A Guide to Germany’s Most Charming Christmas Market Celebrations and Traditions
Written by Kaelie Piscitello
The sun sets, and you settle in for an evening filled with mulled wine that tastes like cinnamon and other warming spices and savoring the sweet flavors of gingerbread. It’s only 5:00, but the light in the sky has gone out, and the twinkle of Christmas lights begins to flicker and turn on all around the market.
Friends chat with excitement, and couples walk hand in hand, beaming at each other. The Christmas Market season in Germany has just begun, but it promises to be a magical part of the holidays for everyone coming by to partake in the traditions.
As the German Christmas markets open for the season, thousands of tourists rush in to enjoy the holiday season spirit and partake in a traditional holiday filled with delicious treats and whimsical experiences.
Many have their sights set on visiting the German Christmas Markets but need to know where to begin. Each city has its market, complete with all the dressings and each offers its own unique flavor.
Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt
Nuremberg is home to one of Germany’s most famous Christmas markets: Christkindlmarkt. Its traditions run deep and go back to the 16th century, when it began. People sell all kinds of things there, making the market feel old and whimsical. In addition to the typical mulled wine, sample gingerbread from the shop where it all started: Lebkuchen-Schmidt.
Stop by Christkindlesmarkt’s arts and crafts stalls to check out the handmade wood carvings and glass objects like globes and animals. Take a peek at traditional Franconian Christmas decorations like straw stars and feather angels.
Julian Scheller sells “prune men” or trinkets like gnomes and firefighters made of dried prunes. No matter what you try here, you will feel German Christmas spirit and step into a cultivated tradition.
One tradition unique to Christkindlesmarkt is the charity stalls placed around the market. Many offer goods in exchange for cash donations for causes like Nuremberg Hospital and FCN’s “Nuremberg Wins,” which dedicates time to supporting kids’ and adults’ health activities. Furthermore, check out the children’s Christmas market to find donation trees where you can choose a gift to donate to a child in need.
Christkindlesmarkt is open from November 28, 2024, to December 24, 2024, from 10 to 9 every day except Christmas Eve, when it opens from 10 to 2.
Munich’s Christkindlmarkt
Munich’s Christkindlmarkt takes over Marienplatz, Munich’s traditional town square, each holiday season, wowing locals and tourists with its understated elegance and splendor. It takes place in the heart of a historical city and hosts one of the largest Christmas festivals in Germany.
People know Christkindlmarkt because of the many events that occur every year. Each week, live music booms down from the Town Hall balcony Sunday through Thursday,
Christkindlmarkt also hosts a Krampus Run 300, where “wild fellows” dress in Krampus perch and Santa Clause outfits and hurdle through the central plaza. This is an annual “surprise” many locals look forward to. This year, it will happen on December 8. In addition to the run, Munich also hosts a micro art gallery where around 90 artists come to sell their works.
During 2024, Munich’s Christkindlmarkt opens from November 25 to December 24 from 10-9 on weekdays and 10-8 on Sundays. On Christmas Eve, it will only open from 10-2.
Dresden’s Striezelmarkt
While some say Munich’s Christkindlmarkt is the oldest in Germany, Dresden’s Striezelmarkt rivals it by claiming the same thing about itself. As another large festival, Striezelmarkt also hosts many events throughout the holiday season that make it stand out as a must-visit Christmas Market. While you’re there, remember to ride the Ferris wheel and try the Christstollen bread, a fruitcake made into a favorite Dresden holiday tradition long ago.
On November 30, Striezelmarkt hosts an Advent Calendar and on December 8, they sponsor a gingerbread festival. While these festivals stand out to many locals, many look forward to the Pyramid Festival on December 14, During this celebration, a crew unveils the famous giant pyramid at the center of the square, complete with charming wooden characters and vibrant, colorful paintings decorated on the wooden frame. Many families also flock to Dresden during the children’s festival for its extra special events for the littles.
In 2024, Striezelmarkt will open from November 27 to December 2024, and its hours will be from 10 to 9 every day except Christmas Eve, when it will open from 10 to 2 and November 27 from 4 to 9.
Braunschweig Christmas Market
Braunschweig hosts another annual, historical Christmas market. It opened in 1505 as a humble place to spend the holidays, and today, it’s a leading market striving for energy efficiency by using LED energy-saving lights to light it up in the evenings. A traditional but ginormous nutcracker from Thailand named Bruno greets you as you walk through the gate, assuring you a great time at this market.
Braunschweig’s market has a diverse children’s program with a puppet theatre, storytime, and a brass ensemble delighting everyone, old and young. On top of that, kids can write letters to Santa and engage in arts and crafts activities.
In addition to a robust space for the youth to play, attendees can take a raft around a moat to pass the time between each delicious snack. Braunschweig market is home to around 137 stands and sells many handmade wood products, jewelry, elt and wool items, and advent calendars.
Braunschweig Christmas Market opens from November 29, 2024, to December 23, 2024, every day from 10 to 9 except Sundays and holidays, when it opens from 11 to 9.
Reitertesmarkt
Set in one of Germany’s “fairytale towns,” Rothenburg ob der Tauber’s Reitertesmarkt offers a mythical approach to Christmas Markets everywhere and plays up to its stunning backdrop. They offer white mulled wine that differs from the typical red mulled wine in most European places. It tastes delicious and brings a whole new flavor to the holiday season.
In addition to the white mulled wine, indulge in the many Christmas pastries spread around the market while you listen to one of the brass bands perform or wait for the “little horseback rider” the market was named after in German to make his annual appearance.
Fear not if you do not make it to Rothenburg ob der Tauber during the holiday season! The town has a Christmas museum open year-round, where you can see an array of diverse Christmas celebrations and view historical decorations, including Santas, ornaments, and Advent Calendars.
In 2024, Reitertesmarkt will be open from November 29 to December 24.
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