Every year from early November through Christmas Eve, cities in Austria, Germany, and nearby countries (France, England, Czech Republic, Italy, Belgium), light up their ancient town squares for the holidays and set up festive stalls.

Many markets start on the Friday before Advent, which is four Sundays before Christmas Eve; most end on December 24, especially in Germanic countries, where Christmas Eve is set aside for trimming the tree at home. Others keep celebrating until Epiphany on January 6.

To visit several of these holiday markets in one trip can be a bit of a logistical challenge, an alternative is to take trains or, to eliminate even more logistics, opt for a river cruise.

Full article here……..