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Which of the three Frankfurt Christmas markets to choose?

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Old Oct 12, 2014, 11:51 am
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Which of the three Frankfurt Christmas markets to choose?

I have an 8 hour layover this mid-December in FRA from noon on a Thursday, so planning to go to one of the Christmas markets: Römerberg, Paulsplatz and/or Mainkai.

Which of the three is the best "bang for your buck" location for an afternoon stroll, perhaps the most scenic location to get a overall feel of Frankfurt?

I am agnostic regarding any of the three options, or I heard nearby towns/villages may have more scenic Christmas markets and if the transportation is easy to navigate, I'd consider those.

Thank you in advance everyone.

Last edited by TravellingBeard; Oct 12, 2014 at 12:16 pm
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Old Oct 12, 2014, 3:05 pm
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They are not three separate Christmas Markets but are just areas of the same market. The most scenic and also the most crowded part will be Römerberg with its Christmas tree and historical buildings. Most cooked food stalls are along Mainkai.



An alternative to Frankfurt will be Mainz Christmas Market which is more compact but worth a visit.

Last edited by NewbieRunner; Oct 12, 2014 at 4:10 pm Reason: added map
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Old Oct 12, 2014, 4:29 pm
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Originally Posted by NewbieRunner
They are not three separate Christmas Markets but are just areas of the same market. The most scenic and also the most crowded part will be Römerberg with its Christmas tree and historical buildings. Most cooked food stalls are along Mainkai.



An alternative to Frankfurt will be Mainz Christmas Market which is more compact but worth a visit.
Oh very nice...thanks for the map. Yeah, I came across Mainz as well in my research. I assume they'll both be open from noon and it's not too early.
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Old Oct 12, 2014, 6:21 pm
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Check these websites:

http://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/cm...furt_xmas.html
http://www.mainz.de/WGAPublisher/onl...ristmas-market

If you get there soon after midday you might actually be able to walk around the market.
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Old Oct 12, 2014, 6:39 pm
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Originally Posted by NewbieRunner
Check these websites:

http://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/cm...furt_xmas.html
http://www.mainz.de/WGAPublisher/onl...ristmas-market

If you get there soon after midday you might actually be able to walk around the market.
Oh lovely..thanks. Looks like I'm set.
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Old Oct 18, 2014, 6:58 pm
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So looks like I will either take the S8/S9 from FRA to Hauptwache and walk down once I get off OR if I want to take a tram, take any train from track 1 to Hauptbahnhof, then take the #11 to Schießhütten- straße, getting off at Romer/Paulskirche. Heading back to the airport, just go to the Hauptwache station and head back on the S-Bahn. There should be plenty of daylight to get some nice shots, although some nighttime shots would be amazing.
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Old Oct 21, 2014, 10:22 am
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Originally Posted by TravellingBeard
So looks like I will either take the S8/S9 from FRA to Hauptwache and walk down once I get off OR if I want to take a tram, take any train from track 1 to Hauptbahnhof, then take the #11 to Schießhütten- straße, getting off at Romer/Paulskirche.
Just walk to/from Hauptwache or Konstablerwache. Last time I was in Frankfurt, the Christmas market was taking place all along the Zeil pedestrian street too, so basically as soon as you emerge from the Hauptwache station.
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Old Oct 21, 2014, 12:32 pm
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If you want the best "bang for your buck" you'll have to go to Römerberg. Hauptwache is by far the easiest station from/to the airport. Römer is the most convenient station but I find changing at Hauptbahnhof very confusing (most confusing than the airport!). Arriving at Hauptwache and taking S8/S9 back to the airport would be most straightforward. If the street back to Hauptwache is too crowded later in the afternoon, just walk along one of the parallel streets which should be quieter.
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Old Oct 21, 2014, 12:47 pm
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Thanks everyone...pretty excited about this. I was thinking about a walking tour, but it's earlier in the day before I arrive, a bit expensive, and with getting into town being so easy, I think it would do me good. I'll do the luggage locker route for my carryon once I leave passport control and before I board the train.
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 9:40 am
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Hi all,

I'm thinking about doing a weekend in Frankfurt from LCY first weekend in December. Is there enough to do to keep us entertained for a whole weekend? Is thr Frankfurt market the nicer ones? It's ideal for us as we can fly from London City.
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Old Oct 24, 2014, 11:40 am
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Originally Posted by Etting
Hi all,

I'm thinking about doing a weekend in Frankfurt from LCY first weekend in December. Is there enough to do to keep us entertained for a whole weekend? Is thr Frankfurt market the nicer ones? It's ideal for us as we can fly from London City.
If you are travelling the weekend before (last weekend in November and first weekend of the Frankfurt Christmas Market) you can join a group of FTers for some Glühwein and evening meals on Friday and/or Saturday. It is part of the FRA Advent Weekend which includes other activities but the rest of the programme is sold out. I believe it is still possible to join the group for dinner by contacting rcs85551.

If you have a whole weekend, you can spend one day/evening in Frankfurt and travel by train to one of the nearby cities such as Mainz (nearest), Cologne, Stuttgart, or Nuremberg (a little further) to experience a different Christmas Market.
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Old Oct 25, 2014, 9:13 am
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Thanks for the information. Which other markets would you recommend? Frankfurt seems the best value for flights, airport and flight times.

I don't think we are looking at that weekend, but will check out their activities and maybe follow some anyway

Originally Posted by NewbieRunner
If you are travelling the weekend before (last weekend in November and first weekend of the Frankfurt Christmas Market) you can join a group of FTers for some Glühwein and evening meals on Friday and/or Saturday. It is part of the FRA Advent Weekend which includes other activities but the rest of the programme is sold out. I believe it is still possible to join the group for dinner by contacting rcs85551.

If you have a whole weekend, you can spend one day/evening in Frankfurt and travel by train to one of the nearby cities such as Mainz (nearest), Cologne, Stuttgart, or Nuremberg (a little further) to experience a different Christmas Market.
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Old Oct 25, 2014, 12:43 pm
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Originally Posted by Etting
Thanks for the information. Which other markets would you recommend? Frankfurt seems the best value for flights, airport and flight times.

I don't think we are looking at that weekend, but will check out their activities and maybe follow some anyway
I have only been to Frankfurt, Mainz, Nuremberg and Munich Christmas markets and Frankfurt would be the easiest to get to followed by Mainz. In addition to the links I posted earlier you might like to check websites such as:

http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/planatri...rkets?page=all
http://www.christmasmarkets.com/Germany.html
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Old Oct 28, 2014, 5:14 am
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The Heidelberg xmas markets are absolutely gorgeous, especially the market at the castle overlooking the town.

http://www.heidelberg-event.com/even...406250&lang=en

It's about 1hr from FRA (change trains once in Mannheim) - there's a station called Heidelberg-Altstadt, which is about a 10 minute walk away. Oh, and there's ice skating there too
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Old Oct 28, 2014, 6:00 pm
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Originally Posted by husball
The Heidelberg xmas markets are absolutely gorgeous, especially the market at the castle overlooking the town.

http://www.heidelberg-event.com/even...406250&lang=en

It's about 1hr from FRA (change trains once in Mannheim) - there's a station called Heidelberg-Altstadt, which is about a 10 minute walk away. Oh, and there's ice skating there too
Oh my...this is SO tempting...but an hour commute from FRA each way, especially if some sort of weather related or mechanical event occurs is too risky. If only I was there overnight...next time though.
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