Visiting Swiss Christmas Markets became a last-minute event for us. My wife came to me with a problem. She had to burn a few vacation days before the end of the year and wanted some ideas. On a business trip, I did a quick fly-by of the Christmas market in Kaiserslautern, Germany. It was a fun time. I suggested we take the opportunity to check out a few. To my surprise, she didn’t look at me like I had lost my mind and said that it really sounded attractive.
We’ve been living in Florida for the last 15 years, so getting in the holiday spirit is a bit of a challenge as the weather turns the holiday decorations into a beer commercial with the lights in a palm tree along the beach.
Now, there are a lot of websites with information on the web, as Christmas markets are a big deal in the towns across Europe. If you don’t have the time to do the research or prefer to have the logistics planned out for you, there are lot of tour companies offering guided itineraries to the most popular cities.
After doing my little research, we decided to target the Christmas markets in the cities of Zurich, Basel, Lucerne, Stein am Rhein and Wintertur. 5 cities in 3 days…needless to say, we burned up the rails with the Swiss Rail pass.
I hate the idea of hotel hopping. We decided to stay at the Hyatt Regency at The Circle by the Zurich airport. This is a really nice hotel that opened in early 2021 that is great for couples and business travelers, but you’ll need to reserve multiple rooms if you are travelling as a family of four or more. The location is awesome and really convenient for getting around Switzerland. The hotel is right across the street from the airport and the rail station. It provides great access to towns in the northwest of the country and is less than 15 minutes from the Zurich Hauptbahnhof, which opens access to all of Switzerland.
To the markets! First stop:
Zurich
To talk about the only the Christmas markets would be a disservice to the city of Zurich. The Zurich city website has a lot of information regarding what is on the calendar. It is clear that the city truly celebrates the holiday season.
For the foodies, the city has a diverse culinary culture throughout the year, but Zurich kicks it up a notch during the holidays. There are pop up restaurants and bars, and gourmet dinner shows such as: “The 5” and the “Secret Dinner Event”.
While it sounds familiar to those in the US, “The 5” was not a local taping of a Fox Channel broadcast, but rather a 2-1/2 hour dining experience with 5 Michelin-star chefs. This dining experience runs about 320 Swiss Franc (CHF)/person.
There is also a secret, themed dining show that occurs every year. This year, the Secret Dinner Event is called “Cabaret Dekadent”, an homage to the 1930’s Germany cabaret scene. This five-course dinner show runs 140 CHF+ as you can add a drink package ranging from 62 CHF- 105 CHF per person. The secret dining aspect of the show is its location. They don’t publicize the venue location ahead of time. Patrons either coordinate a shuttle from a pick-up point for 15 CHF, or they receive an e-mail with the address of the event the day before.
Another annual event is the Conelli Holiday Circus. This “under the big-top” circus is held along the bank of the Limmat and performances run from late November through December.
An additional event is the is a light show at the Swiss national museum called the Illuminarium. There is free access to the show, and there is a ticketed event. I recommend getting there early, or buying the ticket, as the line can get quite long. In bad weather, you might opt to pass on this event, as we did.
Of course, the city streets are adorned with decorations and lights, such as Bahnhofstrasse, below
The Markets: Zurich has five Christmas markets to visit. We hit the market in the Haubptbahhof, the Weihnachts Dörfli in the Altstadt, the Münsterhof, the Market on Sechseläutenplatz in front of the Zurich opera hall, and market on the Werdmühleplatz.
Hauptbahnof Market was nice with lots of stalls and had a great festive vibe. This market is in doors, so it is free from weather impact.
It was a bit disappointing in that there were not as many stalls for craftsmen as I would have thought, it was mainly food and glühwein stands. For those that have not heard of glühwein, it is mulled wine in English. It is warm red or white wine, with spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg added. While it appears to be the go-to drink at Christmas markets, this Old Man In A Hat is not a fan of glühwein. I did enjoy the Heisse Schoggi though.
Over the years, one of the attractions of the market at the Hauptbahnhof was the tree, which was decorated with hundreds of Swarovski crystals. I was disappointed to find that this wasn’t the case in 2022. This year, the focus seems to be on energy conservation as the tree-lights are powered by stationary bikes serving as power generators. It was quite a downgrade to see that the crystals were replaced by aluminum foil-wrapped stars. None the less, it was a lovely tree when lit.
The food offerings were rather diverse ranging from Swiss favorites such as raclette and sausages, to empanadas and momos. There was also a monumental discovery for me as I discovered that the original Philly cheesesteak came from Zurich…who’d have thought? 🙂
Wehinachts Dörfli – this wasn’t a distinct market, but rather a scattering of stalls along the street of the Altstadt, ending up at market in the Münsterhof.
The biggest market site was at the Sechseläutenplatz located in front of Zurich Opera house. This location hosted a small elf village with stalls set up with entertainment for younger kids. This market also featured a few temporary restaurants as well as a Kathe Wöhlfahrt store where you could buy Christmas tree decorations, nut crackers and other holiday figurines.
The Market on Werdmühleplatz was small and stretched across the Bahnhofstrasse. The attraction at this little market is a singing Christmas tree with a different choir performing every night throughout the season.
Luzern
We hit Luzern on a Friday and the only market that was open is located at the Munsterhof. The market consisted of about 20 stalls. It’s kind of surprising that the market was so small, given the size of the city. There are other market locations that are open on weekends. Unfortunately, we missed them on this trip. That said, Luzern is such a beautiful and walkable city, we took advantage of the time to visit the Luzern Museum and wander the streets of the Altstadt admiring the architecture.
Winturtur
Wintertur is only a 15-minute train ride from the Zurich airport and is a modern city. Its Christmas market is in a square in the central shopping district. The market had a nice selection of stands. Stands that sold food and beverages were open until 2200 (10PM) during the week, but the craft stands closed around 20:00 hrs (8PM).
Stein am Rhein
The Stein am Rhein market is in the top 10 of all Christmas markets in Switzerland. This quaint little town is located long the German border and where the Rhein flows into lake Constance. The Market is in the Altstadt section of town and has as a separate medieval market in the monastery. I really liked this little market. The medieval market was such a great time. The people that were working the stands were dressed in costumes portraying the Middle Ages. The market stalls sold period appropriate products such as: pelts, jewelry, weapons, clothing, berry wine and such.
And yes, I understand there may be a bit of a contradiction of selling weapons at a Christmas market. That said, you can’t tell me that little boys haven’t asked Santa for a broadsword, or a cross bow, at some point in time.
I will have to come back to Stein Am Rhein to visit the town in the summer. There is a lot to see in the area. The city is located where the Rhine flows into Lake Constance and has an imposing fortress overlooking the town.
Basel
Basel was the best Christmas market in Europe for 2021. I can understand why it received the ranking. The market in Basel consists of two locations, with one set up on Barfüsserplatz and the other on the Munsterhof. We hit Basel on a cold and snowy Saturday, which helped set the mood. The city center was bustling as the Christmas markets and the shopping district were wall-to-wall people.
The market is located on Barfüsserplatz, in front of the Historical Museum of Basel. The market fills up the square and wraps all the way around the building. The stalls set up in the square are overlooked by a large Christmas pyramid serving as a Glühwein stand. Wrapped around the building were several significant temporary buildings selling crafts, food and beverages. An interesting item was the fondue dog. A hollowed out half loaf of crusty bread with a hot dog sausage in it and filled with fondue cheese. Very rich.
My favorite stand had a set of animatronic moose heads. The duo held conversations amongst themselves and sang Christmas songs…not necessarily with all the right words.
The market at the Munsterhof was a only couple of blocks away and was less than a 10-minute walk. This market is smaller and nestled in a small grove of trees next to the imposing Munster. The Munsterhof market also hosts a smaller “fairytale forest” for the kids. This area, set aside from the market, features stalls offering activities for the younger visitors.
Despite the short duration of our trip, this was a great way to get in the Christmas spirit and provided an opportunity to sight-see in some lovely Swiss cities.
Happy holidays to you, whichever you may celebrate, and may you enjoy the peace and happiness they bring!
Until next time,
Travel well. Pursue Experiences
O.M.I.A.H.