Dear Fodorites,
My husband and I (64 yr and 58 yr) are thinking of visiting Budapest this Dec for 7 days to celebrate hubby�s 65th birthday. We�re coming from Los Angeles and we�d like to experience what�s a Christmas market feels like. Would greatly appreciate your inputs and ideas.

Ok, it depends, it can be glorious, note that the country is pretty right wing Russian leaning so you may not want to give money to the country.
We had a great time, if very cold, but the market part was small.
Christmas markets are really a German thing

bilboburgler Thanks for your response. If that�s the case can you recommend a German Christmas market?

I went two years ago and I loved it.. I found the crafts booths to be of a higher level and better quality than other markets I have been to (haven't been to any Christmas market in Germany, though, so can't compare.) There were lots of great food options and local wines by the glass in booths all over the place. It was colorful, and busy but not over the top busy. There is plenty to keep you occupied besides the markets. So fun! It would be a great birthday treat,

rialtogrl Would 7 days be enough? Is the city walkable?

Nuremberg
Cologne
Munich
Dresden
Hamburg (so good)
https://www.adventurouskate.com/how-...s-market-trip/
https://www.thetimes.com/travel/dest...days-rff27td28

Thanks. I will research them☺️👍

I think 7 days is enough for Budapest, you could expand your journey to other places and extend your time. It’s a bit of a trek from LA. Parts of the city are walkable but there is an excellent transit system as well.

Budapest spas are a major reason for visiting

In Germany most cities of any size have a Christmas market and the big cities have more than one. Bilbo's list is very good. Nuremberg is famous (it's called the Christkindlmarkt, the Christ child market), and Dresden is the original market (all others are based on this one). Cologne has about 7 markets. D�sseldorf has markets that extend for at least a kilometre along the main streets and ending at a funfair. But pretty much anywhere you decide you want to see will have a market, so you could base your trip on other interests and just see what that city offers in terms of a market.

My family and I lived in Germany for a while and we return often. On one of those return trips we once did a trip to see Christmas markets, starting in Hamburg, zigzagging up to Wismar and Schwerin to follow the Brick Gothic route, then coming back to Hildesheim, Hameln (of Pied Piper fame), M�nster, D�sseldorf and Aachen (did I leave anywhere out). We then went to Maastricht in the Netherlands and went to Brussels. There were big differences between beginning and end. Aachen was another fabulous market. I think wherever you go you will have a good time!

Lavandula

Thank you so much everyone. I will look into it.

If you're looking for a Central European vibe/city but end up deciding against Budapest, Prague also has really great Christmas markets and is a magical, medieval city. So much to do and see, and very walkable.

Strasbourg and its surrounding small towns (Colmar, Riquewihr, Ribeauville, etc.) are also known for their extremely lavish Christmas markets and fairytale-like architecture. I'd imagine they get a bit more crowded than Prague or Budapest though.

Thank you so much! 😊