Probably the most idyllic Christmas market of my life.

While studying in Luleå, Sweden in 2018 I naturally attended their Christmas market. In all fairness I attended two Christmas markets, but it was raining so much during the first one, that it was less of a market and more of a get-out-of-here-ket. So, this post is about the successfully visited Christmas market, which was held in the Hägnan Open air museum in Gammelstad church town.

The Hägnan Open air museum is organised to resemble a quaint old traditional Swedish village, which made it a perfect location for the Christmas market. Besides on the stalls, the locals also displayed their wares inside the old houses, which were opened specifically for the occasion. Since there was plenty of snow and the small market was held after dark, with lots of fire pits and lanterns, the atmosphere was truly village-y and old fashioned.

Luleå Christmas market 2018

The sellers offered different local foods and crafts and I was extremely happy to see lots of different cheese. I probably tried all of the available cheese samples, including a very piquant goat gorgonzola, at which my friend who came with me was horrified. There was also plenty of homemade preserves, particularly the typical Swedish lingonberry jams.

Besides the food, they offered all sorts of local handcrafts: fluffy slippers, jewellery, knitted toys, doilies, hats and every type of woollen socks and mittens imaginable. To top it all off, they had a horse drawn carriage for kids, who excitedly stood in line for it quite a long time, and a fire show to finish the evening.

Some photos by E. Bezek.

P.S.: This post was featured in Best Christmas markets around the world on She’s catching flights travel blog here.