Germany - Best European Christmas markets

Hey guys,

Have heard about some good ones in Germany - just wondering if there were any other suggestions for some good markets around Europe?

Am living in the UK currently.

Hey guys,

Have heard about some good ones in Germany - just wondering if there were any other suggestions for some good markets around Europe?

Am living in the UK currently.


Around Europe?
I am fond of the markets in Brugge, Belgium and Strasbourg, France.

In Germany my favs are Ruedesheim am Rhein and Bernkastel-Kues.

Ruedesheim is not my favorite place in the summer, but come Christmas the bus loads of tourists are gone and it is much nicer place to be.

In general I like ones in smaller towns that spread out through the town as opposed to those that are in the central square. That helps disperse the crowds.

Around Europe?
I am fond of the markets in Brugge, Belgium and Strasbourg, France.

In Germany my favs are Ruedesheim am Rhein and Bernkastel-Kues.

Ruedesheim is not my favorite place in the summer, but come Christmas the bus loads of tourists are gone and it is much nicer place to be.

In general I like ones in smaller towns that spread out through the town as opposed to those that are in the central square. That helps disperse the crowds.

Yep Europe..thanks for that. Keen to try places that aren't perhaps the usual tourist destination as well.

Are the two places in Germany you mentioned easy to get too?

Yep Europe..thanks for that. Keen to try places that aren't perhaps the usual tourist destination as well.

Are the two places in Germany you mentioned easy to get too?

Rüdesheim is probably the easiest of the two, on the Rhein just west of Mainz.

Bernkastel-Kues is a bit of the beaten path for many, on the Mosel maybe 25 minutes from Trier, 90 minutes from Rüdesheim. Trier has a much larger market but it is a mob scene.

Another one I liked was Köln. It was large and right at the cathedral, but when we went it didn't feel crowded.

Most well known in Germany is Nürnberg. I personally would recommend Heidelberg. Quite a nice market (not too small) and a rather scenic city as well. Nürnberg might be very crowded but is worth going (the market and the city).

Am living in the UK currently.

Stick to the UK. Go to Brum.

Most well known in Germany is Nürnberg. I personally would recommend Heidelberg. Quite a nice market (not too small) and a rather scenic city as well. Nürnberg might be very crowded but is worth going (the market and the city).

I would definately add Aachen. http://www.aachen.de/EN/ts/90_festivals_events/90_30/index.html

http://goo.gl/maps/ak4c

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Weihnachtsmarkt_Aachen_%28Markt%29.jpg/640px-Weihnachtsmarkt_Aachen_%28Markt%29.jpg

If there is any region in Germany that deserves to be called "Christmas country" it is the Southeastern half of Saxony, with Dresden and the Ore Mountains, the home of the famous woodcarvings, the pyramids and nutcrackers and such. Dresden itself has several markets but there are also the many smaller towns in the area to check out - Meißen, Annaberg-Buchholz, Schwarzenberg, Freiberg, just to name a few, also further East in the Lausitz area Görlitz and Bautzen with their Silesian and Sorb traditions. And of course Seiffen, the centre of woodwork, where the whole village is a Christmas market.

To give you an idea (these pages assemble the impressions of three trips during Advent season and some more at other times of the year):
Freiberg: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/f6d5/
Seiffen: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/ab23/
Görlitz: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/eb77/
Bautzen: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/129da/
Dresden: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/1091e/
Meißen: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/9743/
Annaberg: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/f86bd/131d1/

Stick to the UK. Go to Brum.

Much rather travel outside of the UK in this case.

Cheers for all the ideas guys.

Stick to the UK. Go to Brum.

Rated as one of the top ten Christmas markets in Europe last year and with more visitors than you can shake a pointy stick at. However, to be fair, if you want the real Christmas Market experience, I like Wien and Köln, but if you want a decent atmosphere and to do some other shopping - Birmingham is a pretty good bet.

I know.....I wasn't joking. I was born in Germany and have lived there on and off for 10 years and I visit every year, but I think Birmingham is pretty decent. Plus you get to see the "floozy in the jacuzzi".
It's much better than Stuttgart for instance.