We did all the research to find the best Christmas Markets in Europe, visited these in person ourselves, and of course stayed at some amazing Marriott properties during our entire trip.
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Maybe an unpopular opinion, but Marriott hotels are our absolute favorite. Why?? Well for one, Marriott has more properties than just the Courtyards or Sheraton hotels. Their Luxury Collection and Autograph hotels are exactly those beautiful boutique hotels we all love. And second, once you rack up Marriott status, your basic room stays can be anything but basic.
Let me explain..
Reaching Platinum Elite status with Marriott allows you to be eligible for free breakfast, free room upgrades and free late checkout, among other benefits.
Once you reach Titanium Elite you’re eligible for more suite night awards which you can apply to your stay and instead stay in a sweet suite. Plus you’re higher on the upgrade list, thereby giving you a higher probability of getting upgraded from the hotel for free.
Click here for the Marriott website with further details.
These perks and our Titanium Elite status are why we choose Marriott properties as often as possible during our stays.
If you’re visiting any of these cities during the Christmas Markets, here’s where you should stay:
Strasbourg, France
Perhaps the most beautiful city during Christmas time, it’s no secret why Strasbourg is continuously ranked the most beautiful Christmas Market in Europe.
The Christmas Markets are scattered throughout the main island of the city. During the market it is not possible to drive onto the main island as streets are closed for safety purposes.
The only exception to this rule is if your hotel has provided you a parking spot. If not, you will need to park outside the island and walk to your hotel.
Maison Rouge, Autograph Collection
This hotel is centrally located and right next to Place Kleber where the large iconic Strasbourg Christmas Tree is located. I cannot say enough good things about this location as it’s super convenient. We contacted the hotel about 2 weeks before our stay and they no longer had any parking spots available. The day of our stay we contacted the hotel and asked if they had any last-minute parking spots, and to our luck they did!
We quickly filled out the parking form they sent us with our names and car information so they could stamp it and email it back to us. This was crucial as the police block the entrances of the island and will need to see that form filled out before they let you through. If you receive a parking spot the hotel will also send you a map with parking directions as the roads are closed and getting to the entrance is not normal during the market. Tip (Getting to the parking lot is a little confusing during the Christmas Market, but its very convenient being able to drive right up to the hotel with all your things. The alternative is parking on the other side of the river and walking 10 minutes from a parking garage.)
Titanium Benefits:
After submitting a Suite night award request, we were upgraded to a top floor balcony room. The balcony door is locked for safety but they will come and unlock it for you once you sign a form waiving your right to sue them if you hurt yourself .
Unfortunately, we did not receive the free breakfast here and chose not to pay the 30 euros per person that it cost. We asked for a one-hour late checkout to which they allowed with no issues. Since it was a weekend though, I am not sure they could have approved a 4pm late checkout had we needed it since Strasbourg is extremely popular on the weekends.
Cologne, Germany
Cologne is unique in that it has several quite different markets all throughout the city. Their markets have different themes and are located much further apart from each other compared to some of the other European cities. As you will need to either walk or take public transportation between the markets, being centrally located here is not as important.
Marriott Koln
We opted to stay at the Marriott Koln located right next to the central train station. This location is extremely convenient if you’re coming into the city from the train. The hotel is just a 7-minute walk to the large Cathedral which is the home to one of the most beautiful markets in the city.
Titanium Benefits
We were upgraded to a large suite with a river view on their executive floor. This is one of the larger rooms we received during our European Market stay. The hotel honored late checkout as well as gave us the free breakfast as our titanium reward. The breakfast here was nothing special but the food/coffee was tasty enough.
Salzburg, Austria
The Salzburg Christmas Market has closed and will hopefully open once the lockdown in Austria is over. The city has several markets throughout the city but the most notable one is the in Residenzplatz. Not only is this a beautiful backdrop for a Christmas Market, but overall just a beautiful city.
Hotel Goldener Hirsch, a Luxury Collection
Hotel Goldener Hirsch, a Luxury Collection hotel is about a 7-minute walk away and located right on Getreidegasse street. Walking out your front door onto this street would be magical any time of year but add Christmas décor and lights to it and it’s straight out of a Hallmark movie, magical. I cannot stress how great of a location this is and would absolutely stay here again!
Titanium Benefits:
Without even submitting a SNA request we were upgraded to a beautiful King Suite. This hotel is the perfect mix of elegant antique décor meets modern amenities. The pictures do not do it justice which is why we didn’t bother submitting an SNA for it. (They should really update them to videos!) The hotel also allowed a late checkout as well as the free buffet breakfast. Their breakfast is on the small side, but they also offer made to order eggs as well.
Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich has several Christmas Markets located throughout the city and it’s relatively large given it’s the capital. With a solid transportation system, I don’t think location is as important here for being near the markets.
Marriott Zurich
We opted to stay at the Marriott Zurich and while the hotel is huge and offers many amenities, it’s a little far on foot from the hustle and bustle of the city center. This can be a perk as you will not be impacted by the loud busy streets when sleeping, and if you don’t mind walking 20 minutes, it shouldn’t be a huge issue.
Titanium Benefits:
The hotel offers a spacious lounge that offers light snacks throughout the day as well as drinks. The lounge is accessed through your hotel keycard if you have status. At this hotel we were upgraded to a nice size suite with an excellent view of the city as we were on the top floor. The Marriott also offers the free breakfast buffet which we visited both days we were there.
Stuttgart, Germany
Stuttgart’s Christmas Market is rated as one of the best in all of Europe. Unfortunately, the market was cancelled the day before our stay, but since we had already purchased train tickets we opted to still go. The city did have several small Christmas themed events that were not Christmas Markets.
Le Meridien
We stayed at the Le Meridien which is within a 7 minute walk to the main train station. The walk does not seem intuitive at first, but when you come out of the hotel, take the stairs up one floor to the bridge right above it. The bridge will take you to the park where the walk is paved walkway is a straight shot to the train station. This area is all under construction so unfortunately not the best views or location to stay, but it provides easy access to public transportation and the city center.
Titanium Benefits:
We received an upgrade to a nice spacious suite without submitting a request. We also received the free breakfast buffet here which was quite large and good! The hotel also provided a late check out which we took advantage of and departed promptly at 4pm.
Innsbruck, Austria
The Innsbruck Christmas markets are currently closed and will hopefully reopen once the lockdown in Austria ends. The city has a few Christmas Markets that are very easy to walk to from one another. Compared to some of the other markets we visited, Innsbruck markets are on the smaller side but offer the same amazing food and drinks.
AC Hotel Innsbruck
We stayed at the AC hotel which is located just at the start of Innsbruck Old Town. This located is perfect if you are driving into town as you can easily access the hotel without having to drive through Old Town where streets get more narrow and packed with pedestrians.
Titanium Benefits:
We were upgraded to large mountain view room on the top floor. Although not a suite, the view could not have been better and highly recommend asking for a mountain view if you’re able to. The hotel provided free breakfast and we were pleasantly surprised by how great the service was not only at breakfast but throughout our entire stay at the AC hotel.
Hotel stays are much better when the free upgrade comes through or when the whole stay is free with points!!
