Strasbourg Christmas Market

Strasbourg's Christkindelsmärik has been running in some form since 1570, making it one of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe and the most famous in France. Each year from late November through December, the city's half-timbered old town — itself a UNESCO World Heritage site — fills with wooden chalets selling mulled wine, bredele biscuits, roasted chestnuts and Alsatian specialities.

The market spreads across more than a dozen squares throughout the city centre, each with its own particular character, from the flagship market at Place Broglie to smaller, quieter corners tucked into the medieval streets. A towering Christmas tree in Place Kléber has become one of the market's most photographed fixtures.

For many visitors, Strasbourg represents the definitive version of the European Christmas market experience — the template that countless other cities across the continent have since drawn inspiration from.