Zurich's Magical Christmas Markets
Little red houses pop up in every corner of downtown, among the steaming green roast chestnut stands and temporary Fondue-Stube with lit fireplaces. You can smell the scent of Glühwein and raclette, warming up cold afternoons in the city, as people chat around crackling braziers. Beautiful illuminations flood the streets and children in red caps sing Christmas carols.
I don't think I am exaggerating when I say that Zurich is home to some of the most beautiful Christmas markets you will find in Europe, although they are not among the best known.
WHAT MAKES THEM SPECIAL
Small markets throughout the city: there is not just one Christmas market, but squares and hidden corners of the city host small hubs, of different design and character, scattered in several locations, which distributes the crowds and allows you to breathe in the Christmas atmosphere throughout the city center.
Fine designer items for sale: some sell Christmas items, but most sell really impeccably designed gifts. I don't like Christmas markets that sell souvenirs and kitschy items, and in Zurich, you will find only an excellently tasteful selection. Which makes them a perfect place to really buy charming Christmas gifts.
A vast selection of food: some will disagree with the street food-Christmas markets association, but in Zurich the tradition of street food is so ingrained, that even among the market stalls you will find steaming dumplings, ramen, gyros, and lots of other ethnic food, making the culinary selection enviable. Don't worry, raclette, fondue, and wurst are on every corner, so there is no shortage of traditional local food!
Fondue Fondue: In the various areas where the markets are set up, there is always a Fondue-Stube, namely a cheese fondue restaurant, in the form of a wooden lodge, or transparent igloo, or cloth tepee, where you can hole up to consume one of the most beloved foods of the Swiss winter.
Comfortable seating: have you noticed that usually at Christmas markets, the ultimate in comfort for consuming food and drink is a stall to rest your elbows on, while standing? Instead, in Zurich I really appreciate the provision of eating corners with all the comforts: little houses with a soft couch, gazebos with tables and fleece covers for your legs, coffee tables scattered everywhere, and chairs around blazing braziers. Especially on snowy evenings, this is a particularly noteworthy element for me.
You can buy a Christmas tree: in the days immediately preceding Christmas, vendors of fresh fir trees to decorate, pop up on every corner in the markets. For those who, in keeping with tradition, buy a real fir tree and decorate it on Christmas days, there is a large selection of varieties and sizes here. In addition to buying decorations, you can go home with a tree under your arm.
WHERE TO FIND THE MARKETS
As I mentioned earlier, there is not just one Christmas market in Zurich, and each one has a special feature:
Wienachtsdorf Sechseläuteplatz
This is the largest and most famous of them all. An expanse of little red houses encompasses the entire lakefront square, set against the backdrop of the opera house. In addition to food and craft stalls, you will also find a skating rink (sometimes dedicated only to children), a merry-go-round carousel, and the terminus of the Märlitram, a Christmas streetcar, driven by Santa Claus, in which only children can ride, accompanied by angels who will read them themed fairy tales as they tour the city.
For those looking for a family-friendly place, there is also a very special corner here, the Elfendörfli. Set up on the terrace of the Opernhaus, this is a Christmas market dedicated to children, with tiny little houses housing games, spaces for drawing, writing letters to Santa, and a puppet theater. In short, you can enjoy your well-deserved Glühwein while your children have fun in the Elf Village.
City Weihnachtsmarkt
Along this central street in Zurich, and around the Pestalozzianlage square in front of the Globus department store, there are several huts selling mostly sweets and food, to stop by during a walk on the shopping street.
Münsterhof
My second favorite nook is this delightful little market in the Fraumünster Cathedral Square, where a very fine set of wooden cottages is set up against a backdrop of beautiful historic buildings with elegantly lit facades. This market sells more exclusive items, and the food offerings are also particularly niche, including champagne, truffles and oyster bars.
Werdmühleplatz
Although the stalls at this small market tucked away in a side street of Bahnhofstrasse are few, there is a special element here, the Singing Christmas Tree. A giant Christmas tree that actually hides a stage in height where choirs of adults and children sing Christmas songs throughout the day. It's a real magic to follow the notes of the songs that echo down Bahnhofstrasse to this corner where children in red caps and scarves perform in chorus.
Niederdorf
This is Zurich's historic market, the one distributed among the streets and squares of the old city center. It unfolds between Niederdorfstrasse and Hirschenplatz. It offers no special attractions, but is a great place for a mulled wine among the cobbled streets of the center.
Grossmünster
Around the great cathedral symbol of Zurich, there are several stalls and a large Fondue-Stube to be booked weeks in advance. Some days, free Christmas concerts in the cathedral take place.
Hauptbahnhof
In the gallery of the central station, there is a noisy and more traditional Christmas market, which is set against the backdrop of a very large Christmas tree decorated in a theme each year. Although not among my favorites as an offering and setting, it is certainly a good alternative for rainy days.
Zürcher Weihnachtsallee
The newest of Zurich's advent markets, but it has already made my top 3. This market takes place along Europaallee, a stone's throw from the main train station. The range of designer items and food is enviable, it's close to other beautiful stores in the city scene, which you can walk in and out of while alternating a bit of shopping; it has a small children's area, a Fondue-Stube, sometimes a skating rink.
Frau Gerolds Winter-Garten
This almost exclusively culinary Christmas market is set up in this urban space dedicated to sociability. In wintertime it also hosts a very cozy wooden Fondue-Stube.
The only downside of Zurich's Christmas markets, or rather Advent markets, is that, precisely, they end with the arrival of Christmas. In contrast to some markets in Europe that end only with the Epiphany in January, in Zurich, all the huts close on December 23 and we get ready to celebrate Christmas with the family, which concludes this magical event.
