Christmas markets

If you could be more specific about where in Europe you will be traveling and for how long then perhaps you'll get a better response. Some of the very best Christmas markets are in Germany. But it's a pretty big country to get around, especially on a tight travel schedule.

How long a trip? Early or late December? Where in europe? If you use the search function, I'll bet you'll find dozens of threads from the last 2-3 years.

Which country?

We will be going in mid Dec. and start in Paris and go for two weeks to where ever we feel is the funnest areas, which is why I came to this forum. Where do you guys think is the best areas to go to. I am somewhat of a seasoned traveler and can go wherever people recommend.

Do you plan to stay in France?

Start in Paris but end up where? You will need to head East for the best markets.
Strasbourg is one of the oldest and largest. Thereafter Germany is full of them. Too many to list here unless you give a specific area of Germany.
Most Christmas Markets start on the last weekend in November and end on Christmas Eve midday (they are, after all, for buying Christmas presents). A few stay open until the new year.

Try this site: http://www.christmasmarkets.com/
It is a commercial site selling hotel rooms, but it lists lots of Christmas markets with reviews.

We will be in France for a few days and then head to Germany and after that maybe Switzerland, Austria and if Italy has good markets maybe there. That is why I am here to learn where is good.

Salzburg and Munich have terrific Christmas markets. I know there are plenty of others, but those are 2 I've been to. Strasbourg in France is worthwhile also.

The Paris market is beautiful...after all, it's Paris. Some of my other favorites are Brugge, Salzburg... For sure, I also love Heidelberg, dinkelsbuhl ( really small and locals) Rothenburg... Certainly the markets in Germany are what one thinks of as the epitome of Xmas markets....also enjoyed the Frankfurt markets. Hopefully Jo will see this post and give you her expertise

Here is some useful information on the Christmas Markets
http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/best-christmas-markets-in-europe

Hi,

We did two Christmas Market trips in late Nov./early Dec. 2010 and 2013. Salzburg and especially Innsbruck are must's in my opinion. Loved both old towns and the many markets in each. It helps if you want to visit a town and the Christmas markets are a bonus. We'd been to most places we visited on these two trips many times before, but at this time of year they are truly magical.

We based in the Berchtesgaden are and the Innsbruck area both trips. Many places to visit from the bases. We have our pic's at:

www.flickr.com/photos/pjbassplyr/sets

Paul

I also recommend the Salzburg Christmas market. I don't know if your previous travels have taken you to Salzburg but there is lots to see and do there in addition to the market. It was beautiful covered in the snow, very picturesque. I have also been to the Christmas markets in Munich and Rudesheim but Salzburg was my favourite.

Paulmdodson, that's two months away -- very busy season in some places. Check hotel availability before you set your plans in stone.

Bad Wimpfen on the Nekar River has a fantastic Christmas Market, and is a lovely medieval village to visit regardless of time of year. Majority of the wares are locally produced, unlike many of the larger markets. The Gluwein and food is great too. I was very disappointed in the Paris Market, most of the items were from China! Do check the calendars for wherever you visit, because not all Markets open at the same time, and many are only on the weekend.

Strasbourg was very nice, Colmar was wonderful. I liked the French markets better than the German ones, but Esslingen was a wow and not to be missed. It's a short train ride from Stuttgart. A huge section of it is medieval - the costumes, the wares, even games, and mostly lit by lamps after dark. Mainz and Wiesbaden were very nice, easy to do together in one day. I thought Frankfurt was the most commercial, least interesting. Munich's were extensive. Saltzburg was lovely.

Generally the markets started up around lunchtime and closed up between 7 and 9 p.m. The locals crammed the markets in Germany and Austria at lunch and after work, to drink and eat. By around 7 p.m. it was usually so crowded with revelers that it was difficult to walk through. Plan to sightsee during the day, interspersed with afternoons at the markets.

Christmas markets are a specifically German-speaking phenomenon - Strasbourg and Colmar have them because of the German hybrid cultural element in Alsace. Any in other European countries will generally be imitations of the German ones (it's become a thing in the UK in the last decade, for some reason) and not really an expression of local culture.

These markets originated in Germany, Austria, South Tyrol, North Italy and many French regions such as Alsace, Lorraine, Savoy, but are now being held in many other countries. (nicked from Wikipedia) I don't know if that somehow invalidates say Rome having a market prior to Christmas that promotes those things that are typically Roman at the holidays? Also: http://www.europeanchristmasmarketsontv.com/

Christmas markets are a specifically German-speaking phenomenon Strasbourg and Colmar have them because of the German hybrid cultural element in Alsace. Any in other European countries will generally be imitations of the German ones and not really an *expression of local culture*.

Exactly. And that's one of the reasons why many people rave about the Christmas markets of Strasbourg, Colmar and Salzburg. The other reason is that these cities weren't destroyed in WW2, and the atmosphere of a Christmas market staged in a completely preserved old town is simply much, much better. Most big German cities people usually visit to see a Christmas market, like Nuremberg, Stuttgart, Cologne or Munich, were destroyed in WW2 and can't offer a similar experience. The only big Christmas market (200+ stalls) that can compete here is Erfurt. In Germany you have to visit the smaller, preserved towns to get the same experience. Which also has the advantage of much smaller crowds, and Christmas markets mostly visited by locals are also much more authentic and feel more christmassy..
If you are interested in shopping you should visit Central and Eastern Germany, the area between Nuremberg, the Thuringian Forest and Saxony, because that's where most traditions associated with German Christmas come from, and that's where the products are always authentic and also relatively cheap. Gingerbread from Nuremberg (or Pulsnitz near Dresden), glass baubles from Lauscha in the Thuringian Forest, wooden Christmas toys from the Ore mountains, Stollen from Dresden, and Moravian Stars from Upper Lusatia (to the east of Dresden).

If you are shopping for authenticity, make sure you know where the article is made.

There are some markets (or at least one that i know of) where the items being sold have to meet the standards of a cultural committee or similar.

As Laura said, Christmas markets attract lots of tourists, mainly from other parts of Europe. I would book hotels, then flights and trains. If you want to save money, buy train tickets well in advance.