The Best Christmas Markets in Scandinavia

Said to be Sweden's biggest Christmas market is the Liseberg Christmas Market in Gothenburg. Open every December in the middle of Gothenburg, this is one of the more traditional Christmas markets in Scandinavia. You'll find more than 60 holiday booths with seasonal decorations, Christmas-style food and drink, and even numerous rides for the children. Should you get too cold, head across the Christmas Market to the ice-skating rink and warm up by skating a few rounds!

Stockholm is proud of its Christmas Markets. Did we say Markets? Yes, there are several - and all of them are worth visiting! The biggest Christmas Markets in Stockholm are:​

• The historic Christmas Market in the Skansen Open Air Museum (located on Djurgården island) which opened in 1903.
• The Christmas Market at Rosendal Palace, with sales booths in the palace gardens.
• The Christmas Market at Gamla Stan which is Stockholm's Old Town near the Royal Palace.
• Kungstradgården's Christmas Market, in the popular park downtown, and easy to reach.
• Grona Lund amusement park also hosts an annual Christmas market.

During Christmastime, the Christmas Market in Tivoli Park in Copenhagen is a favorite for both locals and visitors. Christmas in Tivoli offers not just a Scandinavian Christmas Market, but also countless small shops with crafts, food and drink. Entertainment such as concerts and pantomime can be enjoyed by the adults while the children enjoy cheerfully decorated activities and rides in Tivoli amusement park.

The Aarhus Christmas market is perfect for any weather - it's one of the few indoor Christmas markets. It's also Jutland's biggest craft market and comes with almost 100 booths full of unique Christmas art, decorations, and handicrafts. And during good weather, go to the Old Town to enjoy Christmas in Den Gamle By as well!

What an experience it is to visit this market. Christmas in Aalborg starts on November 24. On this day, after a long boat trip from Greenland, Denmark's Santa Claus arrives at Honnorkajen in Aalborg. This starts off the popular Christmas market which offers shopping, activities, great food, local crafts, and much more, daily until Christmas Eve (December 24).

Oslo has decided to create the largest Christmas market in Oslo's history, and they have succeeded. This Christmas Market is huge. Oslo visitors can find it easily in the harbor in front of Oslo City Hall. It's hard to overlook as the City Hall square will vanish under all the Christmas booths and decorations. The Oslo Christmas Market also offers seasonal concerts and other performances at the open-air stage by the market.

The home of Santa Claus, Lapland is a wonderful destination for winter travelers and offers an unforgettable Christmas Market. It is located at the Arctic Circle, 5 miles from the town of Rovaniemi, Finland. Lapland's biggest Christmas destination, this Christmas Market is called the "Santa Claus Village" and includes shops with Christmas decor and crafts, along with an interesting Christmas exhibition. There even is Santa's Post Office, where you can send real mail from. A recent addition to this Christmas Market in Lapland is Santa Park, which is an underground amusement park for the youngsters.

Finland's capital Helsinki has a very special type of Christmas market - it is divided amongst three, and they're following each other. First, there is the Women's Christmas Market in early December, which four rooms filled with crafts and food provided by Finnish women (location: Katajanokka area, Helsinki). Then follows the St Thomas Christmas Market in Esplanadi park in mid-December, concluded by the Indoor Christmas Market at the Old Student's Hall which closes just before Christmas. Just be careful when ordering mulled Christmas wine in Finland - it has Vodka in it.

Not just a Christmas market, the Icelandic Christmas Village in Hafnarfjörður is a popular destination for holiday travelers in Iceland. The Christmas Village in Hafnarfjörður is open every weekend leading up to Christmas. Here, travelers and locals can buy Icelandic crafts, contemporary gifts, and holiday decorations while being well-fed by the local vendors. During the holiday season in Hafnarfjörður, children visiting the Christmas Village can even meet Iceland's 13 Santa Clauses.