Make for Bratislava, the flagship of the pastoral little state of Slovakia, for the ultimate winter wonderland experience. Here in the heart of Mittel Europa, you're virtually guaranteed a seductively white Christmas. And even if you've never hankered after a hand-carved wooden pixie or a nativity scene, open-air stalls bring a taste of festive tradition – music, perfectly carved toys, gingerbread and gallons of mulled wine.


The diminutive capital has a touch of Ruritania about it. Streets like Panska and Michalska are lined with giddy Baroque palaces in soft shades of ochre and lavender. Onion-domed turrets and spires rise above churches, a grand opera house draws music lovers and fin de siècle coffee houses fill up in late afternoon. The Danube separates the charming Old Town (Stare Mesto) on the north bank from the grittier housing estates on the south. Linking the two is the huge Novy Most (or New Bridge), a 1970s' sci-fi monstrosity.


Key sights are within easy reach. Bratislava's most historic monument is St Martin's Cathedral. The Gothic site of Hungarian coronations and the spiritual heart of staunchly Catholic Slovakia is now isolated, diesel-stained and hardly idyllic. Above it, on the other side of the bridge approach road stands the remarkably uncompromised castle, Bratislavsky hrad – jutting, square and prosaic. Rebuilt after the war, its walls offer views of the Carpathians, its cellars provide atmospheric nightclub space, and its main building houses the Slovak National History Museum.


Just around the corner from the main square, stands the gaudily pink façade of the Primate's Palace. It houses a modest art collection, fine English tapestries from the 17th century and a hall of mirrors. It was here that Napoleon and Habsburg ruler Franz I signed a peace treaty after the Battle of Austerlitz. The Old Town Hall also stands in the square, and the City Museum that it houses has a fabulously gory dungeon. St Elizabeth's church, otherwise known as the Little Blue Church, is a dazzling art-nouveau fantasy that looks as though it might have been constructed entirely from blue icing. Finished just before the First World War, it was designed by Budapest architect Odon Lechner in the so-called Hungarian National Style, which Lechner himself more or less made up as he went along.


Bratislava seems to have cultivated something of a cynical irreverence over the centuries. Maybe it's the Hungarian influence, but sly playfulness persists in the ornamentation on the streets of the old town. The most obvious examples are the three bronze statues, one of a paparazzo leaning round a street corner with camera at the ready, one of a Frenchman (assumed to be an affectionate satire of Napoleon) leaning on a bench near Hlavni Namesti, and, most bizarrely, one of a workman's head emerging from a manhole on Panska Street, seemingly leering at passersby. Scary. If ever art were designed for the people, this might just be it.


The Christmas market was first held in 1993 in Central Square but such was its popularity, it slowly spilled into other areas. Now you'll find stalls in Franti Kanske Square and the courtyard of Old Town Hall, selling intricate craft work and locally made decorations. There's also a wide range of Slovakian souvenirs on offer: wooden ornaments, traditional sheep cheese and juniper brandy. The scents of cinnamon and cloves escaping from wooden vats of mulled wine kiss the cold air. And it's all set to the heady backdrop of shimmering lights and carol-singing choirs.


Then, there's the food. Try a local speciality 'Gypsy Liver' pork burger (Ciganska pecienka) or tuck into a spicy sausage, bread with lard and onion, savoury pastry (Pagac), goose or sauerkraut potato crêpe or sauerkraut soup. Wash it all down with a mug of hot punch, mulled wine or fiery grog. Dessert could be some sweet pastry, Christmas wafers, honey biscuits or Christmas mead. Finally, snack on some roasted chestnuts. Yes, every seasonal cliché is present and correct. Even Scrooge would be instantaneously seduced and converted. www.bratislava.sk/en


Getting there - Sky Europe (www.skyeurope.com) flies from Dublin to Bratislava.


Ho ho ho: The best of the rest


Alsace in France is home to some of the oldest markets in Europe: the Christkindelsmärik, in its capital Strasbourg, dates from 1570. Visit from the end of November and you'll be spoilt for choice with almost 100 authentic markets across the region, selling everything from jewellery and glass to spicy sausages. Be sure to visit La Petite France in Strasbourg, a cosy neighbour­hood of half-timbered fairytale buildings with Christmas shops and a gingerbread bakery. www.otstrasbourg.fr


Getting There - Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies from Dublin to nearby Karlsruhe. You can then bus it across the border


Vienna's market is diffused through a network of narrow streets and alleyways. Held from the end of November, the market has an intimate atmosphere, as shoppers wind their way through the various lanes and small courtyards. There are larger concentrations of stalls in Rathausplatz. This is the place to buy new decoration from the tacky and kitsch to elegant little hand-carved, painstakingly painted objects of art and glass baubles. You can fill up on roast chestnuts, potatoes, crisply fried, Frisbee-sized fritters brushed with garlic, gingerbread houses and thick, gooey black buns. www.christkindlmarkt.at


Getting there - Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies from Dublin.


Prague's Christmas market spills over from Old Town Square and the appropriately named Wenceslas Square into Republic Square and other nearby courtyards. Running from the end of November to New Year's Day, the market fills the city with the sound of choir singing and the smells of local food. Plus, there's the sight of the huge Christmas tree, dripping in glittering decorations, that towers over Old Town Square. Stalls are crammed with decorations, jewellery, paintings and traditional Czech sweets. www.pragueexperience.com


Getting there - Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) operates direct flights from Dublin.


Christmas in Killarney offers a distinctly Teutonic flavour and something of an antidote to the usual kitsch on offer in the Kerry town. At the month-long event expect individual stalls selling a diverse array of local crafts and gourmet goodies and there will also be a Torch Light Parade, carol singing and an ice rink. www.christmasinkillarney.com


Getting there - Irish Rail (www.irishrail.ie) offers connections from various locations.