Schöni Wiehnachte, Joyeux Noël, Froehliche Weihnachten and Zalig Kerstfeest—mean Merry Christmas in Swiss, French, German and Dutch, so get ready to hear these sincere greetings as you experience the deep-rooted traditions of the Christmas season in the most idyllic and historic settings. Brimming with seasonal spirit, cities and towns dazzle. Strasbourg, the oldest and largest Christmas Market in France, delights with fairytale half-timbered houses dressed in giant red-and-white hearts. Heidelberg with its romantic backdrop of a castle offers a warming glow of light along one of the longest pedestrian zones in Europe. Zurich glitters even more with a spectacular 50-foot-tall Christmas tree decorated with thousands of sparkling Swarovski crystals. Join together with friends and loved ones, and do what the Europeans have been doing for centuries—gather at the timeless Christmas Markets, warm up with a mug of steamy vin chaud in France or glühwein in Germany, shop for one-of-a-kind handcrafted treasures and celebrate the true spirit of the season.