I love the holidays. The Christmas lights, cozy drinks, and delicious food gives everything a touch of magic. You see food drives, toy drives, and more people helping other people. Despite all the vitriol and hate people spew, usually by people who are the loudest, it gives you hope for humanity.
And Christmas trees make me happy (I put up 11 in my house!). So when we were planning our last month in Europe, it was obvious that Christmas markets had to be part of the itinerary.
Since we were leaving from Milan, we picked Basel as our first stop. The train was at a convenient time and didn’t require a transfer (huge plus with all of our luggage) so we said arrivederci to Italy and headed to Switzerland.
Basel has two markets, the main one in Barfüsserplatz and a slightly smaller one in Münsterplatz. They are very close to each other and easily walkable. Barfüsserplatz had more food, but Münsterplatz had a giant Christmas tree.
Our hotel was right in the middle of the markets, making it the perfect place to stay. Barfüsserplatz was right outside the door, and Münsterplatz was just a short walk. Walking through the market on the cobblestone streets with our stuff wasn’t great, but it more than made up for it once we dropped our stuff off. The weather was pretty miserable for the two nights we were there, so it was really nice to have food and glühwein stalls right outside the lobby doors. When it was raining hard, The Husband braved the weather to bring me hot mulled wine.
Each market has their own glühwein (or other hot beverage) cup. You pay a deposit, usually €3, and can either keep the cup or return it for the deposit. The cup this year was an adorable green cup with stars and snowmen. We obviously had to keep one each. Occasionally stands would run out of the cups (you exchange it for a clean one with each refill) so we had last year’s cup for a drink. We didn’t keep it, but it was cute, too.
They also have delicious food! Barfüsserplatz had the majority of the food stands, so that’s where we ate most of our meals. I started with the fondue dog, and it was one of the greatest things I’ve ever had. It was melted cheese inside a hot dog bun. It didn’t have an actual hot dog, just the most delicious, melted cheese.
If that wasn’t enough cheese, I also had fondue with bread and potatoes. The weather was cold and rainy and it was the perfect warm meal. There was a temporary restaurant set up across from the lobby doors, making it the obvious choice for a meal in the rain. Most stands just have a small standing area that’s partially covered. We also tried vermicelles, a chestnut and meringue Swiss dessert. It was interesting, but chestnuts aren’t my thing.
One of the stands with a consistently long line was the homemade chips. You could choose from a bunch of different seasonings to put on the chips. I got Cajun and it was the perfect blend of spicy and salty.
I also got chocolate covered strawberries and they were so good! The Swiss really know how to do chocolate .
It was wonderful to walk around the market, steaming cup of glühwein in hand, and look at the decor and lights. Barfüsserplatz was a little larger and had tons of cute stalls with lights. One restaurant had signing moose heads outside and it was really cute.
Münsterplatz was more peaceful, with the giant tree in front of the church and little huts with a fire to stay warm. It was calm and cozy and perfect.
It was about 34 F and raining most of the time, but it was still a great experience. The crowd wasn’t overwhelming and the stands were easy to browse. Lines weren’t too long, even when it wasn’t raining. If you are planning a Christmas market trip, I highly recommend including 2021’s Best Christmas Market in Europe, Basel.
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