Christmas Markets

The most beautiful markets in the most interesting and beautiful cities in Europe are without a doubt in Budapest (1st) and Vienna (2nd). https://www.europeanbestdestinations.com/best-of-europe/best-christmas-markets-of-all-the-time-in-europe-all-stars-edition/ In Budapest, and I believe in Vienna as well, nothing for sale that isnt local production, almost always hand crafts. The beauty is they are only 2.6 hours apart on the train. Why does Budapest have great markets and why are they a part of the culture when Christmas Markets are a German thing? Austro-Hungarian Empire (aka German). 3rd place? Hmmmmmmm one of those German markets probably.

More on the Budapest Markets: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/budapest-christmas-markets-d26f8ab1-2048-4160-bfb3-bf13b096683e

More on Vienna Markets: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/a-local-s-take-on-vienna-s-christmas-markets-2024-edition

Germany is the home of Christmas markets and Dresden is the original market, but Nuremberg is a very well-known market, probably the best known of all (the Christkindlmarkt). It is however mobbed with tourists, but there are many others in Germany as pretty much any town of a good size will have a market. If you did want to see the German markets try posting in the Germany forum and you will get lots of answers. You could pick markets in a given area (for instance Bavaria, or the Rhein-Main district) and just stick to that to make travel easier. Germany has a fantastic rail system so it will be easy to get around by train. It might help to pick somewhere you actually want to visit in case you are "marketed out" - then you can just turn to local art museums, etc. So in the Rhein-Main version you might go see Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Mainz, Rüdesheim, Cologne (where there are 7 markets, a world-class cathedral and lots of museums and brewpubs but alas dismal / boring architecture), Michelstadt (which is a very small market popular with German tourists), Limburg, Idstein (5-7 December 2025 only). Those two last ones are a bit off the beaten path but they are cities with amazing Fachwerk and if you are seeing the region they would make a nice stop. Make sure you get to the markets at night as this is when they are at their best.

People also rave about the Christmas market in Strasbourg (in the Alsace, France, which has been German territory at times), but unfortunately I've never been, so can't comment on it, but I'm sure someone else here can.

Lavandula

We went to Stasbourg a couple of years ago for the Christmas markets. Strasbourg was magical as was the charming Advent night market in Gengenbach (https://www.gengenbach.info/gengenbach-entdecken/adventskalender-1). Gengenbach was just about a 45 min train ride from Strasbourg so super easy to access. We also visited the Basel market, which was fine though I'm not sure I'd go to that particular market again. We were only there for 4 nights so we were limited to number of markets we could visit.

I see the Hungarian Tourism Agency (AKA Mr E) has already spoken lol.

And while Vienna has a very nice Christmas market, you can't leave out Nuremberg, probably the oldest and most famous Christmas market in Europe. Between these are Salzburg, and Munich. And then there's is Heidelberg, Cologne (although it and Stuttgart are likely to be outliers), and Strasbourg/Colmar.

CJean, understand that I don’t mean this is a bad way at all. "Historically" the markets date back centuries, but none of physical of what was the markets exists today. So, it’s an event of history and conceptual continuation but not physical continuation. Perfectly legitimate. No arguments. What we have in Nuremburg today is a visual facsimile of what once existed, the originals have been all but completely wiped from the face of the earth in WWII. I am an architect and not so much a design architect as a detail architect. I live for the history of hand-hewn timber and wood pegs. I shiver when my foot falls on the same piece of marble that did the foot of Cesar (despite an inch of wear between the two footprints). I can’t get that shiver in a reconstructed city. I suspect the majority of the tourists that go to Nuremberg (and most, not all, of the cities in Germany) have no idea what they are looking at was constructed in the last 10 to 40 years. It’s sort of a forbidden subject. It’s a personal thing and does not judge anyone elses perspective on the subject. We have something similar in Budapest, the Castle District which is almost completely a rebuild. This is one of the subjects that attracts me to Prague. It’s original. I shy away a bit because it no longer serves its original purpose (in a large part), but at least the timber and brick and nails are as set by the ancient masters.

As for me being the Budapest Travel Agent, it’s a matter of I only talk about that which I know enough to be accurate. So, add to Budapest a part of the Balkans. But, yes, that’s about it. Read my profile page, I just do not go many places or that often (but at least I confess on my profile page ... unlike some). Well that and it is a fact that Budapest is the most beautiful and interesting capital city in Europe.

Mr E, I was teasing about you being the Hungarian Travel agency, because of your pride in promoting Budapest (and rightly so).

However I doubt that the average tourist visiting the various Christmas markets cares all that much whether they are in exactly the same buildings, or even the exact location as they were when the markets were first held. I doubt anyone cares that the Nuremberg Christmas Market is not identical to those held in the 16th century. They are primarily there for the Markets, which by their very nature are not permanent, but are temporary huts or stalls that are only there for a few weeks each year. And while the history and architecture of these cities have their own appeal, to varying degrees, I dont think they are the primary draw for most people on this type of tour.

We took our first market trip in 2023. Stayed 4 nights in Strasbourg, including visits to Colmar, Ribeauville, Kaysersberg, Obernai and Gengenbach. The towns were all gorgeous and wonderfully decorated. But we found the markets to be pretty repetitive: same food, same items being sold.

Then we spent 3 nights in Cologne. The city was heavily bombed and re-built modern. No no old world charm. But wow, the markets themselves were so much better: more variety of food, items sold, entertainment, theming.

I would suggest picking 2 cities with lots of markets and day trip options nearby. Munich and Vienna would be great choices. Fly into one and out of another.

Clean, I knew you were joking and I know I come across the way that I do. And I dont disagree with anything else you said, except to point out i was thinking about the larger city experirnce than just the markets, and I was careful to explain these are my feelings, which is why I said me so many times. I just cant get past the Disneyland factor and that is my problem and I miss out on a lot as a result.

The market in Frankfurt dates back to 1393, so truly one of the oldest ones. Lots of cities vying for that label for some reason. It is rather meaningless except for marketing by the tourism boards.

Anyway, Frankfurt as a hub it is a good place to arrive and the market is actually quite nice. They have been expanding it the last couple of years so you don't get that cattle car feeling like you would in some cities. Wed. and Sat. nights they have brass bands playing from the gallery of the Alte Nikolai which overlooks the Römer. Most of the downtown churches have some sort of concert every night. The Palmengarten will have their Winter Lights starting earlier this year.

From here, you can easily visit markets in Marburg, Limburg, Mainz, Wiesbaden, Michelstadt, Heidelberg and on the weekends, Bad Homburg (which has the most hand made items of any market I have seen) Select weekends, the towns of Büdingen and Idstein are worth a visit.
Stuttgart and Esslingen are favorites of mine. Strassbourg and Colmar are beautiful, but very, very crowded.

In Germany you will find very different Christmas Markets, some only for a few days or on weekends. A lot of traditional handcraft can be seen and bought at markets in the Ore Mountains and in places with fast train stations such as Dresden, Nuremberg and Bamberg. The over 500 years old "Dresden Striezelmarkt is regularly voted the favorite Christmas market in German-speaking countries. ... This visitor magnet attracts visitors with superlatives such as the world's largest 14.61-metre-high step pyramid from the Ore Mountains, what is probably the world's largest walk-in candle arch". The Dresdner Christstollen is a famous cake only served in the advent weeks.

Berlin is only 2-3 hours away and offers a variety of different Christmas Markets. The ones on Gendarmenmarkt and Breitscheidplatz are often recommended. The ones at Charlottenburg Palace, at Alt-Rixdorf (only two days) and around Lichtenrade lake are favorites of locals.

Trains journey can easily be planned and booked on https://int.bahn.de/en.

Flying in to Munich, Lufthansa bus to Nuremberg (day trip to Bamberg) and then by train via Dresden to Berlin, finally flying out from there, will give you a nice journey with different Christmas Market and cultural experiences.

The German ideas are excellent. You said 7 to 10 days, but do try and make it 10 days as that gets the most value out of the cost of the plane ticket and the international travel time. 10 days is leaving on Friday and returning on Sunday. Choose dates carefully. With little time you want to avoid 24, 25, 26 December as so much is closed. Most of the markets begin between 14 November and 1 December and stay open until 24 December with quite a few remaining open till 1 January. I will give you one 10-day plan:

Friday / fly US to Vienna
Saturday / Sunday / Monday Vienna and have one of our Vienna locals help you with a day trip for a small-town market on one of those days. No, not Bratislava.
Tuesday / Train to Gyor (1.4 hours) for their market and to visit the Archabbey at Pannonhalma. Train to Budapest (1.4 hours. Gyor is in the Viena to Budapest track so no detour for this, no lost time except the trip out the abbey). You can also do this with Daytrip.com for about 275€. Two trains tickets will be about 60€ + maybe 30€ round trip for a taxi to the Archabbey (or maybe 5€ for a bus). https://turizmus.pannonhalmifoapatsag.hu/programok/egyeni-latogatoknak/
Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday Budapest with a day trip to the markets in Szentendre on one of those days. https://youtu.be/uRLu1GcAbf4?si=jrGNoq2u_1KDQmTo
Sunday / Fly Home

Now maybe our Germans will offer an idea for something similar?

My husband and I have been going to Christmas Markets almost every year - we love them! I have seen their gain in popularity, especially since Covid. We usually join a tour but add on days before or at the end. We have been on bus tours and river cruises (my husband’s favorite way to go.) If you search in the search bar at the top of the page you’ll see some of my previous posts including my favorite markets.
Are you planning to go this year, 2025? Time is ticking and many tours will be filled by now.

You could do a great 7–10 day loop by train between Germany and Austria. Start in Munich, then go to Nuremberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber for classic markets and lights. From there, take the train to Salzburg and finish in Vienna. All are beautifully decorated, easy connections, and full of Christmas atmosphere.

Hi Michelle, if you thinking about December this year, book your hotels ASAP. I reserved ours in July for this December, and several cities were low inventory at that time.