Frankfurt Christmas Market - Worthwhile?

Thanks for that, Andreas. I expect to be at the Birmingham, UK offshoot of that market this week. For 11 years the Frankfurt market has sent lots of stands to Birmingham. Birmingham and Frankfurt are Twinned Cities, and many of the towns around are Twinned with towns and areas around Frankfurt. Last year the Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham and associated Craft Fair had 180 stands. It has now been open this year since last week. What I'd like to know, Andreas, (and Jo if about) is how expensive is the street food at the original. In Birmingham it is quite expensive. I think a bratwurst mit semmel was £2.50, garlic potatoes something like £3.00, bretzel mit kase und schinken maybe £3.50. Various Berliners £1.50 to £2.00. How does that compare?

I've been to the Frankfurt market and wasn't that impressed. Obviously if you are in Frankfurt at Christmastime, then it is a fun thing to do. But my experience is that it is mostly food stands and mass-produced "crafts." I thought I might find neat little craft gifts to make good Christmas presents for family. I did not.

The Market is really large this year, stretching down into the Hauptwache area. Because the Historic museum is now torn down and the area up near the Kaiserdom is also an area of construction, they needed more space. It does have different sections to it, so if you are looking to buy hand-crafted items, go to the area around the Pauls Kirche. Leather, hand-knitted stuff, wooden toys, hand puppets, wood nativity items, hand-blown glass, original pottery and ceramic items, honey based gifts from meade to candles, doll house furniture, hand-made jewelry of all kinds and so on. The area around the Römer has most of the food stands and of course a Kathe' Wohlfart store. An Erzgebirge store is also there. They have my favorite wooden items, like smokers and pyramids and the wooden tree ornaments. Coming up soon is also the Swedish Christmas Market in FF. One of my favorites. My least favorite market in terms of items to buy is the one in Rüdesheim. Stand after stand filled with cheap crap. Only a very few had nice items from their home country. The location is the only thing that makes it worthwhile to go to Rüdesheim at Christmas. Ride the chairlift to Germania close to sunset, to see the lights on the boats traveling the Rhein. Coming up this weekend is the Pealing of the Bells, so if you around town on Sat. the 26th, be at the Römer at 16:30. Christmas Eve at 17:00, they will all ring again.

Hmm, maybe I'll have to pay it a visit this year... One of the things I learned last year about Christmas markets... the merchandise sold at most of them is pretty interchangeable and some of it isn't of particularly high quality (with all apologies to the ubiquitous Käthe Wohlfahrt...). It's less about finding that perfect gift than socializing and drinking in a pleasant outdoor environment. I wouldn't often use the words "Mannheim" and "enchanted" in the same sentence, but that's precisely how I felt about the Mannheimer Weihnachtsmarkt last year. Wait, or maybe it was all that glühwein.