05 Nov 3X MAGICAL CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN SWITZERLAND
It’s the season to be jolly, and cities across Switzerland are ready to welcome you to their Christmas Markets. We visited various Christmas markets in the cities of St. Gallen, Bern, and Olten. Get into the Christmas spirit and find your favorite ones!
Magical Christmas Markets in Switzerland
If you haven’t thought about Switzerland as your go-to-destination for Christmas inspiration, think again. Over the years, team Wander-Lust has discovered about six different cities in Switzerland during the Christmas period, and we are happy to tell you that it brings the magical Christmas Spirit you’re looking for. Now, there are more than enough Christmas Markets in Switzerland to choose from, but we narrowed it down to three cities; St. Gallen, Bern, and Olten. All historical, which creates beautiful backdrops of buildings, but also snowy mountain peaks in the distance.
Check here if you’re curious about other Christmas Markets in Switzerland.
Christmas market in St. Gallen
Discover the beautiful, and historic city center of St. Gallen and their Christmas Market. With the backdrop of St. Gallen’s Cathedral – UNESCO World Heritage-listed, which is house to the most beautiful Library we’ve ever seen. Full of festive lights and holiday decorations, with stalls full of sweets, mulled wine and roasted chestnuts. Here are three must do’s when you visit St. Gallen during the holiday season .
- Hike up to the Drei Weieren (3 ponds) – and see the city from above. Even in winter, it’s a beautiful walk, if not more so. Skip the long walk up from the city and take the tram up (2 minutes), it will save you a sweat.
- Visit the Abbey Library – no words…This is the most beautiful Library we have ever visited. With your Swiss Travel Pass, you can enter for free!
- Visit the Christmas Market of St. Gallen, during the advent period. Cash only at most stands, so bring enough!
- Book a cheese fondue around the city – there are many options, but this restaurant offers cozy fondues inside a ski-lift!
St. Gallen Cathedral
Abbey Library
Christmas Markets in Bern
Now, when we say Christmas Markets, we mean at least five, and some pop-ups. Bern offers a lot of Christmas spirit, and has several options to choose from. Each location has its own vibe, but our favorite was the one located in de park of Kleine Schanze, not far from the train station. Firstly, it’s one of the larger Christmas Markets in Switzerland, and therefore you can spent hours here. For a clearer overview, these are the best spots in Bern during November/December:
- Berner Sternenmarkt, Kleine Schanze – this park has transformed into a Christmas Village, with so many twinkling lights. Enjoy the stunning tree, fire pit balls to keep you warm, and plenty of stalls with local goods and drinks (try the hot gin, it’s a thing), Walk up the hill during the day to see the snowy peaks of Switzerland. You can only pay by card here.
- Waisenhausplatz Weinachtsmarkt – bears are the theme here, so don’t forget to take a little peak in the bear houses. Gather around the sparkly Christmas tree and enjoy some mulled wine!
- Oscar Elch, Ringgenpärkli park – small but a favorite Christmas pop-up, popular with the gen-z and millennial crowd. Made entirely from wood, you can sit inside the wooden cabins and drink traditional Scandinavian mulled wine (Gløgg).
- Münsterplatz Christmas Market– with the massive Church as a backdrop, this Christmas Market in Bern showcases the many handmade crafts and goods by locals.
- Generationenhaus Bahnhofplatz – not a Christmas Market, but a place to sit next the fire, enjoy hot drinks, and catch up with friends. Located next to the main train station.
Bern
Berner Sternenmarkt
Waisenhausplatz
Oscar Elch
Magical Christmas Market in Olten
This city is super convenient to reach from Bern, so you can easily hop to Olten for the evening. In less than 30 minutes, the Swiss train will take you to another historic city. It’s iconic wooden bridge will take you to its charming old town where you will find the Adventsdorf Olten. You can enjoy cozy Christmas Market until the 22nd of December, which is enjoyed best by families, and couples.
You can find about 60 small stalls with food, drinks, and gifts. Children can go for a ride on Santa’s train, or take a peek in Santa’s House. There are farm animals to pet, and if you dare, you can slide down the slope on an inflatable tire (we tried, and it was fun indeed!). TIP: Make sure you’re around at 6 pm, as this is the time that Santa will come sliding down, along with some sparks that will light up the children’s faces. Most stalls take cash only.
Practical stuff – How to get there
There are three good options to get to these three magical Christmas Markets in Switzerland – by train, by car, or by plane. We would always opt the more sustainable way, the train. Once you get through Germany and arrive in Switzerland, you’ll be amazed how smooth their train system works. Be smart and purchase a Swiss Travel Pass for a few days, it gives you free rides on most public transport, and access to various museums across Switzerland.
If you do decide to come by plane, it’s only a short flight from Amsterdam (about 1 hour), and we flew to Zurich and traveled by train from there. We flew with Swiss International Air Lines, a favorite when it comes to European Airlines. We loved their amazing customer service, free bottle of water, and efficiency.
Where to stay
We stayed at St. Gallen for one night, and stayed in the centrally located Sorrel Hotel City Weissenstein. Rooms are spacious and comfortable, and the hotel is walking distance from the train station, and old city.
In Bern we stayed at another Sorrel hotel near the station, which had a wonderful breakfast, and has won a sustainable award. This hotel is mainly used for business and conferences, Discover more hotel in Bern.
In essence, Switzerland has proven to offer travelers and locals some magical Christmas Markets! Be inspired, and discover more below!
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