please help with Christmas markets w/ kids itinerary

Dump at least two places between the 15th and the 22nd. You'll be spending too much time travelling which will be stressful on the kids. To be honest I'm not sure there's much difference between German christmas markets, so don't visit too many. I would give up on Seiffen and Dresden, it's out of your way and the rail links between Bavaria and Saxony are slow.

If your boys are at all into cars they'll enjoy the Mercedes museum in Stuttgart which is fantastic. The Porsche one is missable unless you're a specific Porsche fanboy.

Are you sure Disneyland is open on Christmas Day?

Forget the two castles from Stuttgart unless you have a car.

I can’t imagine all that travel in winter with two young children. Have they traveled via train before? It seems like you are on the go so much that the kids have no down time. If it was me I would cut out more stops and experience for longer a few towns. How crowded is Disneyland Paris on Christmas Day? If it is like here in the states it is one of the worest days to visit all year.
We liked Disneyland Paris when we went but had a longer stay. Enjoy

Thank you for all the comments so far. I welcome additional feedback. Disneyland is open on Christmas day, and we are expecting it to be crowded. The kids will want to go while we're in Paris, and we're only willing to give it a day trip -- since nothing else is open that day, it's the day we're going to do it. We are trying to avoid horrible crowds during the Christmas markets and will take what we get at Disneyland. :)

I'm thinking we should skip RodT (I have already been there -- kids/husband have not) and make that a second night in Nuremberg. That being said, that puts us in Nuremberg on a Sunday, which isn't ideal.

I know Seiffen/Dresden is the obvious thing to bail on geographically, but we are definitely going to Seiffen so I'm trying to figure out what makes sense logistically. Dresden is optional for us but I know the kids would enjoy seeing the posed armor.

Kids are not interested in cars at all, but we are considering the Mercedes-Benz museum anyway. They are, however, very interested in castles and medieval life.

Neuschwanstein is not a medieval castle. It is an 18th century palace built to look like a castle lots of Wagner stuff. Honestly, I thinks it's missable. I think Rothenburg and Nightwatchman's tour if he does it in Dec, would be more interesting for the boys. Best place for medieval castles is the UK.

Lots of good feedback, thank you. I think we are going to dump Neuschwanstein. I've already been there and my son who requested it has now decided he wants to go to a more medieval castle instead. I know the UK has great castles but we will save those for a summer trip. We are really trying to focus on Christmas markets as this will likely be our only winter trip to Europe. I considered staying at Disneyland Paris Christmas Eve & Christmas, but then it adds another hotel change which is why I was wondering about just doing it as a day trip. I'm not sure which is easier? I'm thinking of skipping Munich but not sure what to replace it with. Salzburg seems like a nice option and does allow for the salt mine tour but it adds quite a bit of rail time as a stop "between" Dresden and Paris. Here's a possible new plan but not sure what to do about Dresden and after.

Strasbourg or Colmar: 4 nights
Stuttgart: 3 nights
Nuremberg: 2 nights
Seiffen: 2 nights
Dresden: 2 nights (or skip Dresden?)
???: 2 nights (Salzburg? Cologne? somewhere else?)
Paris: 5 nights

Another option is to just settle into Munich and day trip to Nuremberg from there (but this would force Nuremberg on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday unless I change the order of the home base cities), plus any other day trips from Munich we feel up to on the day. I'm not very excited about Munich but maybe that's because I've already been there. It does seem like a good base geographically. Something like this:

Strasbourg or Colmar: 4 nights
Stuttgart: 3 nights
Seiffen: 2 nights
Dresden: 2 nights
Munich: 4 nights (day trips to Nuremberg and elsewhere)
Paris: 5 nights

I won't argue the legitimacy of Neuschwanstein, in some ways I, too, thought it was lame. But its very picturesque in the alps and there is the Disney connection that the kids might enjoy. I did really like the tour of Hohenschwangau. If you do it, do it before Neuschwanstein. I also thought Fussen was very pretty.

I would skip Nuremberg and go to Rothenburg. Rothenburg has a charm that I think kids would get. Nuremberg (where I lived for 18 months and loved) is a zoo at Christmas. The crowds can be crushing at this time of year. If you go, keep hold of your kids.

Rothenburg:

https://mcchelsea.smugmug.com/Advent-2010/Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber/

Agree totally with Gary about Rothenburg vs Nuremberg after doing both many times. RodT is much more kid friendly with its pedestrian streets and small markets interspersed through the center. And you can always take them to the castle garden to run off some energy. Nuremberg is only an hour away if you have a weekday to visit. (It truly is impossible on weekends!) I find it stressful enough trying to keep tabs on 3 adult friends on Nuremberg's long crowded shopping aisles, and with kids I would be frantic, and I'm not at all the frantic type. From Rothenburg it is even closer to Dinklesbuhl's calm, untouristy, very family friendly market.

I love the Christmas markets and am considering taking my 9 and 11yo grandsons, but honestly, I think after 3 or 4 markets, they would have had enough. Munich's medieval market is very small, definitely not enough to make a trip there for, though I think they would love watching the Icebox surfers on the Isar in the English Garden. I've taken friends on a day trip in an open horse-drawn carriage with CoachinginBavaria, and I think my guys would like that. It's near Neueschwanstein and there was a market at the nearby monastery where I would make a stop next time.

I think you're putting together a great trip, but I would slow down the pace and visit fewer places to make it more fun for them.

Glad to read you are going to Stuttgart, and going to go to Esslingen too. This is a large, medieval market and being there as it gets dark and the stands start lighting their torches, candles and lanterns is really unique and cool.

Nuremburg as others have stated is so horribly crowded you can't enjoy it and there is nothing really that special about it. Stuttgarts market is hands down, one of the best.

Loved Colmars market! With the canals, you get a lovely misty feel to the lights.

Seiffen: 2 nights
Dresden: 2 nights (or skip Dresden?)

You don't necessarily have to split the nights between Dresden and Seiffen. Keep in mind that Seiffen is a small village. After the shops have closed it's very quiet... although very Christmassy after dark.
You could spend all those nights in Freiberg (not FreibUrg), which is between Seiffen and Dresden. Freiberg is a historic mining town, once Saxonys richest, with a preserved centre, a few nice squares, a nice Gothic cathedral, one of the world biggest mineral collections (more interesting than it sounds) and a good Christmas market, which is mostly visited by locals. IMHO this really makes a difference, since the atmosphere is less commercial and more intimate.

From Freiberg you could do day trips to Seiffen and Dresden. If the kids are interested in medieval life they will surely like the armory, which is one of Europes biggest. Most of the other stuff in Dresden however is Baroque of course. What they would probably like is Meissen, which sports a huge castle, although technically it's not a castle but one of Germanys first palaces.

What makes Dresden, and Saxony, a worthwhile stop is the fact that many of Germanys Christmas tradition come from there. The wooden toys of the Ore Mountains, the Moravian Stars, the Stollen, handmade gingerbread from Pulsnitz, which is way better than the one from Nuremberg (try the "Spitzen") etc..
Too bad you will miss the miners parades, which mostly happen on weekends...

I am so glad to see you slowed your itinerary down - as you are there to see and experience Europe. You definitely want 2-3 nights in each place to explore and REST. That 1st itinerary would have been exhausting and you would have spent more time traveling and checking in and out of places than seeing the cities. We have done the markets 2 times and are returning again in December. We always start with a Xmas Market River Cruise - (we have done both the Rhine & Danube) - and then we do another 10 days or so on our own. Your choices are some of our favorites. We esp love Colmar, Strasbourg, Riquewihr, Nuremburg - you will have a magnificent time.

I don't know if you're still checking this, OP, but as others have mentioned, Hohenzollern and Lichtenstein are out without a car.

The good news is that there is a medieval castle right in the center of Stuttgart! It houses the state history museum and there's a kid's museum in it, so that might be a fun thing for your boys to explore and get out of the cold. Esslingen has a fortress up on a hill that's somewhat castle-like that can also be visited and is great for views.

I don't know if Ludwigsburg will feel like a castle to them. It's better visited in summer when the grounds can be enjoyed, and the market in Ludwigsburg is pretty, but somewhat more upscale and with nothing in particular for the kids. The best market for kids in the area is Esslingen, in the medevial section there's all sorts of games for kids. The medieval market in Munich is pretty lame by contrast. Not worth visiting if you're already been to that one.

OP here, and I'm still checking the thread. :) Thank you all for the comments -- and Sarah, thank you for letting me know about the children's museum in the castle. That looks perfect for us! I think we have settled on the following:

Colmar 4 nights (day trips TBD)
Stuttgart 3 nights
Nuremberg 2 nights
Seiffen 2 nights
Dresden 2 nights
Cologne 2 nights
Paris 5 nights

I have booked all accommodations except Cologne and Paris. Cologne has a couple markets we are interested in, seems like it makes sense geographically on the way from Dresden to Paris, and my husband would like to try Kolsch beer at the source. I wouldn't say Cologne is set in stone yet in our itinerary, but it is the leading contender right now for those 2 nights. We kept Nuremberg vs Rothenburg od Tauber because we are going to stay in the castle youth hostel in Nuremberg and we want to see the children's market (will go on a weekday). Also I have been to RodT before, but not Nuremberg. I want to stay in Seiffen specifically vs day tripping there in case the kids are tired of shopping (I want them to be able to easily return to the hotel with my husband to rest). We are planning on doing most of our shopping in Seiffen and will be visiting the various Christmas markets more for ambiance.

We went to Nuremberg during the week and it wasn't too terrible. (The Chocolate Festival in Tübingen on the last day was terrible) Besides the Children's market, there is an international market with booths from Nuremberg's sister cities. I thought that was fun and unique. I would also recommend stopping in the St. Lawrence Church there as well. It is massive and beautiful.

We also really enjoyed Esslingen and Stuttgart's as well.

It is so magical during this time of year!!!

I like this itinerary, Jody. If you're not stoked about going to Munich, why bother? I haven't been to a Christmas Market in Munich that I consider particularly great, and Salzburg's was fairly disappointing.

I highly recommend going to Esslingen on an afternoon weekday, hit the TI for a map, and do a self-guided tour of this fantastic (and criminally underrated) city. It's got over 900 medieval buildings from it's heyday as a Free Imperial City (like Rotenberg) but is still very much a living, breathing place. Then start to check out the market as the sun goes down - you definitely want to see it after nightfall because it's so atmospheric. There are various stages with entertainment, but it's all in German, but some of it is entertaining even without understand the language. The food at the Esslingen market is fantastic (I usually go for the "oriental" falafel/halloumi wraps, but don't forget to try quarkbaellchen, a sort of doughnut hole, or dinnende, which is a rustic local version of flammkuchen cooked in stone ovens). If you want a place to get in from the cold, the best local Swabian food is at Weinkeller Einhorn, or the kid friendly L'Osteria for big portions of quality and reasonably priced pizza and pasta.

There is a "children's area" of the Stuttgart Market on the Koeningstrasse in front of the Schlossplatz with a tiny Ferris wheel, a ride-able toy train. The Stuttgart market is large and is centered in two squares - medieval Schillerplatz and modern Marktplatz. The best Gluhwein in town is at a booth near the "Alte Kanzlerei" restaurant on Schillerplatz. Look for the big copper vats and signs saying "hausgemacht". There's a small market on Karlsplatz dedicated to all things Finnish that has a couple teepees with fires inside and a covered antiques market that's a lot of fun to browse (probably without kids). Around the Markthalle side of the street connecting Karlsplatz with Schillerplatz is the "goose stand" with tasty goose sausages and duck nuggets, convienently across from the "almhutte" selling a dazzling array of hot beverages, with or without alcohol. Just past it on Munzstrasse on the way to Marktplatz is a creche with live barnyard animals that's fun for kids and oven missed, quite close to the historic toy store Spielwaren Kurtz.

(Esslingen also has a barnyard creche, at the Postmichel Brunnen).

If the weather isn't too miserable and you're not opposed to zoos, the Wilhelma botanical zoo and garden has a fantastic and modern primate exhibit with bonobos and gorillas. It's technically in the suburb of Bad Canstatt, the oldest settlement in the area, which has a compact and partially-intact medieval center with many traditional Swabian "Weinstuben" restaurants and also excellent Greek food ("The Little Greek Taverna" is my favorite, family friendly, but reservations highly suggested). It's easily reached by public transit from the city center in about 10 minutes.

And I have to put in a word for the Mercedes Museum. I'm not a car person, which is why I only recommend the Porsche museum to actual car people. But the Mercedes Museum is excellently put together in a fascinating building and is just a lot of fun. It's also in Bad Canstatt although you need to take the S-Bahn to the Neckarpark to reach it unless you want to do a long and boring walk along the mostly industrial riverfront.

As far as Cologne goes, my favorite brewery-restaurant is Brauerei Paeffgen. It's off the beaten path, the food is delicious, the waiters are the right mix of swift, slightly surly, and teasing. I make a point of going every time I'm in Cologne. The kids might like the Chocolate museum as well.

I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions about visiting the Stuttgart area!

I'm chiming in a little late on this, but in case anyone else is looking for Christmas markets for kids, I want to put in a plug for Innsbruck. I went to a quite a few markets in Germany and Vienna a couple of years ago, including Rothenburg, Nuremberg, Freiburg, Basel, Munich, Salzburg and a bunch in Vienna. Of all I went to, I would pick Innsbruck as a top market/town experience for kids. Once you've seen a few markets and most of the stuff, markets are all about what else there is to do and the food. We had two nights and one day in Innsbruck and it was a marvelous day.

We climbed up the Stadtturm for the view of the city, and took the Nordkettenbahn/Hungerburg cable cars up to the mountaintop. We stopped on the way and went to the Alpenzoo--zoo of Alpine animals, which was really cool and bigger than you think so don't dawdle too long, then continue up. There is a plaza where you have to switch to a different cable car, and there's a little market on the plaza, which you can check out on the way up or down, but you want to get up to the top with some time to spare before the sun goes down. Play in the snow and then go in and have a snack or at least a hot chocolate (mit Schnapps for the parents) and watch the sun go down. Magnificent.

The plaza at night is kind of space-age-y. There was a market hut there with wonderful handmade ornaments, my favorites of my trip.

Back in town, stroll down Maria-Theresienstrasse toward the Goldenes Dachl, where you might hear a little Austrian band playing. Right onto the Hofgasse you will find fun tourist shops with kitschy Austrian tourist things, fun for kids, and some great window shopping--speckeria, strudel, etc. On the other side of Maria-Theresienstrasses wander around and look at the buildings. Many are painted with pictures of Märchen--try and guess which ones they are. Woven in and about are Christmas market stalls, and the market is pretty chill. We had some wonderful goulash and our very favorite market treat of all, a Kiachl, kind of a deep-fried doughnut pastry that is cooked in front of you and you eat warm. We didn't see it any other place and I still dream about it.

Kids as well as adults might also enjoy ogling the amazing displays at the Swarovski store, and the Tyrolean Folk museum has some fun stuff. We stayed at the Weisses Kreuz, recommend by RS, right on the main drag, where Mozart and his father once spent the night. It is old and classic and had an amazing breakfast. My room was on the street overlooking the action, but closed windows kept out all the noise.

If you are otherwise only going to German Christmas markets, the short trip from Munich to Innsbruck will give you a Tirolean experience which is a nice change of flavor.