It’s about time. In German supermarkets, you can already find the first gingerbreads of the year – So, it’s time to start planning your trip to best Christmas Markets in Germany. But which one should you choose to visit?
I asked some of my fellow travel bloggers and German friends about their favorite and here you can find the inspirational answers about the top Christmas Markets in Germany.
I was happy to see that in our list of the top 10 Christmas Markets in Germany, there are also some insider and off-the-beaten-path ones but also some of the typical famous traditional Christmas Markets – Therefore, the perfect mix.
In the following, you can read about the Top 10 German Christmas Markets.
What to find out in this post
The very best Christmas Markets in Germany
The Top 10 Christmas Markets in Germany on a Map
Goslar
Although Goslar is a rather unknown city, which is located on the edge of the Harz-Mountains in Lower Saxony, its Christmas market counts as one of the most beautiful in Germany. Travelers in Germany and even from around the world come every year to this small medieval town to admire its wonderful Christmas market. You will definitely find Goslar to be a wonderful fairytale Christmas destination.
Particularly noteworthy is the so-called Christmas forest, which is built every year on the adjacent square Schuhhof. It consists of real fir trees, which are set up like an authentic forest and decorated with fairy lights. Between the trees, you will find small stalls where you can comfortably drink a hot mulled wine (Glühwein) or order something delicious to eat.
But even the marketplace itself convinces with its medieval flair. Here you can find everything a Christmas market fan could ask for – mulled wine, gingerbread, toasted almonds, and many more delicious dishes. And finally, a photo in front of the market fountain decorated with fairy lights shouldn’t be missing.
Three times a day, you can also admire the popular Goslar carillon, which depicts the history of the city from its discovery by Knight Ramm up to modern times.
If you got curious, you can find all information about Goslar in our complete Goslar Guide.
Nuremberg
During Advent, the whole Nuremberg Old Town fills with joy, laughs and enticing scents.
Until Christmas, Hauptmarkt, guarded by Frauenkirche, seems to be part of a fairytale. More than one hundred wooden huts sell handmade products, Christmas decorations and all kind of unique souvenirs.Gingerbread, roasted almonds, traditional sausages, mulled wine or hot
punch hangs in the air wonderful flavours. You must try at least some of them if you are here!
Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt is one of the most famous Christmas Markets in the whole world. It is one of the oldest too, with a history of 400 years. But despite its popularity, it manages to keep its charm and authenticity; it can be featured as a great example of
sustainable tourism.
If you fancy more than just German traditions for your Christmas souvenir shopping, just head a bit further to Rathausplatz. Here you will find the Market of Sister Cities, where various souvenirs can be found from more than 20 Nuremberg twin cities around the world.
Recommended by Alina from The Happy Kid.
Celle
With streets lined with traditional half-timbered houses, Celle is stunning year-round. But come wintertime, this small town in northern Germany is transformed into a wonderland of wooden shops, twinkling lights and the enticing smells of glühwein.
One of the things that makes the Christmas Market in Celle especially magical is unlike some of the bigger markets, each stall is built in the traditional style and made of wood. If you use your imagination, you’ll almost feel like you’ve been transported to a different time, before cell phones and H&M.
Wander through the section of Old World crafts, and you’ll see beeswax candles, handmade ornaments and wooden toys. Stop for a bratwurst or a cone of sugared almonds, which you’ll smell before you see!
If you’re lucky (like I was!), you might even be able to wander the market as snowflakes fall from the sky and leave behind a magical white dusting on everything they touch!
You can’t walk through this market without feeling embraced by the magic of Christmas!
Recommended by Katie from Two Wandering Soles
Ravennaschlucht
Our friends live in Freiburg and are forever sending us pictures of the awesome places they visit in their area. One picture that stood out for us was the Ravennaschlucht Christmas market they went to. When we decided to visit over the Christmas holidays in 2016 it was one of the first things we asked them to organise for us.The Ravennaschlucht Christmas market is like none we have ever seen before. It is held out in the forest underneath a 40-meter arched railway bridge. During the night the arches are lit by different coloured lights and it is a great effect. It is even more amazing when a train is travelling over the top of it! The stalls are all set around the bottom of the bridge with fires where you can warm yourself with an amazing cup of Glühwein or a sausage cooked from one of the vendors. Being out in the forest it can get very cold so you will need to dress well and stop by the fire occasionally. I really had to stop myself from buying all of the beautiful handmade Christmas decorations there too.The girls loved walking through the forest on a lit path to see a Christmas story that was told in pictures. Even though it was in German our friend could translate it for us. But to see the excitement on all the children’s faces was brilliantA tip for this market is that you have to book parking online months in advance if you wan to drive yourself. You do have to pay an entry of around 3 Euros per person to gain entry to the market. There are toilets but have some extra tissues with you in case as it gets very busy and we found they had nearly run out. Recommended by Bec from WYLD Family Travel
Tegernsee
The Tegernsee: idyllically situated in the Bavarian Prealps, it conveys the feeling of high mountains mixed with sophisticated Alpine flair. There is a reason the Tegernsee is destination to thousands of visitors from near and far every weekend.
Even in winter, the Tegernsee offers an exceptional atmosphere. While the surrounding mountains sink into the snow, the lake often doesn’t freeze completely. This combination of winter paired with unruly water that allows you take the boat on is unique.
It is particularly romantic on Tegernsee during the pre-Christmas period. During this time, you can visit the Adventszauber (Advent Magic). In the three large villages right at the lake, the three Advent Magic Christmas Markets are built. The Seeadvent (Lake Advent) in Bad Wiessee, the Rottacher Advent and the Christmassy Castle-Market in Tegernsee open their stalls on the Advent weekends. The markets are connected by a shuttle ship, which takes visitors through the winter steel-gray lake from one market to another. When it finally gets dark, the markets dip the black water of the lake into Christmassy warm colors, while the snow-capped mountains seem to rise towards the sky.
The markets each consist of two-thirds of artisans and only one-third of catering in order to create a pleasant atmosphere. In Tegernsee, the Hüttendorf is located directly in front of the castle church and offers regional handicrafts and costumes as well as culinary delicacies from the region. On the other hand, in Rottach-Egern, there are about 30 stalls directly along the lakeshore and around the tallest freely grown Christmas tree in Eastern Bavaria. Here, you can find a lot of regional cuisine and craft, as well. The smallest of the three markets can be found in Bad Wiessee. There, the stalls invite you to linger and enjoy the ambiance of the winter mountain lake directly on the lake promenade.
As part of our pre-Christmas micro-adventure in the Tegernsee-Schliersee region, we also spent a few hours at the Christmas markets of Advent magic. How did we get there, you’ll learn in the post on our blog.
Recommended by Astrid from Outside Adventure.
Hanover
Lower Saxony’s capital also offers a wonderful Christmas market, which brings a glow in the eyes of visitors of all ages. The Christmas market in Hanover is divided into different areas. In addition to the traditional Christmas market, which represents the majority of the market, there is a historic village, a Finnish village and a wishing well forest.
The traditional Christmas market is located in the old town of Hanover and is especially known for its wooden pyramid. Here, like in other Christmas Markets in Germany, there are many yummy dishes to buy as well as traditional art and souvenirs from all over Germany.
As the name implies, you will find historical attractions in the Historic Village. In addition to jugglers and medieval souvenirs you can discover mainly food that corresponds to the Medieval style, such as freshly baked bread made in cast-iron pans.
As a child we have already learned that Santa Claus lives in Lapland. That’s why, every year a Finnish village is a guest at the Hanover Christmas market. Here you will find everything that makes the heart of Scandinavia fans happy, such as Reindeer Furs and tasty Finnish delicacies like Salmon and Glögi Berry Mulled wine.
Monschau
Do you want to experience a fairy-tale like Christmas market in Germany? Well, then you should visit the Christmas market in Monschau.
Monschau is a quaint little town located around a horseshoe bend of the Rur River in the Eifel Region. Half-timbered houses, tiny cobbled streets, festively decorated shop windows, the enticing smell of clove and cinnamon and the sound of the alphorns make Monschau an enchanting place in the days before Christmas.
Glühwein, Bratwurst and Reibekuchen (fried potato pancakes) aren’t missing at the market. Beside the typical Christmas market treats, you can find there also hand-made Christmas ornaments, hand-carved nutcrackers and other typical souvenirs from the region that make great Christmas gifts. When in Monschau you should try their special Printen, which are actually a type of ginger Lebkuchen.
For the best views of the town and the market, climb the path to the ruins of the medieval watchtower Der Haller, and you won’t be disappointed.
The Christmas market is held each year on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between the last week of November and Christmas.
Recommended by Daniela from Ipanema Travels.
Hamburg
One of our favourite places in Germany to see the Christmas markets is Hamburg. From the end of November until the end of December, the whole city comes alive with Christmas festivities. You can do your Christmas Shopping in town and moments later find yourself sipping mulled wine in a makeshift pine forest. The markets in Hamburg are a true reflection of the city from the more traditional scenes at the Rathaus (Town Hall) to the very risqué Santa Pauli Christmas markets in the Hamburg Reeperbahn. In fact, the Santa Pauli markets are referred to as the most sinful Christmas markets in Germany. In reality, they aren’t too bad. There are a few stalls selling, to put it politely, more unusual Christmas gifts, and a strip tent which pretty much is what you think it is. Of course, you still have your Christmas market classics like mulled wine, bratwursts, and crepes.
If you are willing to venture out of the city, you will be treated to one of the most beautiful Christmas markets we have ever seen at Bergedorf. It is a 30 minute train ride outside of the centre, and is home to the Bergedorf Castle, which provides the backdrop to the neighbourhood’s atmospheric Christmas markets. There are fire pits to warm yourself around as well as quaint little corners to sip your Bailey’s and hot chocolate, as the sounds of Christmas carols fill the air. The best thing about the Bergedorf Christmas markets is that there are hardly any tourists so you are guaranteed an authentic German Christmas market experience.
Recommended by Lizzie from Wanderlust and Life.
Dresden
Dresden is a wonderful destination for those who love Christmas markets. Here you can experience not just one but several unique Christmas markets.
Probably the most famous is the Dresden Striezelmarkt. It is one of the oldest Christmas markets in the world and attracts hundreds of tourists from all over the world each year as it is one of the best things to see in Dresden during Christmas time. The first Dresden Striezelmarkt already took place in 1434. Its name goes back to the German word Striezel, which stands for the famous Dresden Christstollen cake.
Other Christmas markets, which are less crowded, are located at the Frauenkirche (church) of the city. In addition to an 8-meter high mountable pyramid, you will find mainly small stalls that offer craftsmanship. In addition to traditional carved figures, there are also Persian or Moroccan stalls to admire, which give the whole market a more international atmosphere.
Another unique Christmas market in Dresden is the Stallhofen Adventsspektakel. It is a market modeled after a medieval market. Not only do you pay with old coins, but you can also watch jugglers and minstrels while browsing through the historical art displayed at the market. You can even enjoy a hot bath at the market with up to 8 people.
Recommended by Melissa & Hanna
Frankfurt am Main
Anyone who thinks of Frankfurt, has probably skyscrapers and a chaotic big city life in mind. What many don’t know is that you can also find a very vivid and traditional Christmas market in Frankfurt.
Frankfurt’s Christmas market is located on the Römerberg, in the city center of Frankfurt, not far from the famous Eiserner Steg. The market is surrounded by half-timbered houses that look a little bit like gingerbread houses. But in the distance, you can already see the famous skyscrapers of Mainhattan.
The Frankfurt Christmas market is considered one of the most visited Christmas markets in Germany and, therefore, can’t be missing on this list of beautiful Christmas markets in Germany. In addition to the traditional Christmas delicacies such as sausages, roasted almonds, and mulled wine, there are mainly Bethmännchen as a Frankfurt specialty.
The main attraction of the Frankfurt Christmas market is its huge Christmas tree, lit by thousands of light bulbs.
Could we inspire you for your Germany Christmas Market trip? Which one would you like to visit and which Christmas Market do you love that might be not on this list? Let us know in the comments below!
What a wonderful collection of German Christmas markets. Visiting one (or more) is on my bucket list!
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for your comment! Let me know which one you have visited and how you liked it 😉
Haha nice one. I do love our German Christmas markets. Next time you must check out Leipzig. Definitely worth a visit 🙂
Hi Claudia,
Thanks for the recommendation. If I have the chance I’ll definitely check it out 🙂