Germany’s Christkindlmarkt season is on. Glittering with thousands of lights and lined with tented food and gift stalls, the country’s open-air Christmas markets that open in late November and close the day after Christmas attract millions of revelers each year.
The biggest and most-visited markets are in Nuremberg (famed for its Lebkuchen, spiced cake, and Nürnberger Rostbratwürste, or small sausages) and Dresden (known for its Stollen, a bread-shaped cake). Munich, Berlin and Hamburg also host well-trodden markets. With their parades, ice-skating rinks and other festive bells and whistles, these big city markets are often packed tight. (Like U.S. shopping malls during the holiday season, they are best visited on a weekday—not the weekend or after work.)
Avoid the Christmas market sardine effect altogether by heading to one of the smaller, cozier markets highlighted after the jump.
Niedersachen
The sleepy state of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) is an under-the-radar Christmas market haven. Studded with little towns and villages, this bucolic state is well known for its smattering of half-timber houses, many of which date back to medieval times. Most of the markets in this region are like its towns–klein aber fein (small but nice). Spread out in front of its medieval and baroque Rathaus (City Hall), the market in Lüneburg is the coziest, but Celle, Braunschweig and Göttingen also host adorable markets. For more information, see Dresden & Greater Saxony.
Mosel River Valley
Bypass the crowded Rhine river valley Christmas markets and head to the Mosel region instead. Best known for its Riesling wines, this corner of Germany also specializes in quaint Christmas markets. Magnificent Roman-era ruins form the backdrop to the regal Christmas market in Trier. Browse for hand-crafted gifts at the market’s 95 stalls or listen to nightly choir performances. The smaller, but no less picturesque market in the river-side town of Cochem is well-known for its locally-crafted Glühwein (hot, spiced wine). For more information, see Rhineland Palatinate & Saarland.
Erzgebirge
If Santa Claus lived in Germany, he’d settle in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains). The towns and villages that stud this mountain range in Saxony are famous for Holzkunst (hand-carved wooden ornaments)—from Räuchermanner (incense burners) to multi-tiered Weihnachtspyramide (windmill pyramids), so it only makes sense that the region’s Christmas markets are among the country’s most magical. The Christmas market in the region’s largest town, Annaberg-Buchholz, revolves around a miner’s parade that pays tribute to the region’s silver mining past, but it is the smaller market in Seiffen, famous for its Holzkunst, that most resembles a winter wonderland.
Photo by Dimitry B.
No comments yet.