Myself, my husband and grown daughter wish to spend next Christmas in Germany. I understand that a large city would be the best place for open restaurants, etc. But, we would also like to experience a charming small town. We would be very happy to travel by train between towns/cities. Any suggestions?
Posted by
New York, NY
1580 posts
Janet - Freiburg and Rothenburg Germany would be ideal towns to spend your 2020 Christmas in. Freiburg has a wonderful Christmas market. For a bigger city, you can opt to stay in Munich and tour towns like Nuremburg and Heidelberg via train.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
Yes, on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the day after there may be fewer places open -- but we haven't starved yet. Your hotel will most likely provide a substantial breakfast that can hold you most of the day. The rest of the Christmas season there are open restaurants in big towns and small.
Are you focused only on Germany ? Our favorite is Salzburg, just a 2-hour train ride from Munich across the Austrian border.
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1549 posts
You don’t say how long you are going for or how often you are willing to change locations. I’ve always fancied visiting Christmas markets myself but changing bases frequently is at the bottom of my list when it comes to travel.
I like Munich, some don’t, but it is a good base for Munich itself and ease of access to evening markets in Nuremberg, Regensburg, Landshut, Salzburg and Kufstein (a little visited gem with a great castle), a simple train ride back from all. I love Rothenburg but that would involve an overnight or two. Bear in mind that markets in some of the smaller towns are only open on weekends, some only have a market for a day or two. Look at this for more ideas: https://www.bavaria.by/experiences/city-country-culture/christmas-markets/
Outside of Bavaria, Alsace is a good bet with Colmar, Strasbourg and especially all the wine villages close by: https://www.christmas.alsace/christmas-markets/
I don’t know how long it takes by public transport to get to the Black Forest side - Freiburg (city), Staufen and Gengenbach (villages) - but I’m sure they are all pretty at winter time.
Restaurants will be open everywhere.
Posted by
Dallas
23 posts
We loved Munich and Dresden. Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber is a fantastic small town for a short stay or day trip.
Just a warning that we found Christmas markets to be highly disappointing in Berlin and nothing like the ones in the rest of the country. They were more like small carnivals with rides and games, and very few Christmas item stalls. I'm sure there are some good ones, but of the 4 or 5 we hit they were all terrible.