7 hygge-filled Christmas markets in Northern Europe

1. Spikersuppa Market, Oslo

Open: November 16 - December 22

The main Christmas market in the capital Oslo, Norway has a very funny name: Spikersupa, literally translated into Vietnamese as... Nail Soup, named after an artificial lake right next to it. This is the most famous Christmas market in the capital because it is located right on Karl Johans gate - the main road leading straight from Oslo central station to the Royal Palace of Norway and is often called the Champs Élysées of Oslo. The special feature of this market is the artificial ice skating rink, which is also the Nail Soup lake which at this time is frozen smooth, a hamburger stall and reindeer steak with standard Nordic flavor always present every Christmas.

2. Bergen Julemarked

Open: November 28 - December 22

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and the most famous tourist city in the country. Many tourists flock to Bergen every summer, but few people remember Bergen at Christmas. Bergen Julemarked is held right at Festplassen - the central square of Bergen. Although not known to many Asian tourists, this market attracts many European tourists, mainly because of the high-quality Norwegian handicrafts and knitwear, as well as the best dishes of western Norwegian cuisine present in this Christmas market. Besides Bergen Julemarked, if you have the opportunity to visit Bergen and visit the famous Bryggen house, do not miss Julehuset, located on the right side of the Bergen house, towards the center. This is a store specializing in selling handmade Christmas decorations in Norway, extremely sophisticated, eye-catching and the price is also commensurate with its value.

3. Copenhagen Christmas Market

Copenhagen - the "hygge" capital of the world - has countless large and small Christmas markets scattered throughout the city, making people hesitate to choose which one to go to and which one to skip amid such a "hundred-sided ambush". However, the most prominent names, the markets that most embody the Danish spirit of hygge, are limited to just four markets: Nyhavn Harbour (from November 8 to December 23), Julemarked Højbro Plads (from November 15 to December 22), Julemarked Kongens Nytorv (from November 15 to December 22) and the Christmas market at Tivoli Gardens (from November 17 to December 31). Among them, perhaps the Christmas market at Tivoli Gardens is the largest and longest-lasting, because besides locals, this market also attracts a large number of international tourists to visit and shop for the end of the year, combined with entertainment right in the park.

4. Christmas market in Liseberg park, Gothenburg

Open: November 15 - December 23 and December 26 - December 30

Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden (after the capital Stockholm) and has a population of about 500,000 people. Talking about the city's population, you can be "shocked" by the similar number of tourists flocking to Liseberg amusement park every Christmas to attend Sweden's largest Christmas market. Located right in the center of Gothenburg, Liseberg amusement park is the venue for Sweden's largest Christmas market. The entire park is transformed into a giant market with about 1,000 large and small pine trees and more than 5 million Christmas lights used here. Every day there are figure skating performances and other impressive light shows. Liseberg Christmas market is so special that the event of lighting the star to decorate the large Christmas tree is almost the focus of local media during the Christmas season.

5. Christmas market in Stockholm

Open: November 23 - December 23

The Swedish capital also has many different Christmas markets, but the most famous is the one held in Gamla Stan - the famous old town in Stockholm with two prominent yellow and red houses and an old-style stone-paved square dating back to the 14th century. This Christmas market in Gamla Stan dates back to the 19th century and has since spread throughout Sweden.

6. Helsinki Christmas Market

Open: December 6 - December 22

If there is any reason why the capital of Finland is more crowded with tourists than other days of the year, it must be the Christmas market held in Helsinki. Of all the capitals of the 5 Nordic countries that I have had the opportunity to visit, it can be said that Helsinki is the capital that is relatively more gloomy in terms of both form and sightseeing and entertainment activities in the city. Helsinki seems to be just a short stop for tourists to go to Lapland, to Santa Claus Village, or even to the capital Tallinn of Estonia, which is only about 3 hours away by ferry. However, the Helsinki Christmas market is an interesting thing of the city. The entire main street Aleksanterinkatu will be decorated splendidly and is the official Christmas street of the city. The Christmas market is located right in the main square of Senate Square with a brilliant carousel located right in the center of the square.

7. Tallinn Christmas Market

Open: November 15 - January 7, 2020

The capital of Estonia is a beautiful medieval city in itself - a place that, when I first set foot in it, I couldn't believe my eyes that there could be such a beautiful medieval capital with a Central European flavor in the cold Nordic region. And so, it's no surprise that the Tallinn Christmas Market, held in the main Town Hall Square, is one of the 7 most hygge Christmas markets in Northern Europe. The star of the Tallinn Christmas Market is... the star on top of the Christmas tree in the center of the market. The tradition of decorating a Christmas tree in Tallinn dates back to 1441, and this was also the first Christmas tree to be displayed and decorated outdoors in Europe.

Tallinn Christmas Market does not arrange the stalls horizontally or vertically, but takes the pine tree as the center and then spreads out into 12 branches with many tiny stalls made from pine wood, snow-covered roofs and yellow lights, looking down from above like sweet white cream-covered cakes.

Ngoc Quyen