, some Christmas markets shine brighter, like our pick of the best cities and regions for a Christmas markets rail tour.
Our destinations guide brims with year-round ideas, but for the best Christmas markets in Europe, four countries lead the way: Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland. Each is perfectly connected by train, making a Christmas market tour in Europe by rail both effortless and spectacular.
These four countries are the heartland of the European Christmas market tradition. Well connected by rail, journeys between these countries are among the most scenic in Europe.
The potential is illustrated by our European Christmas market tour that visits Zurich, Munich, and Vienna. Cities in three countries hosting some of Europe’s best Christmas markets.
Customized Rail Escape tours let you carve your own path around these countries. Each offers something special for Christmas market fans.
Switzerland is a true winter wonderland destination. Sharing borders with France, Germany, and Austria, snowy Alpine peaks and some of Europe’s most elegant cities place Switzerland at the heart of dreamy rail tours of Europe’s Christmas markets.
From the Rhine city Basel to sophisticated Zurich, Christmas markets celebrate festive traditions in distinctly Swiss style. Trains criss-cross the Alps and into neighboring countries, making the journey a thrilling part of the experience.
Especially on Switzerland’s panoramic trains featured in our Scenery and Elegance. The panoramic windows of the Glacier Express and Bernina Express showcase the Alps in all their snow-covered glory, savoring festive vibes and heaps of Swiss delights coated in melting raclette cheese at every stop.
Speak with our travel specialists to visit Switzerland’s best Christmas markets and ride on their famous tourist trains.
Germany pulls out all the stops for Christmas. No surprise. This is the country where Christmas markets began.
Our guide to touring Germany’s Christmas market by train is packed with ideas for a festive rail vacation. Gems like Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt and Dresden, home to the world’s first Christmas market. Meanwhile, thousands of Christmas markets enliven cities and towns across the country. Many are connected by high-speed trains, and a joy to visit every season.
Our German Christmas market tour from Munich to Cologne via Augsburg and Nuremberg is just one example of the possibilities. For other itineraries, ask our travel specialists for a tailor-made rail package that reveals the festive Germany you want to see.
Well-connected to Switzerland and Germany by train, the home of classical music is also the home of enchanting Christmas markets.
The imperial elegance of Vienna provides the backdrop to one of Europe’s prettiest Christmas markets. On the edge of the Alps, Mozart’s home city, Salzburg, delivers an Austrian Christmas infused with Alpine character.
Book our Central Europe Tour via Berlin, Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna to enjoy the contrasting Christmas traditions. Or speak with our travel specialists to personalize a tour that extends beyond Austria and Germany.
An efficient rail network makes exploring French Christmas markets by rail the ultimate way to experience France’s festive traditions and visit some of Europe’s best Christmas markets.
Our guide to exploring France’s Christmas markets by train highlights some captivating itineraries.
Top billing goes to Strasbourg, the self-styled “Capital of Christmas”. Overlooked by half-timbered houses and snaking around cobbled streets, this is one of Europe’s largest and most colorful Christmas markets. A short train ride away, more medieval streets twinkle with festive cheer in one of France’s prettiest towns, Colmar.
We can’t overlook Paris. The City of Light hosts an array of Christmas markets and sparkles from the Eiffel Tower to the specially illuminated Champs Élysées. Paris also hosts spectacular New Year celebrations, and is the perfect city to end a tour of European Christmas markets by rail.
Sample a French Christmas on our Paris to Basel: Swiss and French Delights tour that also stops in Strasbourg. Or speak with our travel specialists to craft a personalized tour around the region.
The appeal of a Christmas markets rail tour lies in the freedom to combine contrasting destinations into a flowing journey that moves at your own rhythm. Outside the heartlands of the Christmas market tradition, there are countless itineraries perfect for discovering Christmas markets in Europe by train.
The Danube cities sparkle even brighter during Advent.
The centerpiece is Prague’s Christmas markets, with the City of a Hundred Spires a fairytale backdrop for festive fun.
A comfortable train ride away is Budapest. The Hungarian capital ranks amongst Europe’s most architecturally beautiful cities and hosts Christmas markets that add a splash of festive color.
The Austrian capital, Vienna, is a city of imperial palaces and Baroque streets that delivers one of Europe’s most pleasing winter experiences.
Our Danube Tour from Budapest to Prague connects all three in a single elegant rail journey, with Rail Escape handling every connection and hotel. Speak with our travel specialists to tailor this itinerary and head into Germany, Switzerland, or cities across the region.
For a white Christmas and a sleigh-full of culture, the Nordic countries offer something different.
Our Highlights of Scandinavia tour is a wonderful way to experience a Nordic Christmas.
Visiting the capitals of three Nordic countries, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo, intrepid travelers experience a diverse medley of Christmas market experiences. Danish designs and handicrafts on the cobbled square of Nytorv in Copenhagen, waterfront events in Stockholm, and the fittingly named Winter Wonderland in Oslo, where winter cruises cross glistening fjords.
Nordic countries know how to get cozy at Christmas, embracing the hygge spirit that helps you forget the cold. While the train journeys around Scandinavia promise a winter wonderland out of every window.
The Rhine River winds around some of Europe’s best Christmas markets. Long enough to craft a multi-country rail tour using excellent regional rail connections on a captivatingly varied tour of Christmas markets by train.
Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France, and the Netherlands sit on the Rhine River. Three Rhine countries star on our Rhine River Tour that puts castles and vineyards along the UNESCO World Heritage Rhine Valley center stage.
Passing quaint towns and riverside castles, this journey follows one of Europe’s most attractive rail itineraries, ideal for a Christmas markets rail tour.
Rail Escape makes every moment count when visiting Christmas markets in Europe by train. Yet, with Christmas markets only opening for four or five weeks, a few tips will help make the trip perfect.
Book early. Christmas market season runs from late November through to Christmas Eve, with peak dates over the first three weekends of December. Some start early, while some continue into the New Year. Our travel specialists will plan an itinerary to match timetables of Europe’s best Christmas markets.
Hotels near historic city centers can also fill up months in advance. Rail Escape secures premium hotels near train stations for comfort and convenience. Early booking can help bag the finest hotels.
See more of Europe on a multi-country Christmas markets rail tour. Visiting Christmas markets by train invites you to dream big. Regional trains link with high-speed services that cross borders, often making it easier to visit a neighboring country than to stay in one.
Germany flows naturally into Austria, Alsace sits at the junction of France and Germany, and Switzerland is a rail hub connecting multiple countries around the Alps. Rail Escape’s travel specialists can design a bespoke multi-country itinerary, visiting contrasting Christmas markets by train in a single, unhurried trip.
Choose first-class rail travel for touring Christmas markets in Europe by train. Rail Escape tours include first-class tickets as standard on available routes. More comfortable seats, quieter carriages, and priority boarding elevate the journey to a relaxed and enjoyable part of the experience.
Whether you're looking for a Christmas market in Europe for a weekend break or planning a full multi-country European Christmas market tour by train, Rail Escape designs every detail around you. Explore the best Christmas markets in Europe from a first-class seat
Most markets open in late November, typically the last weekend. They run until Christmas Eve, December 24. Some of the biggest and best Christmas markets in Europe open until the new year.
Dates vary slightly year to year, so Rail Escape confirms schedules when planning itineraries.
Popular destinations like Strasbourg, Colmar, Basel, Cologne, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and many more destinations are great destinations for visiting Christmas markets by train. Most of Europe’s great Christmas markets unfold in historic city centers. The train station is nearby and sometimes hosts their own Christmas market, making rail the most practical way to visit multiple markets on a single trip.
Absolutely. While Rail Escape’s pre-crafted Christmas market tours are designed around the most popular routes, every tour can be customized. Add extra nights in a favorite city, incorporate a smaller or lesser-known market, or extend the journey into additional countries. Our travel specialists build Christmas market itineraries to suit every travel style.
Good food and festival-like atmospheres accommodate all types of travelers. Romantic for couples and easy to enjoy when traveling solo. You get all the local cultural delights with extra seasonal sparkle.
European Christmas markets are commonly open during the day, particularly on weekends. But after dark, Christmas markets burst into life. Rail Escape can plan Christmas market rail tours so you travel during the day and arrive with time to refresh and hit the markets after the sun goes down.
Weekends see bigger crowds at Christmas markets. While the week leading up to Christmas Eve is usually the liveliest and often the time to catch traditional events like Advent parades and special shows.
Many Christmas markets end on December 24, Christmas Eve. All are closed on Christmas Day, although some reopen until the end of December or just past the New Year. Touring Christmas markets by train gives you the flexibility to plan an itinerary to match opening times.
Europe’s Christmas markets are best experienced with travel and accommodation carefully planned into an itinerary that gives you time to relax and revel in festive moments.
Rail Escape handles the important logistics. First-class rail travel and premium hotels near train stations. Carefully planned connections that give you maximum time in each market. Itineraries built around your dates, travel style, and favorite destinations.
Request a tailor-made itinerary and let our travel specialists plan your perfect tour of Christmas markets by train.
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