There’s a special treat awaiting customers at the highest patisserie in Austria: Kaiserschmarrn! The pancake-based dish is easy to make, and it's one of the country’s most popular desserts.

Our DIY expert Hang-Shuen Lee shows how to make unique Christmas tree ornaments from paper snowflakes. All you need is paper, scissors, a box cutter, glue and a little imagination.

At Christmastime, Potsdam gets decked out in modern and traditional decor. The bluish lighting downtown is a modern touch. The Sinterklaas Fest in the Dutch Quarter harks back to the heritage of the Prussian kings.

If you come across the work of an Old Master in a city but not in a museum, it’s likely to be a painting by Julio Anaya Cabanding. He paints famous pictures onto walls. From a distance, they look like they’ve been hung.

Tchaikovsky‘s ‘Swan Lake‘ is synonymous with classical ballet. British choreographer Derek Deane has staged the two-act piece in Germany on a bigger scale with 48 instead of the usual 16 swans.

In Europe, speculoos, a spicy cookie with cinnamon and clove, is what makes Christmas complete. The "Maison Dandoy" bakery in Brussels has been keeping the tradition alive for nearly 200 years.

In the run-up to Christmas, the evil companion of St Nicholas, the Krampus strikes fear in the hearts of naughty Austrian children. Our reporter transformed himself into the terrifying figure and took to the streets.

The menu at the Sofie Hütte in the Val Gardena is more extensive and diverse than at the usual skiing chalet. Chef Markus Prinoth cooks bacon dumplings using typical products from the Dolomite region of South Tyrol.

Christmas decorations don’t have to follow the rules of convention, as DIY-expert Han-Shuen Lee demonstrates. Just a few steps can transform wooden skewers and a styrofoam ball into a modern Christmas star.

Nuremberg in southern Germany has been known for its gingerbread since the Middle Ages. To many people, they’re an indispensable Christmas tradition. They can be found in abundance on Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt.