Just like other European Christmas markets, the Geneva Christmas market offers a wide array of Christmas gifts and souvenirs. Every year, it attracts about 500,000 shoppers from all over Switzerland and abroad, which makes it one of the largest events of its kind in Switzerland. While many other markets focus on promoting local artisans, the Christmas market in Geneva has an international twist, it presents products from different parts of the globe.
So what can you find at the Geneva International Christmas Market? Local and international merchants sell an impressive variety of arts and crafts, handmade Christmas ornaments, and traditional Christmas treats from many countries. Food stalls offer different kinds of Christmas cookies, famous Swiss chocolate and cheeses, hot chocolate and spicy mulled wine to keep you warm.
As we’ve already mentioned, the Geneva Christmas market is a market with an international twist. Each year, it features a guest of honor, a certain country or region which is invited to present its culture at the market. For example, the 2015 guest of honor was Hungary. The market featured a Hungarian chalet where attendees could buy traditional Hungarian souvenirs, taste local cuisine and participate in the entertainment program which helped them to learn more about the culture of Hungary.
Although Geneva Christmas market attracts a lot of visitors due to its eclectic mix of international exhibitors, some people think that it lacks traditional Christmas atmosphere. It is indeed quite different from traditional Weihnachtsmärkte (German-style Christmas market), but this doesn’t make it worse.
Alongside merchants stalls, the Geneva Christmas market offers other attractions. For example, there is a Christmas Village for children. The youngest visitors of the market will also like Santa’s House located 2042 m above the sea level. Besides, Geneva is considered one of the most beautifully decorated cities during the Christmas season.
