Europe is where the Christmas market began, and the tradition still defines the season across the continent. From the medieval squares of Germany to imperial Vienna and the Gothic heart of Prague, six cities anchor our European coverage — each home to markets that have run for centuries.

• Dresden & Nuremberg, Germany: Dresden's Striezelmarkt, first held in 1434, is Germany's oldest Christmas market, while Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt is its most famous — known for Lebkuchen gingerbread and its ceremonial opening by the Christkind.
• Strasbourg, France: The self-styled Capitale de Noël has hosted the Christkindelsmärik at Place Broglie since 1570, set among the half-timbered houses of Petite France and the city's Gothic cathedral.
• Vienna, Austria: The Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz turns the square before City Hall into an imperial winter fair, with smaller artisan markets at the Schönbrunn and Belvedere palaces.
• Cologne, Germany & Prague, Czech Republic: Cologne sets its largest market beneath the spires of the Kölner Dom, while Prague pairs its Old Town Square market with a towering tree and the backdrop of the medieval Astronomical Clock.