Winter Magic with the LG V30

As the old song goes, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Whether you celebrate winter holidays or simply enjoy the festive atmosphere of the season, heading to a Christmas market is a wonderful way to ward off the gloom of winter and experience local culture.

This winter, LG took three friends on a road trip through four of Europe’s most celebrated Christmas markets, and filmed it all on the V30 mobile, with no retouching. Yes, you read that right: no retouching! The V30’s standard camera has a wide f/1.6 aperture and a glass lens, much like a DSLR camera, which makes for high-quality shooting in low-light and improved color clarity.

Have you ever noticed how distorted images can look on other smartphone cameras? Here’s another thing about the LG V30’s glass lens: It reduces the dispersion of light and lets in 4% more light, for a brighter and more accurate image.

Take a look for yourself: Notice how easily the V30 camera captures the scenery in both day and night and how vivid the colors of the markets are. You almost feel like you’re right there—can you smell the glühwein? After the video, read on for more background on each of the Christmas markets they visit! 

Christmas markets probably originated in Germany in the middle ages, and have since spread to other parts of Europe. They were established to help people stock up on supplies for winter, but soon evolved into festive affairs with Christmas treats and gifts.

Our first stop is the Vienna market, said to be the origin of Christmas markets. It was here that the first December market was founded in 1294, which later evolved into a Christmas market. You can’t go to Vienna without admiring the magnificent architecture, like the Schönbrunn Palace, an elegant Baroque summer residence for the Habsburg emperors, and the city hall. Our three travelers admire the sights and city lights with a warm drink in hand.

The next stop is Innsbruck, the capital city of the Austrian state of Tyrol, high in the Alps. Here, the trio visits not just one but three Christmas markets! Their first stop is the “Christkindlmärkt” (as they are called in Austria) in front of the Golden Roof, a landmark in the Old Town. It’s a beautiful Habsburg residence decorated, yes, with a golden roof.

The second market they visit is at the “Markplatz” market square. It’s right by the river and has a very special Christmas tree that glitters with the light of 90,000 Swarovski crystals. After admiring the views of the tree and the mountains here, the friends move on to their third market: And here they head up, up, up into the mountains to the Hungerburg Christkindlmärkt. The panoramic views from this high-altitude market make it a fitting finale for their Innsbruck trip.

Next destination: Strasbourg! Located in the Alsace region of France with many Germanic cultural influences, Strasbourg doesn’t look like the rest of France and has its own unique identity. An ancient and classic city, Strasbourg has one of Europe’s oldest and most popular Christmas markets. It takes place right in front of a city landmark, the town’s majestic cathedral. But the highlight of this market? Europe’s biggest Christmas tree. It’s an astounding sight.

Finally, the three friends make their way to their last stop of the trip: Rothenberg ob der Tauber, a German city with a beautifully-preserved medieval old town. The trip to this market, just between the old church and the city hall, is a trip back in time—and in fact, this market has over 500 years of history! Here, the friends peruse the stalls filled with hand-made crafts with a glühwein in one hand and a fränkisch pastry in the other. It’s the perfect way to end a whirlwind tour of European Christmas markets, with their happiest travel memories captured on the LG V30.

Life's Good!