What’s that sound – is it jingle bells, Christmas songs, the sound of people nattering and enjoying crêpes and hot chocolate? That’s right – the most wonderful time of year is right around the corner, meaning Christmas markets are back.
Plenty of cities all over the planet will see their piazzas filled with wooden huts, lights and wafts of mulled wine, but there’s a handful of markets that are set to be particularly popular this year.
InsureandGo has analysed online search data to see which destinations are trending for 2024’s festivities, and while classic go-tos like Vienna and Nuremberg are popular, people are craving something a lil’ different (and a little less crowded) this year.
Claiming the top spot with a staggering increase in online search data of 324 percent (compared to July-September 2023) is Skansen Christmas Market in Sweden.
In second place it’s Bryant’s Park Christmas Market in New York, for which searches have soared by 311 percent (Downtown Holiday Market in Washington DC and Union Square Christmas Market, also in NYC, both make the top 10).
In third place, it’s Covent Garden Christmas Market in London, for which searches have jumped by 238 percent. Those fabulous lights probably have something to do with it.
These are the top ten trending Christmas markets in the world
1. Skansen Christmas Market, Sweden
2. Bryant Park’s Christmas Market, USA
3. Covent Garden Christmas Market, UK
4. Tivoli Christmas Market, Denmark
5. Distillery Winter Village, Canada
6. Blenheim Palace Christmas Market, UK and Montreux Noël, Switzerland
8. Frankfurt Christmas Market Birmingham, UK
9. Downtown Holiday Market, USA
10. Union Square Holiday Market, USA
Can you hear the (jingle) bells?
With Christmas 2024 being next month, it’s time to start thinking about where to head for a Christmassy break – but don’t fret, Time Out Travel’s elves are here to help. Looking for a majestic tree to rock around? These are the most iconic on the planet. What about the best all-round festive destinations? There’s a roundup of those here. And these are our favourite places to travel in December.
Did you see that Barcelona is getting a brand-new tourist attraction?
Plus: A major new modern art museum just opened in this European city.
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