Christmas Markets Roundup Germany 2023

Some dates were not available at time of publishing, these will be updated as the information arrives.

Augsburg Christkindlesmarkt

27 November – 24 December 2018
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)

23 November 2023 – to 6 January 2024

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.).

Bamberg Christmas Market

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 2017 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 2 + 3 December
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

27 November – 21 December 2023

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 26 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

27 November – 30 December 2023

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 27 – December 22, 2023
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 22 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 27 to Sunday, December 24, 2023

Munich’s main Christmas Market is held on Marienplatz in the heart of the city center from Monday, November 27 to Sunday, December 24, 2023. 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

1st December to 23rd December 2023
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, 24th to December, 24th.

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, 2023

Opening hours:
Monday – Saturday 10 am – 8:30 pm – Sunday 11 am – 8:30 pm
Official opening: Friday, November 25, 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.