Christmas in Germany

Where in Germany are you flying into?

Depends on dates and what else you want to see. Do you want big cities, with big markets, or small towns with little markets? The big cities will have markets all 4 weeks of Advent and the small towns may just have them one weekend of Advent. Most markets will close on the 22nd or 23rd, but there are a few that go on longer, like in Berlin. My favorite big market is in Stuttgart, but I also like the ones in Frankfurt and Mainz. Favorite medieval market is in Esslingen. Favorite small market, held just one weekend is in Idstein, but I also like the markets in Seligenstadt, Buedingen, and Bad Homburg.

We will probably fly into Frankfurt. I have been to Rothenburg before but not during Christmas and love this town. Do they have markets during the week?

The Rothenburg market is very small. I wouldn't make a trip just to see the market (although I love the 1/2 meter bratwurst I bought there!), but if you are interested in visiting the town, then I would certainly go. From there we did a day trip to Nuremburg. It was a large market. We were there on a Wednesday afternoon and it was not crowded. Stuttgart was my favorite. Salzburg Austria was also nice.

I've only been to Rothenburg during December and it's completely magical. The market is small but it's the ambience of the whole town that makes it worth going to. Not sure if it's the same at other times of the year... Salzburg is wonderful too, not necessarily for the markets but it's just a beautiful city. There are all kinds of concerts during the season and we've attended the Salzurger Adventskonzert at St Andrew's Church twice: http://www.salzburgeradvent.at/ . You can also go up to the fortress to have dinner, followed by a chamber concert. Nuernberg is probably a must-see but personally, I think it's overrated. Too many stalls, too many people. Munich is a fave of mine because it's in the heart of the old town with lots of regular stores to shop in as well; the big department stores have gorgeous window decorations. There's the 'Scwabbing' district of Munich that has its own Christmas market that is completely different, all hand-crafted items by artists.

Frankfurt has a pretty good market. Catch it while you're in town. I don't normally recommend going out of your way to visit Mannheim, but the city puts on one of the better urban markets.