Christmas Markets Roundup
There are many wonderful things to see and do in Germany around Christmas: Stroll through festively decorated streets and explore the Christmas markets with their seasonal music and choir singing. Listen to the sounds of bells and trumpeters and attend one of the many concerts from classical to gospel in the churches and on outdoor stages.
In Germany’s Christmas markets you’ll find all kinds of Christmas merchandise and gifts, especially traditional things such as crib figurines, toys, wood carvings, marionettes, candles and lambskin slippers. Many are difficult to resist – as will be the glass of delicious mulled wine and many culinary specialties, both sweet and savory, that are very welcome on crisp winter days.
The ambience is further enhanced by the aromas of hot chestnuts, grilled sausages and other tasty snacks; the gingerbread biscuits known as Lebkuchen, marzipan figures and other sweets.
With so many Christmas markets throughout Germany the most difficult decision to make is where to go. The best solution is to sample at least two Christmas Markets, preferably in a city for some serious shopping and a small town or village if you are looking for something a little bit more romantic.
Most Christmas Markets start in the last week of November and run through to Christmas Eve or a day or two before. They are usually open every day from 10 a.m. to about 8 or 9 p.m.
Nürnberg Christkindlesmarkt
29. November to 24. Dezember 2024
“Little Town from Wood and Cloth”
Every year, Germany’s most famous Christmas Market opens its stalls for visitors from all over the world, right in the middle of the city, on Nuremberg Main Market Square. The opening of the Nuremberg Christmas Market, always on the Friday before the first Advent Sunday, is an impressive event, both for Nuremberg inhabitants and tourists from Europe and abroad.
49th Homburg Nikolausmarkt
Friday November 22 until Sunday December 08, 2024
Homburg’s Christmas market – the Nikolausmarkt – loved throughout the country for its uniquely nostalgic character and one of the most traditional Christmas markets in the region – takes place this year for the 49th time.
Every year, stalls – little wooden houses – selling Christmas gifts and handicraft items as well as Christmas decorations and other seasonal goods are set up in the shadows of the mighty St.-Michaels-Kirche (St Michael’s Church) at the foot of the Schlossberg.
Stuttgart Christmas Market
Christmas in the heart of Stuttgart
27. November – 23. December 2024
The Christmas city of Stuttgart invites you to one of Germany’s most beautiful Christmas markets.
Just in time for Advent, the city centre of Stuttgart is transformed into one of the most beautiful and oldest Christmas markets in Europe. Embedded in the picturesque backdrop of the New and Old Palace, the King’s Building and the Collegiate Church, the Christmas Market attracts around 3.5 million visitors every year from Germany and abroad to the state capital of Baden-Württemberg.
Kaiserslautern Christmas Market
November 21 to December 23, 2024
The Kaiserslautern Christmas Market opens Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Stiftskirche and Schillerplatz in Kaiserlautern.
Enjoy cozy hours full of Christmas magic and experience traditional Advent fun – that’s Christmas in downtown Kaiserslautern. Stroll through the Christmas market around the Stiftskirche and on Schillerplatz and marvel at the diverse range of culinary delicacies, handicraft products and gift ideas for young and old.
Christmas Market in Mannheim
25. November – 23. December 2024 daily from 11.00 – 21.00
Bild: Christoph Bluethner
Mannheim’s Christmas market is one of Germany’s oldest, biggest and best, attracting many thousands of visitors each year. Many of the visitors are local, but some have traveled a considerable distance to enjoy the market.
The Mannheim Christmas Market begins on Monday, November 25. The carousels will be turning, and the huts will be offering a wide range of decorative and gift ideas, and Christmas scents will whet the appetite for sweet and savory treats. The Mannheim Christmas Market at the water tower will be officially opened at 6 p.m. on the stage.
Mainz Christmas Market
Historical Christmas Market in Mainz since 1788
28. November to 23. December 2024
Mainz Christmas Market Fair daily during Advent in the cathedral squares
The historic market square in Mainz is a blaze of lights. The air is scented with a Christmassy mixture of roast almonds, gingerbread, hot chestnuts and mulled wine. Large and small visitors gladly let themselves be enchanted by this pre-Christmas atmosphere. On a stroll through Mainz Christmas Fair, the stress and hectic pace of everyday life are quickly forgotten.
Wiesbaden Twinkling Star Christmas Market
26 November – 23 December
Monday – Thursday 10:30 – 21:00; Friday – Saturday 10:30 – 21:30; Sunday: 12:00 – 21:00
Wiesbaden’s Christmas market will be officially opened on 26 November and will remain open on the Schlossplatz between the Rathaus and Stadtschloss, as well as around the Marktkirche, until the 23 December.
Sternschnuppen Markt © Wiesbaden Marketing GmbH
The picturesque Schlossplatz forms the fascinating setting for the Wiesbaden Christmas Market. The colours of blue and gold and the golden lilies taken from the city‘s coat of arms are the stylish decorative elements for this Christmassy arts and crafts market. Four gates decorated with stars grant access to this fairytale like scene, where young and old will find desirable and beautiful items. Not only will the ambience provide for a cheerful mood, but so will the accompanying program comprising choirs, nativity plays, wind quartets, concerts, storytelling and much more. A further highlight is the public ice skating rink “ESWE-Eiszeit”, which is located at Warmer Damm behind the Hessian State Theatre. A varied programme attracts its visitors.
Old German Christmas Market in Bad Wimpfen
Friday 29.11.2024 bis Sunday 01.12.2024
Friday 06.12.2024 bis Sunday 08.12.2024
Friday 13.12.2024 bis Sunday 15.12.2024
Visit one of the most traditional Christmas markets in Germany.
The highlight of the year’s events in Bad Wimpfen is the medieval “Altdeutscher Weihnachtsmarkt” (Old German Christmas Market) This Christmas Market is a long standing tradition with a unique romantic atmosphere. It is known nationally and internationally and is considered to be one of the finest of its kind. Originally known as (Saint) Catherine’s Market, this tradition dates back to 1487, when Emperor Friedrich III granted Bad Wimpfen the privilege of being allowed to hold a market before Christmas.
Augsburg Christkindlesmarkt
25 November – 24 December
Sunday – Thursday: 10:00 – 20:00; Friday – Saturday: 10:00 – 21:30; Dec. 24: 10:00 – 14:00
Augsburg’s Christkindlesmarkt has been held for more than 500 years against the delightful backdrop of the Renaissance town hall. Not to be missed is the Augsburg Angels Play, in which music-playing angels appear above the Christmas market and the Renaissance town hall becomes a giant Advent calendar. The Augsburg Fairytale Trail, which is set up around the stalls, presents the magical tale of Christmas in Bullerby – the story by Astrid Lindgren unfolds in nine animated pictures. 150 stands sell gift items and Christmas articles as well as typical food, such as wurst, yeast dumplings, hot roasted chestnuts, crepes, potato fritters, hot mulled wine or other traditional seasonal delicacies.
Baden-Baden Christmas Market (Christkindelsmarkt)
21 November 2024 – to 6 January 2025
Against a backdrop of the hills of the Black Forest, a visit to the traditional Baden-Baden Christmas Market is like strolling through a scene from a winter fairytale. Located at the start of the town’s famous garden- and parkway “Lichtentaler Allee”, the market stretches from the start of the Kurhaus Colonnade and weaves its way past the exclusive boutiques towards Baden-Baden’s impressive Kurhaus building. Visitors will be enchanted by small streets lined with festive stalls, where the romantic atmosphere is heightened by thousands of shimmering Christmas lights. As well as carousels for the children, visitors can expect a rich offering of Christmas arts and crafts on more than 90 stalls as well as in the exclusive boutiques in the Kurhaus Colonnades. The “Christkindelsmarkt” is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (23 November from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., 24 December from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
Christmas markets come in two guises in the UNESCO World Heritage town of Bamberg: the traditional Christmas market and the delightful medieval Christmas market in the authentic setting of Alte Hofhaltung Palace. Follow the popular Bamberg Nativity Trail to see around 40 nativity scenes located throughout the town and at the Christmas market.
The 2024 Christmas market is open 28 November – 23 December. Monday – Saturday 09:30 – 20:00 and Sunday 11:00 – 20:00.
Burg Lichtenberg Medieval Market
Medieval Christmas Market at the Lichtenburg Castle 30. November to 01. December 2024
The unique atmosphere of the castle provides an outstanding setting for the 14th Medieval Christmas Market. Handicraft, arts & crafts, clowns, jugglers, a fire-eater and a large knight camp can be admired. Various booths will offer food and beverages similar to those offered to the knights and young ladies of the castle during its heyday. Music will give a medieval setting.
Musical and handicraft performances can be seen in a heated fest tent. Fairy tale reading and bow & crossbow shooting will be offered to the little knights. Warriors, henchmen, ladies, and clowns will be included in the program.
Begin of the Spectacle: • Saturday at 12 a.m. ( 12 a.m. to 21 a.m. )
Sunday at 11 a.m. ( 10 a.m. to 18 a.m. )
Free Entrance. There are enough parking spaces/lots available ( 2 € parking fee ). Dogs on leash are allowed.
Take the advantage of visiting the museums at the castle. At the Zehntscheune you will find the musician museum. There you can follow the way of the hiking musicians who wandered all over the world. Or you can explore the primitive world of 270 million years ago at the Geoskop.
Frankfurt Christmas Market
25 November – 22 December 2024
Frankfurt has one of Germany’s oldest and largest Christmas markets; its history can be traced back to 1393. The elaborate and creative stand decorations, the scenic surroundings of the Römerberg and Paulsplatz and the huge christmas tree also make it one of Germany’s most beautiful.
After the official opening ceremony on 25 November at 17:00hrs on the Römerberg stage, the market takes place on Römerberg, Paulsplatz und Mainkai (Main quay), Monday – Saturday 10:00 – 21:00 hours and Sunday 11:00 – 21:00 hours. Advent concerts known as “International Christmas” happen every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 17:10 hrs. on a stage on the Römerberg.
“Brenten,” “Bethmaennchen” and “Quetschemaennchen” – miniature candy figures – are three typical Frankfurt biscuits that you can buy at the Christmas market. In former times, large quantities were produced in the bourgeois homes of the city center. The 19th-century suitor customarily sent a packet of this popular confectionery to the object of his desires. If she kept this present, the admirer could hope to continue his advances. If she did not, it served as a notice for the suitor to abandon his efforts. One of the greatest fans of Frankfurt Christmas confectionery was the renowned Frankfurt-born author and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. During his tenure as privy councillor in the faraway city of Weimar, he would regularly receive Christmas parcels from his mother containing his favourite Frankfurt treats.
Hameln Christmas Market
25 November – 30 December 2024
Opening hours: Monday – Thursday: 10.00 – 20.00 hours and
Friday & Saturday: 10.00 – 22.00 hours, Sunday: 11.00 – 20.00 hours
Hameln, 45 minutes south of Hannover, is the Pied Piper’s home town, which adds a genuine fairytale quality to its romantic Christmas market, one of the smaller Christmas markets in Germany. The market takes place in the medieval Old Town where 70 festively decorated wooden huts all clustered around the Wedding House, the Market Church and around the picturesque old quarter with its lovingly restored timber-framed houses and grand Weser Renaissance buildings. Here you can browse a wide assortment of gifts and handicrafts, and enjoy hot food and mulled wine.
Highlights of Hameln’s Christmas market are the Christmas pyramid, which stands at eleven meters, and the historical Hochzeitshaus (wedding house), which is transformed into a giant, illuminated advent calendar. At the Hameln glassblowing works, children and grown-ups can make their own Christmas baubles under the watchful eye of the glassblowers. A Christmas cruise on the Weser river really captures the magic of the season.
Heidelberg Christmas Market
November 25 – December 22, 2024
The Christmas market is open daily 11:00 – 21:00, Saturdays 11:00 – 22:00
Heidelberger Weihnachtsmarkt © TOBIAS SCHWERDT A sparkling fairytale Christmas awaits the visitor in the Heidelberg Old Town. Enjoy an advent stroll through the Old Town and discover not only picturesque alleyways and famous sights but also some 140 stalls selling enchanting gift ideas. There are stands offerering Christmas specialties on five squares throughout the Altstadt: Bismarckplatz, Anatomiegarten, Universitätsplatz, Kornmarkt and Marktplatz (the market square). All of these venues are easily accessible on foot.
For the romantic, the festive market inauguration by the Heidelberg Christ Child on 25 November at 17:00 hrs should not be missed. The Christ Child greets visitors from near and far at the City Hall (Rathaus – Marktplatz).
The delicious smells of such culinary specialities as mulled wine, baked apples, gingerbreads, the “Christstollen” – a special Christmas cake, and the famous grilled sausages draw people from around the city. Entertainment includes all kinds of rides and seasonal music.
Christmas on Ice – an open-air skating rink on the Karlsplatz – is fun for everyone from 27 November 2023 – 7 January 2024, daily from 10:00 a.m. – 22:00 p.m.* (Dec 24 closed, Dec 25 – 26 12:00 – 22:00. Dec. 31 12:00 – 01:00 a.m.)
Munich Christmas Market
Monday, November 25 to Tuesday, December 24,
Munich’s main Christmas Market is held on Marienplatz in the heart of the city center from Monday, November 25 to Tuesday, December 24, 2024. The market is open Monday – Saturday 10:00 – 21:00; Sunday 10:00 – 20:00; 24 December 10:00 -14:00. On sale are traditional Bavarian Christmas gifts, including wood carvings from Oberammergau, gingerbread (Lebkuchen) from Nuremberg and glassware from the Bavarian Forest. Music lovers will enjoy an Alpine concert on the balcony of Munich’s town hall (Rathaus); the concert takes place daily from 17:30 – 18:00.
The Kripperlmarkt (or Crib Market), one of the largest in Germany to specialise in cribs and other nativity accessories, is a short walkaway on nearby Rindermarkt. From the lantern for the manger to fodder for the ox and donkey, from beaming cherubs to the gifts of the Magi, the market has all you need to create an authentic manger, the Kripperlmarkt has all you need to create an authentic manger. Christmas mangers, cribs and nativity scenes have long been a tradition in Munich. The Jesuits first set up a manger in St Michael’s church in 1597. The first Kripperlmarkt Christmas market took place in 1757.
If you are interested in mangers, be sure to look in on the historical manger in the Town Hall’s Court of Ceremonies, created by the Munich artist Reinhold Zellner in 1953.
There are many other smaller Christmas Markets located throughout Munich, including a Medieval Christmas Market with gospel singing on Wittelsbacher Platz and Pink Christmas, a gay Christmas Market on Stephansplatz.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas Market
29. November to 23. December 2024
Sunday – Thursday: 11.00 – 19.00; Friday & Saturday: 11.00 – 20.00;
Rothenburg really comes into its own at Christmas. The Reiterlesmarkt, in its idyllic setting between the town hall and St. Jacob’s Church, is acknowledged as one of Germany’s prettiest Christmas markets. Readings of Christmas stories and special deals at hotels and guest houses are just two of the many reasons to start planning your trip. There are activities for kids at the ‘gingerbread house’ and they can join the children’s lantern procession. Rothenburg’s Christmas market is an enchanted winter wonderland that lasts all the way into the new year. The town also has a Christmas Museum that’s open all-year-round.
Numerous cultural events are held in conjunction with Rothenburg’s market. The highlight of the market, however, is the appearance of the “Rothenburger Reiterle” who also gave this market its name. The historical origin of the “Reiterle” (rider) lies buried in the dim and distant past. Our ancestors believed that they were messengers from another world, who in wintertime floated through the skies with the souls of the dead. But the image of this mythical character has changed over the centuries. Where people used to tremble in fear before this eerie figure, today, young and old look forward to his return. The wild horseman has become a friendly messenger.
Today too, the narrow and winding streets and the squares around the town hall, archways and the marketplace are still lined with stalls where one can find everything the heart and taste buds desire: old German Christmas pastries, “white” mulled wine, large or small handcrafted treasures as souvenirs or gifts. On Fridays and Saturdays until 8 pm you can enjoy the marvelous view over the “Reiterlesmarkt” from the town hall tower. Or you can maybe hear the “call of the night watchman.”
Strasbourg, Capital of Christmas
November, 27th to December, 27th.
Strasbourg Christmas Market – known as Christkindelsmärik in the Alsatian dialect – is the biggest Christmas market in France and attracts over 1.6 million visitors who enjoy Christmas shopping in some excellent shops and the festive atmosphere of several Christmas markets.
Strasbourg has been holding its Christmas market around its impressive cathedral since 1570. There are hundreds of stalls selling speciality food and drink, including gingerbread, spiced sausages and vin chaud (mulled wine).
In the historic heart of the city in Petite France; from the Place de la Cathédrale to Place Broglie, from Place Kléber where the Christmas Tree majestically towers over shoppers, to Place d’Austerlitz, transformed into a “Forêt de Délices” (Forest of Delights), tastes and scents mingle with Christmas music.
There are several themed markets:
• The Christmas Market, place de la cathédrale, place du château and place d’Austerlitz
• The flavours of Alsace, on the Place des Meuniers
• The trading post of the Three Kings, Place Benjamin Zix
• The Carré d’Or, Place du Marché-neuf, with the Carré d’Or Traders’ Association
• The Bredle Market and the Kingdom of the « Couronne d’Or » Wine Growers, Place d’Austerlitz
• The Christmas regional specialities and crafts markets, on the Place de la Gare in front of the railway station
• The Village of Sharing, Place Kléber
• The Russian Village, Place Gutenberg
Würzburg Christmas Market
December 1 – 23, 2024
Opening hours:
Monday – Saturday 10 am – 8:30 pm – Sunday 11 am – 8:30 pm
Official opening: December 1, 5:00 pm
Long Tradition and lots of Holiday Cheer
In the heart of the Old Town of Würzburg one of Germany’s most picturesque and enchanting Christmas Markets attracts thousands of visitors every year. The tradition dates back to the early 19th century and the historical market square with its Gothic Chapel and abundance of baroque architecture provide a charming Christmas Card Scene. Choose from the large holiday ornament and décor display ranging from artful glass, straw, pewter and pottery to wooden toys. Sample the delicious Christmas cookies and roasted almond, and sip the traditional Gluhwein, a famous hot spiced red wine. Products for sale at the Christmas market include wooden toys, jewelry, teas and spices, traditional Christmas decorations, scented candles, pottery, embroideries, and hand-knit socks and gloves.
To top it off, some 40 artisans display their wares in the festively decorated courtyard of the Town Hall on all Saturdays and Sundays in Advent. The focus here is on handcrafted items that are hard to find elsewhere