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Best spots in Southern Germany for sightseeing in the day and Christmas Markets in the evenings?

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Our party of four (2 moms with 2 young adult daughters) will be headed to Germany the first week in December to see Christmas markets after spending a week in Budapest and Vienna. We will be traveling by train, and don't want to spend all our time packing/repacking. It is clear that we have a lot of options for Xmas markets, but sightseeing during the day is just as important. We are planning to stay three nights each in two locations, and I could use help finding two towns in southern Germany where we can see local sights and make day trips (history, museums, music, castles, and food!) by train. We expect to spend evenings at Christmas Markets. At this point, I've been thinking about Munich and Stuttgart, but I would appreciate any advice. I'm afraid we might be missing the chance to stay in and explore some smaller towns.

I've learned a lot from postings about Christmas Markets, but I'm trying to find places to stay where our daytime experiences will be just as memorable. We have visited the Rhine in springtime (Fussen, Bacharach, Rothenburg), and are looking forward to seeing new places in the winter (snow won't deter us). Any advice?

Posted by
2908 posts

Hi,

I really can't offer advice about the places you're looking at, but these may interest you.

We did two Christmas Market trips in early December 2010 and 2013, mostly in Austria, but included Berchtesgaden. I'd highly recommend Salzburg, which could include a day on the Wolfgangsee visiting the towns and markets around the lake, St. Gilgen, St. Wolfgang and Strobl. Berchtesgaden is nearby, as is Hallein, Austria.

Innsbruck may be our favorite this time of year. The alpine scenery with snow capped peaks add to the charm. We visited the towns and markets in Innsbruck, Hall in Tirol, Rattenberg and then a short hop over the Italain border to Sterzing and Brixen. Bolzano is even a doable day trip.

Paul

Posted by
12040 posts

If your visit coincides with their Christmas Market, try to visit Lindau. Most of the markets, particularly in the larger cities, sell mostly the same merchandise and food... nothing wrong with that, the attraction is more the ambience and socializing than the stuff for sale. But Lindau's market tends to have more artisinal handicrafts and regional food specialities. And if sky is clear (admittedly, not very common in December), the view over Bodensee towards the Alps is stunning.

Posted by
1481 posts

We have made 4 recent Christmas Market trips and have stayed in Stuttgart and Munich for 3 day stops on those trips. I think those meet your criteria. From Munich you could visit Landshut, Augsburg and Regensburg for example (many choices available). From Stuttgart Esslingen (medieval market) is a great choice. Stuttgart was my favorite big city Christmas Market.

All that said, we do prefer multiple stops at smaller towns. Regensburg, Rothenburg and Würzburg were my favorite stops. My wife would add Nürnberg to that list. We just enjoyed the atmosphere of the smaller towns better. You trade off moving more often by not having to return at night to a base. Those smaller places are more beautiful at night.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you for your thoughtful and helpful replies! We are looking for markets selling traditional arts and crafts, so I appreciate the Lindau recommendation. And I particularly like the idea of splitting our visit to include a stay in a smallish town.
The people in this forum are an extraordinary resource!

Posted by
15582 posts

The Christmas markets start getting crowded as people get off work. By 7 p.m. the big ones (Salzburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt) are so crowded with locals standing around, eating, drinking, and socializing, that it's truly hard to walk through them and then they aren't very enjoyable. They are best seen in the afternoons. It gets dark around 4-4.30, so you'll have a couple hours to enjoy the decorations and lights before it gets too crowded. Then head for a restaurant for dinner. Most of the markets close up around 8 or 9 at the latest. Munich's aree open much later.

Mainz has a lovely market and interesting sights. It's an easy day trip to Frankfurt, Wiesbaden . . . Don't skip Stuttgart/Esslingen.

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