LOOKING for the ultimate festive experience? Craiova in Romania has just been crowned the best Christmas market for 2026.
The festive world spans across its five main city squares with enormous Christmas trees centrepieces, live shows and two million LED lights.
European Best Destinations crowned Craiova as the best Christmas market in Europe thanks to its readers voted for their favourite – it got over 142,000 votes.
Not only is it the best, but it’s the biggest too spanning across 280,000 square metres.
It has everything you’d expect including a huge ice skating rink in Mihai Viteazul Square where families can zip about on their skates.
Towering overhead is its 40-metre high Ferris Wheel, which is actually the largest of its kind in Romania.
On clear days anyone in a gondola can see across the city, and at night see all the lights from high above the square.
The market is also home to Eastern Europe’s highest-flying Santa sleigh which soars above the crowd and is accompanied by festive music.
Across the market are over 90 hand-painted chalets filled with goodies from souvenirs and gifts to food and drink.
Visitors can pick up traditional Romanian dishes like Oltenian tochitura, which is a pork stew and sarmale which is spiced meat wrapped in cabbage leaves.
There are also classic festive treats on offer like waffles, gingerbread and sweets.
Warm up with a steaming cup of mulled wine, hot cider or hot chocolate.
There’s lots going on during the day with concerts every weekend, carols by the tree-stage, crafting workshops for children and parades with characters from fairytales.
It won’t be expensive either as Craiova is considered one of Europe’s cheapest cities.
According to Wise, local beers in Craiova can be less than £1 and meals can be as little as £2.47.
As for how to get there, Wizz Air flies directly to Craiova from London Luton with one-way flights from £90 in December.
There are stopover flights which are cheaper – one that goes from London Stansted to Milan and onto Craiova with Ryanair and Wizz Air starts from £36.
This year the Christmas market will be open between November 13 to January 3.
If one Christmas market isn’t quite enough, another Romanian market in Sibiu is where Brits will find the cheapest mulled wine at 82p a cup.
Thses are the 10 best Christmas markets in Europe…
- Craiova, Romania
- Zurich Christmas Markets, Switzerland
- Riga, Latvia
- Wonderland Lisboa, Portugal
- Debrecen, Hungary
- Govone & Asti, Italy
- Valkenburg, The Netherlands
- Vienna, Austria
- Montbeliard, France
- Paris, France