Europe's best Christmas market is in Romania, and Madrid ranks 12th

Christmas is still two months away, but city-break planners are already scrolling. If you're one of them, a huge online vote has just named the best Christmas market in Europe. It's not in Germany.

What happened? 🎄

Around 800,000 users voted for their favourite Christmas market on the European Best Destinations platform. The winner is Craiova, in Romania.

It's also the biggest market on the continent. More than 280,000 square metres of the city's old town turn into a festive wonderland, with decorations, shows, stalls and rides.

Zurich in Switzerland took second place, and Riga, the capital of Latvia, completed the podium. Debrecen in Hungary closed the top five.

Where do the others rank?

Fourth place went to Lisbon, which is much closer to Spain. It may be less famous than other destinations, but it keeps surprising people who travel to Portugal.

The next spots are also a mixed bag. Govone and Asti, two small towns in northern Italy about an hour from Turin, made the top ten. So did Valkenburg in the Netherlands, known for a market held in a cave, and Vienna in Austria.

Two French markets close the top ten: Montbéliard and Paris, in that order.

And Spain?

Spain has just one entry in the ranking: Madrid. Its Christmas market in the Plaza Mayor (the city's famous central square) came 12th.

It finished behind Edinburgh in Scotland. Not bad for a country whose Christmas calendar is usually built around lights and nativity scenes.

So if you fancy a winter escape, the list gives you plenty of options. Lisbon is the closest big name, and Madrid's market is there if you don't want to leave the country at all.