LONDON, Dec 20 — What better way to get into the spirit of the season than to take in the sights and sounds of a Yuletide market?

For those on a winter tour of European cities, it’s a great opportunity to experience how the locals celebrate Christmas by discovering what they buy for gifts and how they eat and drink.

Located in London’s Covent Garden Piazza, the Jubilee Market, which is open all year round, takes on a festive ambience in December, with thousands of Christmas lights ringing in the season. The building — the Jubilee Hall — was built in 1904 while the market itself opened over three decades ago.


The stalls at Jubilee Market sell interesting baked goods such as almond croissants made from organic spelt

Looking for the right tree to bring home

There are stalls selling freshly roasted chestnuts, unusual baked goods (almond croissants made from organic spelt, anyone?) and even the slightly discordant if tasty offering of paella. Punch stands offer some invigorating refreshments. The aroma of nutmeg permeates the air.


At a loss for the perfect Christmas gift? The Antiques Market is a treasure trove of collectibles from yesteryear, from Georgian to Victorian, Art Deco to Art Nouveau. For something more eclectic, the artisans at the Arts & Crafts Market offers a wide range of handicrafts, paintings and jewellery. Perhaps you’re looking for just the right tree to bring home; chances are you’ll find it here.


Other European capitals have their own takes, such as the Wiener Weihnachts Traum Christkindlmarkt (Viennese Dream Christmas Market) in Vienna and the Fira de Nadal a la Sagrada Familia at the base of the iconic unfinished church by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.


If the larger Christmas markets aren’t your thing, how about smaller ones off the beaten track? There’s one in the quaint German town of Rüdesheim, famous for its wines and Rüdesheim Coffee (spiked with local brandy and topped with whipped cream), as well as the charming Yuletide market in Merano, South Tyrol, where Saint Nicholas parades in a traditional bishop's hat instead of the more common red cap.


The Kerstmarkt Assen is illuminated by colourful light installations

Bands performing music live on the streets

Often these little Christmas markets don’t try to impress outsiders but instead embrace their own diminutive size. Take Assen, a quiet town in the north-eastern province of Drenthe in the Netherlands. Past the canals and the former Marienkamp Abbey, the Kerstmarkt Assen takes place every mid-December around the streets of Noordersingel, Nieuwehuizen and Brinkstraat.


The almost garish, colourful light installations illuminate the Christmas market, giving it a larger than life funhouse atmosphere. The aroma of freshly baked pastries will convince you of the superiority of Dutch baking: oliebollen (sugar-dusted doughnuts), sûkerbôle (sugar bread), appeltaart (apple pies), and a very festive banketstaaf (flaky pastry log with almond paste).


Noël is a time for music in Assen, and for the young ones too. Local choirs sing carols from door to door while bands give "live" performances on the street. No pied piper to lure the children away; instead they are captivated by nativity scenes and there are classes teaching them how to make their own Christmas candles.


It’s never too late to snack on oliebollen (sugar-dusted Dutch doughnuts)

Stockholm’s bustling Stortorgets Julmarknad is the oldest Christmas market in Sweden

For some of us, Christmas is synonymous with Santa Claus. While a visit to the North Pole might be out of the question for most, a trip to Scandinavia is the next best thing.

In Stockholm’s medieval Gamla Stan district, the Stortorgets Julmarknad (Old Town Christmas Market) has been a Yuletide event since 1937, making it the oldest Christmas market in Sweden.


As you wander around stalls offering brända mandlar (caramelised almonds) and varm glögg (hot spicy mulled wine), you might hear folks greeting each another with "God Jul!” (Swedish for "Merry Christmas!”). Other vendors dish up distinctively Swedish treats such as smoked reindeer and elk meat.


A trädgårdstomte (Swedish gnome) (left). Shiny golden stars adorn the streets where Stortorgets Julmarknad is held (right)

The market and its surrounding streets are decked in Yuletide glory — shiny golden stars and scarlet poinsettias (commonly referred to as the Christmas flower). Instead of cheerful albeit plasticky Santas, many shops are adorned with grittier looking gnomes (known as trädgårdstomte in Swedish). This far up north, everything feels more real... or really cold, at least.


You may celebrate a very Nordic Christmas elsewhere, too: in Finland (Helsinki’s St. Thomas Market with its own popular Christmas Sauna), Norway (the Jul i Vinterland or "Christmas in Winterland” in front of the Royal Palace in Oslo) or Denmark (the Hans Christian Andersen Christmas Market in Copenhagen).


Taking pictures of Swedish-style Christmas decorations

When the sun sets (as early as three in the afternoon this far up north), the city’s historic walls are bathed in the glow of candlelight. There is a sense of magic in the chilly winter air. If the trädgårdstomte suddenly takes on a more terrifying appearance, have no fear — nothing a generous glug of hot, steaming glögg wouldn’t cure!


Jubilee Market

1 Tavistock Court, London WC2E 8BD, United Kingdom

Open Mon 5am-5pm (Antiques Market); Tue-Fri 10:30am-7pm (General Market) & Sat-Sun 10am-6pm (Arts & Crafts Market)

Kerstmarkt Assen (Assen Christmas Market)

Located around Noordersingel, Nieuwehuizen & Brinkstraat, Assen, Netherlands

Open Dec 15-23, daily 9am-6pm

Stortorgets Julmarknad (Old Town Christmas Market)

Main square, Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden

Open Nov 21 till Dec 23, daily 11am-6pm