The Italian city of Milan has a Christmas market that takes over a public square for a time before December 25th. Milan is home to several Christmas markets worth checking out. The best Christmas market in Milan isn’t centered just for the christmas day or the week around, but starts early in December – so you’ll need to visit the city early in December to see it. The Christmas holiday festivities at Milan start around December 7th, the feast day of the city’s patron saint, Sant’Ambrogio.
The market is called “Oh Bej! Oh Bej!” which, in Milanese dialect, means “How beautiful! How beautiful!” It used to be located around the Basilica Sant’Ambrogio, in honor of Milan’s patron saint, but it outgrew that space several years ago and it’s now set up at the Castello Sforzesco. There are more than 400 stalls selling handicrafts, antiques, clothing, toys, and every type of food imaginable. It’s an excellent place to pick up whatever Christmas gifts you need to complete your shopping list, and to sample some of the local winter treats like roasted chestnuts and mulled wine.
There are other Christmas markets in Milan, too, that run later in December. At Piazza Sant’Ambrogio, where there’s usually an outdoor market year-round, vendors add a little holiday spirit to their stalls with Christmas treats and potential gifts. There are small Christmas markets in the Piazza Duomo and the Giardini Pubblici or the Public Gardens that usually last a bit longer, too, from early December through early January.
Milan is a city that hosts trade shows throughout the year, and in December there’s the L’Artigiano in Fiera – which basically means Artisan Trade Show, and in practice is a big craft fair in Milan’s convention center. It’s free to get in, and you can shop at thousands of booths and check out a bunch of restaurants while you’re at it.
The best way to check all the highlights through this season is to hire a car. car-rental-italy provides car rentals economically, especially during the holiday season, when tourists are more. So take pleasure to explore the place during Christmas, with your hired set of wheels taking you places.