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Twinkling lights framing artisanal stalls and the aromas of mulled wine and bratwursts filling the air.

Christmas markets are opening for business across the United States — and here we reveal 12 of the very best locations.

In cities from New York to Chicago, and from Pittsburgh to Denver, festive markets are selling distinctive artisanal goods from hand-blown glass ornaments to alpaca sweaters, and offering all manner of delicacies from spiced glühwein to sizzling bratwursts. At some, you can even watch spectacular live ice carving demonstrations.

Read on for a sleigh’s worth of tips for Christmas markets that fizz with festive cheer, including top places to stay nearby.

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Chicago takes its Christmas markets extremely seriously and offers not one but three Christkindlmarket locations — two in the city itself and a third in the suburb of Aurora — all gold-standard, German-inspired affairs guaranteed to infuse visitors with holiday cheer.

In the city, one is set against the dazzling backdrop of historic Daley Plaza (November 21 — December 24) in the heart of the Loop, while the other unfolds in the lively Wrigleyville neighborhood (November 21 — December 24) beside the legendary Wrigley Field baseball stadium. The Aurora Christkindlmarket (November 23 — December 31) is held at RiverEdge Park and features around 60 vendors.

As you wander through them, you’ll uncover artisanal treasures from around the world, including hand-blown glass ornaments, with crispy potato pancakes (kartoffelpuffer), sizzling bratwursts and spiced glühwein — the beloved German mulled wine — on offer to keep you warm.

And don’t leave without the famous souvenir mug, available at all three locations. The design changes every year (past iterations include a boot and a snowman) and they’ve become something of a collector’s item among locals.

L7 Chicago by Lotte is handily placed for the Daley Plaza market — less than half a mile away — and offers boutique bedrooms with 55-inch LCD TVs, perfect for those all-important Christmas movies after a long day on your feet.

Read more: Why your next city break should be to Chicago, not NYC

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A New York Christmas has to be experienced at least once in your life, with its flurry of festive markets one of the most compelling reasons why.

There are several excellent options. One is Bryant Park Winter Village, which features more than 100 market stalls and NYC’s only free-admission ice rink. While the holiday shops close on January 4, the rink and the apres-skate "Lodge" food hall overlooking it — where you can buy festive cocktails and hot cocoa from vendors like S'mores N'more — stay open through March 1.

Head to the charming Union Square Holiday Market (open until December 24) for crafts, gifts and food stalls downtown, then take the 4, 5, or 6 train to Grand Central Terminal, where the station’s iconic Vanderbilt Hall transforms into an elegant indoor Christmas market (also until December 24). Over 40 artisans are selling distinctive gifts you won't find on Amazon, like handmade wooden home goods and limited-edition New York prints.

Refinery Hotel has loft-style rooms, a rooftop bar, and perfectly placed proximity to the Bryant Park market — it’s just four minutes away on foot.

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Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, leans heavily into Christmas celebrations, as you might expect from a settlement founded in 1741 on Christmas Eve and that, capitalizing on its heritage, calls itself "Christmas City, USA.”

The Christmas market (until December 21) is at the heart of the festivities, and it's an eye-opener, set against the backdrop of the old Bethlehem Steel blast furnaces — known today as the SteelStacks. The contrast between the rusting industrial structure and the rustic market is bewitching.

Highlights include spectacular live ice carving demonstrations and glass-blowing sessions. And locals will urge you not to miss a visit to the tent dedicated to Käthe Wohlfahrt — a world-renowned German provider of handmade ornaments — or a slice of Heidi's apple strudel.

Historic Hotel Bethlehem is blanketed in lavish decor and is within easy walking distance of the market.

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Located next to the Moerlein Lager House in Smale Riverfront Park, Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt (until December 28) is an all-ages German-American affair, with twinkling holiday lights, choir performances and an “igloo boardwalk,” where visitors can sit inside transparent igloo-style private seating domes with river views.

There are also stalls selling handcrafted gifts and ornaments, and Bavarian sausages and roasted nuts are available to satisfy hunger pangs.

AC Hotel by Marriott Cincinnati at The Banks puts you in the heart of Cincinnati’s festivities and is a snowball’s throw from the market.

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Movie-watching is part and parcel of the Christmas experience, and Kansas City embraces this wholeheartedly with its annual Hallmark Christmas Experience (November 28 — December 21) at the Crown Center mall.

It brings to life the charm of a Hallmark movie town square, complete with an ice rink, enormous Christmas trees, local vendors, festive foods and gift-wrapping stations.

Hallmark holiday movies are, of course, part of the magic, with weekend marathons screened inside the Hallmark Visitors Center.

The Fontaine features a rooftop swimming pool and is an easy 15-minute drive from the city center. Visitors can park in the Crown Center garages using the Complex Garage (P3) for the Hallmark Visitors Center or the Retail Garage (P1) for the shops and square.

While standard rates start at $7.00, you can get two hours of free parking if you take your parking ticket to be validated at the Visitors Center or any Crown Center merchant (extended to five hours if you spend $50 or more).

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From December 5 to 14, five blocks of San Antonio’s historic Houston Street are transformed into a Christmas-market-style wonderland.

More than 390,000 mini LED lights illuminate around 80 trees, wreaths adorn the lampposts, and local businesses switch to festive menus and holiday treats.

As part of the celebration, San Antonio hosts a Market Weekend (December 12–14), when more than 50 local vendors set up along the street selling artisan gifts, candles, locally made clothing and sweet treats.

Hotel Valencia Riverwalk puts you in the thick of the action — it’s just steps from the center of the city.

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Philadelphia’s Love Park throws itself headlong into the Christmas spirit between November 22 and December 24, transforming into a European-style open-air Bavarian village with more than 120 vendors offering ornaments, crafts, winter accessories and handmade gifts.

Hungry for festive staples? You’re in for a treat, there are stalls selling raclette sandwiches, spiced wine, gingerbread cookies and more.

New for this year is a 30-foot-tall German Christmas pyramid — an illuminated, multi-tiered wooden tower often found in Alpine town squares.

At The Notary Hotel, Philadelphia, Autograph Collection, you’ll be a short stroll from Love Park’s glowing celebrations.

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Pittsburgh’s Christmas Market (November 21 — December 24) has been running for 14 years and is a much-loved annual tradition.

Set in the heart of downtown in Market Square, and framed by twinkling lights and the city’s towering Christmas tree, locals wander among Alpine-style chalets and stalls selling handcrafted gifts and festive treasures as carolers gently serenade them.

In a city known for its industrial grit, the “old-world” atmosphere of Peoples Gas Holiday Market is delightfully unexpected.

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Pittsburgh by IHG would be the icing on the Christmas cake of a stay in Pittsburgh.

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Grand Rapids has come late to the Christmas market party — 2025 is only the third year of its Christkindl Markt (November 19 to December 23).

But it’s making up for lost time with a grand European-style Christmas village at the Downtown Market that features more than 60 artisan and food vendors.

The market offers classic delights such as glühwein (mulled wine), culinary specialties like raclette and bratwurst, Alpenglobes (transparent heated dining pods) for cozy private dining, and even curling lessons.

JW Marriott Grand Rapids is an ideal luxury base for Grand Rapids holiday cheer.

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D.C.'s Downtown Holiday Market (November 21 — December 23), now in its 21st year, transforms F Street NW (between 7th and 9th Streets) into a bustling festive village.

This enormous market fizzes with energy as 115 stalls do a brisk trade in an almost bewildering array of items. Here you can buy alpaca sweaters, artist-designed puzzles, hand-painted ceramics from Peru, and food and drink from authentic German pretzels and gooey raclette cheese to cocoa cocktails in the Winter Chalet, run by the adjacent Dirty Habit bar.

After you peruse the market, you can check out the free-to-enter Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, which are right opposite.

DC also has a more intimate Christmas market (until December 23) located at Dupont Circle (1500 block of 19th St NW). Here, you'll find arts and crafts gifts, and treats such as mini donuts and roasted nuts.

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC by IHG is next door and just steps from sister venue Dirty Habit and its Winter Chalet alter ego.

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For 27 years, The Osthoff Resort has been running a Christmas market (December 5–14) in the spirit of the centuries-old Christkindlesmarkt of Nuremberg, Germany.

Guests stroll the aisles of a grand heated tent filled with the aroma of roasted almonds, hot glühwein and Nuremberg bratwurst, while regional artisans sell everything from blown-glass ornaments and nutcrackers to stained-glass art and fine chocolates.

And be prepared for a festive selfie with Santa Claus — he makes frequent appearances.

The Osthoff Resort, set on the shores of Elkhart Lake, is the perfect property with which to entwine a visit to the market.

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Denver’s Christkindl Market (November 21–December 23) is produced by the German American Chamber of Commerce and inspired by traditional German markets.

And you’ll be able to smell the evidence straight away — the air fills with the aromas of candied nuts, gingerbread, strudel and cheese-stuffed sausages, along with glühwein and hot chocolate.

There are also artisanal gifts for sale and live performances, including German polka displays.

If festive buzz is the priority, look no further than Hotel Teatro, which is a short walk or ride from the market.

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