A Guide to Christmas Markets in Germany
No-one does a Christmas market quite like Germany – and best of all it’s an easy country to travel to. Yet with the strength of the Euro fluctuating against the Pound it’s also advisable to seek the best foreign currency exchange before you go.
Here is just a taste of what you can expect from the German Christmas markets:
Berlin
Berlin is home to more than 50 individual markets, with one of the most famous being the Alexanderplatz market. Here you’ll feel especially festive with the Fairy Forest and an ice-skating rink. If you’re looking for some great traditional crafts and antique toys, consider heading to the Unter den Linden Christmas market, or if a market with a more party atmosphere and some serious shopping is what you require head to the Gedächtniskirche market right in the heart of the shopping, drinking and clubbing district of the city centre.
Munich
The traditional market on Marienplatz in Munich is one of the oldest in Germany, going back to the 14th Century. It is set up on the city’s largest urban square and offers all kinds of handcrafted items and stunning treats, like gingerbread and roast apples. Another popular Christmas market to head to in Munich is Kripperlmarkt; here you’ll find traditional crafted nativity ornaments. If you really want the best in Christmas decorations this in an absolute must.
Cologne
The charming city of Cologne has a total of seven Christmas markets, with the main four located at Alter Markt, Cologne Cathedral, Neumarkt and Rudolfplatz. Cologne Cathedral is a stunning sight and provides a fabulous backdrop to any of the Christmas markets in Cologne. Away from the big four there is also a medieval Christmas market held at the Chocolate Museum and an ice rink at Heumarkt.
Nuremburg
Nürnberg Christkindlesmarkt is one of Germany’s oldest and most famous Christmas markets and attracts over 2 million people every year. A chosen ‘Christ Child’ opens the market each year with a huge ceremony which is well worth dropping in for, as is the procession of children walking with lanterns through the town up to the castle. This market has everything you’d want from a Christmas market, such as gingerbread, traditional crafts, gluhwein and bratwurst.
This is just a snapshot of what Germany has to offer in terms of Christmas markets. There are widespread markets throughout the country including Münster, Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg, Lübeck, Düsseldorf, Baden-Baden and Aachen to name just a few.
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