Three of the best European Christmas markets

Chris Carter looks at some of the best Christmas markets, including a fantastical fair in Aachen presided over by a gingerbread man.

Aachen Christmas Market

(Image credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Set against Aachen's sombre town hall in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Christmas market looks fantastical, with an added dash of Harry Potter spookiness, say Katja Schnitzler and Irene Helmes in the Sddeutsche Zeitung. Festive cheer permeates through the city's squares and alleys around the cathedral and town hall. In front stands the Printenmann, a six-foot-high "gingerbread" man, who serves as the Christmas market's mascot. It's said that the gingerbread men (a local speciality) have taken the form of soldiers since the early 19th century, when the people of Aachen wanted to cut the occupying armies down to size one bite at a time. However, these days, peace reigns a message that's carried along the Aachen Crib Trail, with its festive images from different eras and cultures.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.