For 2019 I decided on Switzerland as my destination for Christmas markets. It was beautiful!
Day 1- 20th December 2019
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My flight landed in Zürich bright and early at 9am. The hotel was very accommodating and they let me into my room straight away. So I spent half an hour relaxing and recharging my phone, then headed out to my first Christmas market. This was the Christmas market inside Zürich Hauptbanhof. It was nice and peaceful at 11 am on a Friday so I got to avoid the crowds. They had a massive Christmas tree decorated with Swarovski crystals. I tried raclette which is potatoes with melted cheese on top. Then I wandered around to see a smaller Christmas market in the old town. There were only around 10 stalls but they were beautifully decorated and the area was peaceful.
After this, I went to go and climb the Grossmünster church which has many steps. It was extremely cold and windy at the top but the view was worth it. Then I headed out to a supermarket to buy some Swiss chocolate souvenirs for friends. I like chocolate shopping in Europe because there are always so many options and it’s always locally produced. I came across these cute Lindt cars outside the supermarket…and they are real! In the evening I decided to head to the illuminarium, which is a light display in the courtyard of the Swiss National Museum.
Day 2- 21st December 2019
Today I did a day trip to Basel which is a city in the North West of Switzerland. My train left Zürich Hauptbanhof early at 8 am and I arrived in Basel at 9 am. I have to say this was the best Christmas market I have seen in my life so far. It looked like the definition of a winter wonderland. They had little huts decorated huts that you could sit in to drink your mulled wine. I ate Öpfelchüchli which are deep-fried apple rings. After the Christmas market, I went shopping and then headed back to Zürich on an evening train.
Day 3- 22nd December 2019
Today was my last day. I got up very early before sunrise and went out to have a little photoshoot around all of the Christmas lights hotspots. My hotel was in a central location so it was very easy to do this. I made sure to wear a Christmas jumper for this little “photoshoot” it was quite funny because I came across other solo travellers who were doing the same thing as me. It seems like we all decided to get up early and take festive photos before sunrise. The picture above shows Flammkuchen which is like a French/German style pizza.
If you want to see more of my Europe Christmas market trips then check out my post about Vienna Austria.
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