It's not even close to the night before Christmas, but are your children already having visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads? For many, now that Halloween has passed, we have moved swiftly onto the holiday season. Temperatures have cooled and the air is crisp, meaning that snow is on its way.
To get into the spirit of the season, many of Europe's major metropolitan hubs are turning their town squares into winter wonderlands known as Christmas markets. To give your family a real holiday treat this year, turn the children's fairy tale dreams into reality with a visit to any of these family-friendly holiday celebrations
London, England
London is a year-round family favorite and their Christmas market rivals any on the European continent - and is especially great for the kiddos. Winter Wonderland sets up in Hyde Park and includes a giant observation wheel, a Christmas market, big top shows, carnival rides and more.
An ice rink circles a Victorian bandstand. Children will marvel at the Magical Ice Kingdom, which features an "ice forest" with frozen sculptures and an ice castle. There are two circus shows - Zippos Circus and Cirque Beserk - and the Christmas market is filled with arts, crafts and holiday trinkets. In addition, the Angels and Yuletide market offers traditional wooden chalets overflowing with holiday goods.
Are you hungry? Take the family to the Bavarian Village, overflowing with traditional German holiday treats such as German-style sausages and gluhwein. Children will love to sip hot chocolate and nibble on a warm churro.
The festival is located in Hyde Park and runs from Nov. 21- Jan. 2015.
Innsbruck, Austria
Innsbruck has several Christmas markets, but its Family Christmas Market at Marktplatz will truly delight the children. Take a turn on the carousel, visit the petting zoo and then tag along with mom and dad to check out the beautiful holiday items in the lines of market stalls while sampling some Advent donuts. Keep an eye out for Rapunzel and other fairy-tale characters who often peer down from the windows.
The nearby Hungerburg Christmas Market is also worth checking out. The funicular rail line makes the market a scenic adventure. It's the only way to get to the top and once there, enjoy breathtaking views and warm, tasty treats.
Hamburg, Germany
Your children's eyes will be gleaming as they take in the Hamburg Town Hall Christmas Market. Why is that? Old fashioned carousels, theatrical performances, boat rides and a parade - to name a few attractions. But that is just barely scraping the surface. Every day, at 4 p.m., Santa Claus pays the market a visit with his reindeer - including Rudolph. Every Advent Saturday, the colorful Hamburg parade also takes to the streets for a festive procession.
For holiday shoppers, the handcrafted decorations hail from the Erzgebirge region and by woodcarvers from Tyrol. But the whole town is decorated from head to toe for the holiday season, including shopping streets and city malls.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is one of the most family-friendly cities in the world. Therefore, combining a holiday visit to the famed amusement park, Tivoli Gardens, with a yuletide celebration is one way to really delight children of all ages. Copenhagen celebrates Jul (yuletide) with a Christmas craft market within Tivoli. And in addition to Tivoli's Christmas market and the amusement park rides, the park really embraces the spirit of the holidays. There is the Nutcracker Ballet at the Tivoli Concert Hall, an Alp Village, snack stalls, warm drinks and more creating a Nordic Christmas celebration that all can enjoy.
The Nordic Christmas area features drinks and sweets from the region plus visits with Santa's reindeer, and Father Christmas is open for visits in the Pantomime Theater. Lucky children may get Father Christmas to sing a Christmas carol or tell them a story.
When the sun has set on Nov. 13, there is a special treat at 5:30: 100 girls from different Copenhagen choirs will walk in a Saint Lucia procession through Tivoli, starting and ending by the arcade under the Concert Hall.
Brussels, Belgium
This European capital city hosts a large-scale Christmas market in the center of town. Known as Winter Wonders, the holiday celebration combines Christmas markets with a sound and light show at the Grand Palace; an interactive exhibit called the "Iceberg - Electrabel Light Experience; a new Swiss chalet food area. The traditional attractions such as a Ferris wheel, an ice rink, merry-go-rounds - and the Slalom Ice Monster are what kids will really love. There is also a parade.
Market dates are from Nov. 28-Jan. 4.
Keep in mind, these are just a few of hundreds of Christmas markets around Europe - luckily, the now-traditional early start to the season means there might just be time to hit them all before Santa arrives.
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