Looking for your thoughts on the following itinerary for 2022 Christmas Markets. If there are any 'can-be-missed' markets, please let me know. Will be driving as we believe trains will eat too much time over 7 days. Interested in understanding how difficult the parking will be in the cities, as well. Thanks!
Cologne
Dortmund
Munster
Leipzig
Erfurt
? Nuremburg
Karlsruhe
Trier
Aachen
Esslingen Middle Ages markets [outside of Stuttgart] is a can't be missed market. Stuttgart markets are also pretty incredible, with the vendors creating elaborate decorations on the roofs of their stands.
Such a magical trip!
Perhaps there will be some info of value from out very special 2019 xmas markets Trip Reports!
Of the big city markets that we visited, we liked Stuttgart the best. We visited 3 "medieval" markets and Esslingen as a day visit from Stuttgart was the best of those.
In general there is a lot of similarity between the goods in the markets. We like to pick towns that we will enjoy and take the markets as an extra.
Our favorite town/market combo is Regensburg. Its Altstadt is a World Heritage Site for his old buildings, streets, alleys and plazas. There are several interesting churches of varying styles (Gothic, Baroque, Rococo, etc.). There is a Romantic Christmas Market at the Thurn and Taxis palace, but it is the town rather than the market that we most enjoy.
We lived in Germany for 6 years and loved travel in our own car, but avoided cities for the hassles of driving in them and parking. Since 2006 we have made 20 return trips and used the trains. Most train stations are within walking distance of Altstadt (old town) centers. I wonder if you are actually going to save time by driving. Autobahn back-ups can ruin a day. Snow at this time of year is uncommon but it did happen to us on 2 Christmas Market trips. I would not have wanted to drive in it.
Hi,
Do you you mean "Münster/Westfalen" instead of "Munster/Oertze" in terms of the place's proximity to Dortmund, or are you driving eastward after Dortmund to the little town of Munster near Uelzen or northwards to Münster in Westphalia? I am familiar with both places but only by train in the summer.
Either way , even more so from Münster/Westf. than going from Munster to Leipzig, this will involve a good deal of driving. Where do you plan on staying overnight?
Can't help with any driving or parking info since doing that is not for me an option. Given your time constraint a car is, however, more effective.
The markets take over the town centers (though I didn't go to any on your list). Most of the streets are closed to private cars. I'd expect that parking will be at a premium and not conveniently close to the markets. My experience was that the markets don't get going until around lunchtime, say 1 pm or later. By 5 pm or so, the locals are finishing work and filling up the markets to eat, drink and socialize. By 7 pm it became quite difficult to walk through the throngs to see the stalls and decorations.
In other words, I don't think you can visit more than one market a day, except if there are a couple of small ones that you can visit in an hour or two.
I'm wondering what the rationale behind this list is? Because few of these make the best of lists. I'll address the ones I've been to.
Cologne: Fine, nice with the location in front of the Dom, but not amazing.
Leipzig: Stopped en route to the much larger, more unique, and famous markets in Dresden. It was nice, but I can't imagine visiting Leipzig and not visiting Dresden.
Nuremberg: OK, I haven't been, but that's only because everyone who has been has warned me seriously not to bother, that it's pretty standard but VERY crowded as one of the most famous ones. If you do go do so early in the week.
Karlsruhe: This one I'm just baffled by to be honest
I'd do some research in this sub and revise the list, and I'd consider linking cities by train instead. My favorites (trying to be unbiased) are Stuttgart, Esslingen, Ludwigsburg, several of the 50+ in Berlin, and Dresden.
between Pat's excellent trip report linked above and Sarah and other responses, I have come up with a shortlist of my own. not helpful for the OP but as on ongoing forum discussion:
- Germany: Stuttgart, Esslingen, Rothenburg, Nuremberg, Ludwigsburg, Berlin & Dresden area
- Swiss: Zurich, Basel, Luzern, Bern
- Austria: Salzburg & Vienna
- France: Strasbourg with Vino Route tour
Another shout out for Stuttgart and Esslingen markets. They make my top 5 list.
Trier, Aachen and Erfurt are not ones I have visited, but they come recommended, simply for the towns they are located in.
Staying closer to the Rhein, even though you haven't listed them, would be Marburg, Limburg, Idstein, Speyer, Worms, or maybe Rüdesheim.
Have never wanted to go to the Nuremberg market. Way too crowded and it looks so boring with all the stands exactly the same. I like the markets where each stand is individually decorated on the roofs. It adds to the atmosphere. Every time I see a photo of the Nuremberg market, it just looks sad.
Ms.Jo, I was just looking for you this morning to make sure you were still around on the forum! And then here you are! :)
I have Stuttgart and Esslingen on my list for this year. I also think Chani’s input on timing is good to consider. I want to have information on other things to see/do near my stops. Not only can I not do Christmas markets nonstop all day, I need to know they may not be an option all day.
Texas Travel Mom, I have spent the last 6 weeks walking the Camino across Spain, just got home yesterday.
Time to catch up on the German forum now.
I have no useful input but am reading all these replies with joy and envy as a Christmas Markets trip is one I have wanted to go on forever! I am reading all the replies and taking notes for my future trip😄
Glad to hear going by train is feasible as my husband does not want to drive in inclement weather. Thinking seriously about the Christmas Market cruises as well. Have a fabulous, memorable time!
Ms. Jo, welcome back! I am sure you have many stories that could be told!
Hello, all:
Many thanks for all of the good thoughts/advice! For our eight days in late November/early December, we are going to try to do several/many Christmas markets and our thoughts on driving is to allow us to move on our timeline and to not have as much hurry up and wait train time. There is a concern on parking at markets in Germany.... guess we'll see what happens. To date, we have visited the markets in central and northern Italy, Munich, Dresden (absolute eye candy booths!), Rothenburg, Salzburg, Vienna and Prague. This trip will be Bruges, Ghent, and markets in Germany. We realize that there are a lot of markets named here and are trying to reduce the lineup to some degree based on the experience (old town areas and Christmas markets) and parking difficulties. To get an idea of what we enjoy, our favorites have been Bolzano (overall charming city/market experience), Trento (ditto), and other northern Italy markets and Dresden - the market booths are fantastic visual experiences! We enjoyed Vienna overall as a city and the nightlights of the markets; however, much prefer the handmade items of northern Italy to the repeated booths of produced items in Vienna. We really enjoy market booths/stalls that are highly decorated and appreciate items to purchase that are not mass produced, if possible. Less of a carnival experience and more of a charming holiday experience. Love collecting mugs from the markets, so special mugs are a delight! With that said, what is the list that you would recommend?
Markets in the running, plus the ones previously mentioned in replies of others (thanks, everyone!) are:
Cologne
Dortmund
Munster (north of Cologne)
Leipzig
Erfurt
Nuremburg (too large/mass produced?)
Karlsruhe
Trier
Aachen
Frankfurt (too large/mass produced?
Others that are charming, with handmade items and are a visual delight?
Cologne has multiple markets. There is the biggest by the Dom, then nearby an “Elves” Market. Talk about decorated booths, I have never seen more elaborate ones. There is also an “Angels” Market, one by the Rhine and near the Chocolate Museum (“Pirate Market?”) and more. We stayed in a hotel right across the street from the Dom market and it was so convenient. I had made reservations early, so don’t wait too long.
Both Frankfurt and Stuttgart have wonderfully decorated stands, especially on the roofs! Nuremburg has the most boring looking stands, all the roofs are exactly the same.
All Christmas markets have stands that have mass produced items as well as stands that have hand made items. Often they are grouped together. Hand made wooden items (pyramids, nutcrackers, smokers), puppets, nativities, glass or wooden ornaments, textiles, candles, ceramics, jewelry, as well as locally made souvenirs from that particular city or region are the items most often found at these kind of stands.
German law is pretty strict about labeling, so if it is not made in Germany it can't have a label or tag that says that it is. You may find items that say "designed in Germany" and that is a clue that is made in China or someplace else. I have found vendors to be quite honest about their wares, so just ask them.
Once you have your dates set up, we can let you know if any of the small towns have markets on those dates as they are often just on one weekend.
