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Published: 4/24/2025
My Complete European Christmas Market Packing List
There are so many reasons to pack light when you take a European Christmas market trip. In this post, I’m sharing how I packed for a full week (plus two travel days) at the Christmas markets in western Europe in my carry-on suitcase and still had room for all my fun market purchases.
Any time you visit Europe, you want to be cognizant of cobblestone streets and limited elevators that make full-sized suitcases a very specific type of hell. December weather provides even more motivation to avoid dragging massive suitcases through 5 inches of wintery mix. But really, in this specific context, packing light is all about having ample room for your Christmas market shopping!
I’m not just sharing my complete Christmas market packing list, I’m also letting you in on exactly how I did it. Both the style of this trip and where we chose to stay had huge impacts on our ability to pack light. Since we relied on public transportation for every step of this journey, it was imperative that our suitcases fit in trains’ overhead racks or in between our legs on the Paris metro.
If you’re stressed about what to pack for your own European Christmas market trip, read on. I can honestly say there’s not one item I wished I had on this trip that I didn’t pack. Since the Christmas markets are outdoor events, don’t worry about outfits; every picture will feature your winter coat anyway! (A colorful scarf and hat are essential!)
Here’s a look at everything that went into my suitcase for my trip to the best Christmas markets in France, Germany, and Switzerland in December 2024. I’ve also included a printable Christmas market packing list at the bottom of the post to guide your own packing.
(If you want to see everything that went into my suitcase on the way home, you’ll want to check out my post about the best things to buy at the European Christmas markets.)
What to Pack for the European Christmas Markets
As cozy as the Christmas markets in Europe look, it’s important to remember that these are outdoor events that go on in rain, shine, or snow. It’s imperative that you pack a warm winter coat, gloves or mittens, a stocking cap, and waterproof boots.
A theft-proof crossbody bag or backpack will give you peace of mind in the crowds and a zippered waterproof tote and/or umbrella will keep your precious purchases dry.
Although you’ll probably be rocking your outerwear all day, I recommend packing a cute (and space efficient!) dress. Just remember to throw in at least one pair of merino wool tights to keep you comfy and warm.
European Christmas Market Packing Essentials
- Winter coat
- Mittens or winter gloves
- A colorful stocking cap
- Waterproof black boots
- Holiday sweater
- Casual dress
- Merino wool tights
- Quilted vest
- Theftproof bag
- Zippered waterproof tote
- Hand warmers
My Christmas Market Luggage
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Monos Carry-On Plus  |
Camelbak H.A.W.G Backpack  |
Pacsafe Convertible Backpack  Pacsafe Women’s Citysafe Cx Anti Theft Convertible Backpack-Fits 10″ Tablet, Black |
Checked luggage – I used my Monos Carry-On Plus and did check it so I didn’t have to lug it around during our layover.
Carry-on – Since I was using a carry-on sized suitcase, I needed my “personal item” to work extra hard. My H.A.W.G Mil Spec Backpack is always up for the challenge. It fits my laptop, a change of clothes, my pajamas, a water bottle, book, and all the other essentials like a toothbrush and medicines.
Personal item– My convertible Pacsafe Backpack was the perfect purse for a Christmas markets trip. Not only is it theftproof, it’s large enough to hold my waterbottle when it’s in its backpack set up, which is so nice for long days at the markets. For flights, I prefer to convert into a crossbody bag.
Clothing Must-Haves For Visiting the European Christmas Markets
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Button Up Wool Coat |
Colorful Winter Hat |
Festive Wool Sweater |
Button Up Wool Coat – You want your winter coat looking good for this trip! While you could certainly wear a packable down jacket like I brought to Normandy, I really prefer a wool coat with buttons for the Christmas markets. It’s timeless, classy, warm, and keeps you dry in rain or snow.
Colorful Winter Hat – A winter hat is a no brainer for a Christmas market trip, but it’s a smart move to pack an extra colorful hat so it’s easy for your travel companions to spot you in the crowds. While we didn’t intentionally plan this, Ashley’s distinctive yellow and teal stocking cap made it so easy to find her whenever we separated.
Festive Wool Sweater – Although it was almost always covered up my jacket, a colorful holiday wool sweater kept me warm and extra festive.
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Casual Knit Dress  |
Cashmere Sweater  |
Wool Base Layer  |
Casual Knit Dress – A fairly lightweight long-sleeved turtleneck dress might not seem like an obvious choice for a December trip to Europe, but this ThredUp dress was actually pivotal to being able to live out of a carry-on for a week. Since it takes up so little space, I threw it into my backpack as my “back-up” outfit on the off-chance my checked bag got lost. With a pair of merino wool tights and my normal winter outerwear, it was perfectly warm for a day outside in the mid 30s and 40s.
Cashmere Sweater – I love cashmere sweaters for European travel because they don’t take up much room and are incredibly warm. I layered it over my knit dress for extra warmth.
Wool Crew Top– Whether I’m in Alaska or France, these midweight long-sleeved merino wool tops are the perfect base layer. They fit perfectly underneath sweaters or fleece jackets. Not only does the soft (not itchy!) merino wool keep me toasty warm, it also wicks away moisture so they stay fresh much longer than cotton layers.
Other Clothes I Packed for a 7-Day Christmas Market Trip
Scarf – A cozy wool scarf is an easy way to add a festive pop of color to your Christmas market outfit. My red plaid Foxford Woolen Mills scarf (which a dear friend bought me during her visit to County Mayo, Ireland) felt especially cheery and appropriate.
Mittens – As a northern Minnesotan, I have strong feelings about winter handwear. I greatly prefer mittens over gloves and spend about six months of the year rocking buckskin mittens with hand knit wool liner mitten. (If I didn’t knit my own liner mittens, I’d use these.)
Fleece jacket – My hooded Cotopaxi fleece jacket is my go-to top layer for long plane rides because I often freeze on planes! It was great for the markets as well.
Vest – My simple quilted vest has become a travel wardrobe staple for me. I’m all about those layers, especially when you’re spending all day outside!
Jeans – I brought one single pair of jeans which were the perfect weight for the December weather in western Europe. I don’t recommend bringing more than one pair if you’re planning to use a carry-on suitcase because they are so bulky! They’re also a real pain to dry if they get wet, but thankfully even with our rainy weather, mine stayed quite dry. Still, I do like traveling with jeans because they can go a few days between washing.
Black travel pants– I like to wear pants with elastic waists for flights to limit how much they dig in, but I don’t always love how casual they look once I reach my destination, especially if that destination is in Europe. Happily these straight leg lightweight activewear pants offer both comfort and, dare I say, a little style for your Christmas market adventures.
Underwear – I’m a fan of wool underwear because it stays fresh so much longer than cotton undies.
Socks– I packed a variety of Darn Tough wool socks.
Bras
Pajamas – I love LAKE pajamas (so soft!) and they were just the ticket to a good night’s sleep every night after our full days outside every day. While they maybe weren’t the most space efficient, they easily fit in my carry-on backpack. Pro tip: I always throw my pajamas in my carry-on bag on the off-chance my flight is delayed or I get separated from my checked bag.
My Footwear for the Europe Christmas Markets
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Waterproof Hiking Sneakers  |
Black boots – Please, please, please, before you head over to Europe for your Christmas market trip, take a long hard look at the weather forecast before packing snow boots. We saw so many women stomping around in heavy snow boots that were better suited for Alaska than Basel’s completely dry pavement.
After seeing no rain and highs in the 40s for our week in France, Germany, and Switzerland, I opted to pack just my waterproof ankle height black boots. They worked perfectly and I never had cold toes!
Waterproof Sneakers – My waterproof Teva sneakers were great for planes, trains, and some urban European exploring.
Essential Christmas Market Accessories
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Waterproof Zippered Tote |
Hand Warmers |
Laundry Soap |
Waterproof Zippered Tote – While we didn’t see any snow during our early December travels, we did have plenty of drizzle and rain. I really wished I’d thought to bring a zippered waterproof tote to tuck all of my precious market purchases in, especially since I wanted to stock up on the paper star lights! Another solution is to pack a small travel umbrella, but I prefer the hands-free solution of a waterproof tote.
Hand warmers– I never use hand warmers and even if I did, I never found it cold enough during our Christmas market wanderings to wish I had one. The reason I did wish I’d packed a couple hand warmers was to have one in my jacket pocket to keep my phone warm. Since my phone was my wallet, camera, and map, it was a little stressful watching its battery rapidly drain as I pulled it in and out in 30 degree weather!
If you forget to pack hand warmers – you can easily pick up a set at a Flying Tiger Copenhagen shop in a train station or downtown once you arrive in Europe.
Laundry detergent – A key component in being able to live out of carry-on for a week was the washer and dryer in our Basel apartment where we spent the majority of the trip. These laundry detergent sheets are great because you don’t have to worry about any spillage in your suitcase! It’s always nice to have a couple dryer sheets also. I also recommend bringing some silica gel packets which you can use to dry out wet shoes.
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Collapsible Pour Over |
Hand Sanitizer |
Power bank – I always advocate for having a power bank in your purse in case your phone battery starts to dip below your comfort level. It’s especially important on a Christmas market trip because the colder weather will significantly shorten your phone’s battery life.
Collapsible Coffee Pour Over – Confession time: I love French food and a well-timed cappuccino as much as the next person, but as an American used to starting her days with 12 oz of brewed coffee, I hit my Americano and Nespresso limit on our Normandy trip. Since we were staying in an apartment, I actually packed this collapsible pour over (along with filters and coffee grounds) and it was one of the most extra, best things I’ve ever done.
Better mornings mean better days, so I also recommend bringing any other breakfast items you might appreciate having. For example, I packed pre-portioned flaxseed meal, chia seeds, and protein powder for our morning oatmeal. Bonus: as you use these items, you free up room in your suitcase!
Hand Sanitizer – It’s hard to explain how crowded the Christmas markets are. On average the Basel markets receive about 35,000 daily visitors! That translates to very busy public restrooms. While I was impressed by how well the markets handled the bathroom situation, you can guarantee an excellent bathroom experience every time by bring along a little hand sanitizer and either a travel roll of toilet paper or a pee cloth.
My Other Christmas Market Packing List Travel Accessories
Games – I always stash a couple small card games like Five Crowns and Phase 10 in my backpack in case of travel delays or just to unwind at the end of a busy day on your feet. Cribbage is a personal favorite.
Nalgene Water Bottle – If you’re going to survive a week of gluhwein and rich Christmas market food, you need to stay well-hydrated. I don’t leave home without at least one emotional support Nalgene water bottle.
Wine Opener – It’s never a bad idea to have a small wine opener in your suitcase when you head to Europe!
Plug adapters – Don’t forgot plug adapters for charging your phone and any other devices you brought along.
Wine Skins – You’ll find plenty of bottles of wine and spirits like gin for sale in the markets. If you decide to bring a couple bottles home, these wine skins are the perfect way to transport those precious bottles.
Snack bag – Speaking of being on the go a lot, I never travel without a small snack bag in my purse just in case we get stuck on a delayed train or on the side of a mountain at lunch time. These granola bars are a must for any travel snack bag!
Trash bags and Ziplocs – I always like to have at least one trash bag and a handful of Ziplocs in the suitcase. They don’t take up much space and can be lifesavers when it comes to dealing with wet shoes or wrapping up market purchases.
Wet Bag – This wet bag is my favorite USVI souvenir. I used it as a laundry bag on this trip.
- I also packed:
- Pocket knife
- Notebook/pens
- Shout wipes
- Laptop/phone/chargers
- Zeiss lens cleaning wipes
- Passport
- Global entry card
- Debit card for cash (plus some leftover euros from my France trip.)
- Knitting
Christmas Market Toiletries
Pharmacy bag – No one want to spend their vacation under the weather, but if you do get sick, you probably don’t want to stumble around a foreign country looking for over the counter drugs. Just in case, I like to pack a couple doses each of Ex-Lax, Immodium, Emergen C, NyQuil, Advil, and cough drops. I also highly recommend proactively taking a Gas-x before any flight longer than four hours.
Kleenex – Since this was a winter trip, I wanted to make sure I packed plenty of Kleenex travel packs to handle the snotty noses that happen when you transition from outside to inside in cold weather months.
First aid kit – I definitely didn’t plan to get too beat-up on a Christmas market trip, but it never hurts to have some Band-aids and antiseptic cream close at hand. I should probably up my first aid kit game to one of these cute kits.
Sleep kit – I think everyone needs a little sleep kit of an eye mask, ear plugs, melatonin, magnesium, and/or sleep gummies.
Toiletry kit – Nothing exciting in here: toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, razor, etc. etc.
Make-up bag – I often don’t bother with make-up when I travel (case in point: a week in USVI) but weirdly, I wore make-up every day of this trip. Still, I do keep it pretty minimal with just a small bag of mascara, eye shadow, and lip butter.
Printable Christmas Market Packing List
Below is a printable European Christmas market packing list to help guide your packing for your own holiday travels in western Europe.
Conclusion: My Best Packing Strategy for a Europe Christmas Market Trip
As you can see, you really don’t need to pack much for a successful week exploring the European Christmas markets. Since many of the most accessible markets are located in major cities, if you forget something critical, it’s easy to pop into a shop to purchase whatever you need. This fact empowered me to leave the heavy winter boots at home. Given the mild weather we experienced, I was so happy with this decision!
I also only packed about 3 outfits because I knew we would do at least one load of laundry in our Basel apartment’s washing machine and dryer. However, it wasn’t absolutely critical that we did laundry. If you don’t have access to laundry and are okay with wearing clothes 2-3 times in between washing, you could still follow this packing list. Just increase the amount of underwear and socks so you have a fresh pair for each day.
Finally, while I actually had room to fit my jacket in my suitcase when I flew to Paris, I really recommend you carry this on the plane with you. Not only will this free room in your suitcase, it will also put you in a much better position if you end up being diverted or making an emergency landing. (Hey, things have been a little crazy in the aviation world lately – it’s better safe than sorry!)
I hope this post helped guide your own Christmas market packing list so you can shop to your heart’s content in the markets and also not lug around a bunch of unnecessary stuff on cobblestone streets and public transportation. You’ll be so thankful to have just a carry-on suitcase for this adventure.
Just let me know if you have any specific questions and I’ll update this post with my answers to make your Christmas market trip even more enjoyable. Have the best time at the markets; they’re truly magical!
If you enjoyed this European Christmas market packing list, check out these posts!
