Budapest Is Among the Top Cities

One of the biggest US news portals compiles a selection of the best Christmas Markets in the world. The elite list includes two Budapest venues.

Illustration (Photo: MTI/Zoltan Balogh)

The Christmas Markets start opening their doors in November and CNN decided to present the best of them. The US news channel's top twenty-two recommended Advent events include both of Budapest's big fairs.

Their first round picks include long-standing markets such as the one in Vienna, along with those in many other European cities such as Prague, Strasbourg, Basel and Brussels. There are also some North American locations, such as New York, Chicago and Toronto, as well as some rather exotic offers, such as in Singapore.

A point of pride from a Hungarian perspective is that both of Budapest's major Christmas Markets, the one in front of St Stephen's Basilica and the one on Vorosmarty Square, have made the favorites list.

The compilation also makes note of the highlights of each Advent festivity. As for the Christmas Market at the Basilica, they mention the 3D light show, now an annual feature and the hundred and fifty vendors offering an enticing selection of sweets, wine and handicrafts. Around 800,000 people visit the market on Vorosmarty Square in the heart of the city over the Christmas period to delight in the Hungarian fried dough (langos) and chimney cake as well as the surprises revealed in the giant Advent calendar, 

with the opening of a new window each day from December 1 through 23 in anticipation of the Christ Child's birth. 

Both fairs in Budapest open on November 15, with the Vorosmarty Square fair closing on New Year's Eve, while the Advent Market at the Basilica closes on New Year's Day, Metropol reports.

The Origo portal has made a compilation of the best Christmas Markets in the country, from Zalaegerszeg to Debrecen.

Cover photo: Illustration (Photo: MTI/Zoltan Balogh)