I'm on the fence about visiting the Nuremberg Christkindlmarkt. My sister and I were planning to attend the opening of it, but after some reading it sounds kind of like a tourist trap. We were planning to fly down on a Thursday and go the the DB museum, hit the market up on Friday, and then DB it back on Sat. Is it "worth it" to make the trip? (I know this is highly subjective.)

Another question I have is it social like Oktoberfest?

We will be based in Berlin and doing an overnight trip to Hamburg and potentially a day trip to Leipzig.

Are there any "good" markets in Berlin?

From my research it seems like the answer is that it depends on the vibe of the market I'm looking for.

I found a thread a while back about Christmas markets but it mainly discussed the ones around Frankfurt.

The Christkindlmarkt in N�rnberg ist the most famous Christmas market in Germany. Is is located right in the middle of the old town, so there is a lot of charm to be had! That said, yes, it is also very full. I don't find it more touristy than similar Christmas markets in Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Cologne, etc. -- but all of the major Christmas markets attract lots of tourists as well as locals.

Personally, I prefer to go to the Christmas market in small towns, where the local clubs and organizations sponsor the stands and local artists craft the goods on sale. In the big cities, you will have hundreds of stands instead of 25 - but on the other hand, you will find many duplicates. I mean, in tuttgart you will probably find 10 or 15 stands selling the traditional Nutcracker dolls.

However: if you have never been to one of the big Christmas merkets here, I would suggest you try it once. And if you do, N�rnberg is certainly a good candidate. Perhaps you could pray for snow as well: it is much more romantic then! Bud do expect crowds...

I don`t recommend the one in Nuernberg. I made the experience that you find more or less 3 kinds of stalls: Lebkuchen, Rostbratw�rste and Erzgebirgskunst. For me it lost every piece of soul and it is a Tourist trap. Many markets are much nicer like Hamburg, Munich or even Stuttgart.

I would agree that there are better Christmas markets than N�rnberg, which would also be a bit of a slog to get to if you are starting in Berlin. My tip for a Christmas marekt in Berlin itself would be the one at Schloss Charlottenburg, where the castle provides a marvelous backdrop to a pleasant medium-sized Christmas market.

There are Christmas markets in just about any city in Germany in December, frequented by both locals and tourists. If you visit Berlin, Hamburg, and Leipzig, you will have more than enough opportunities to visit Christmas markets. Especially the one in Leipzig is quite nice.

I would not do the trip to Nuremberg. Yes, it's famous, but it will not add much if you have been to a market in one of the three cities you plan to visit anyway.

Basically, every Christmas market offers
1) Food (sausages, chestnuts, candyfloss, gingerbread, caramelized almonds, ...)
2) Alcohol (hot wine punch)
3) Crafts (lambskin gloves and slippers, wooden toys, ...)
4) Christmas decorations (wooden figurines from the Erzgebirge region)

A big part of the experience is the atmosphere - go after dark, wander from stall to stall, take in the lights, the decoration. 2-3 hours max. is enough I would say for a visit even if you go to a large market. The crafts will get repetitive, and after having enjoyed a wild mix of sausages and gingerbread interspersed with hot wine punch, you will feel like going back to the hotel.

PS: Oktoberfest is one huge collective drinking experience. It's indeed very social in the sense that strangers sing and dance on the tables together. Christmas markets is totally different. Families go there, people go there in small groups. No drunk fraternizations.

I went last year and I really enjoyed it. It was very busy and rather touristy but still enjoyable - and Nuremberg is a nice little city which I really enjoyed wandering around. However I don't think i'd bother if I was in your position, you'll get plenty of Christmas markets as it is by the sound of it.

It's very hard to say. What it is not like is Oktoberfest, other than it is a large public gathering in Bavaria. Nuremberg is the largest and most famous Weihnachtsmarkt in Germany so it will invariably attract the touristy bits. But it is huge, and Nuremberg is such a beautiful city, that you may have a very nice experience. But maybe try a city like W�rzburg or Augsburg, or T�bingen for a slightly different experience.

N�rnberg is a good choice. Visit the castle, enjoy the Christmas market and the old town. It is touristy but locals go there, too and enjoy it.

But not if you stay in Hamburg and Berlin!

But if you go anyway to N�rnberg as the OP will do you can enjoy the christmas market there as well.

Of course, but OP don`t. If I understoud it correct, it would be a trip from Hamburg/ Berlin only for Christkindlmarkt. If you are in N�rnberg you do the market without question, I don`t even think you can "avoid" it.

If you go, don't go during weekends.

Nuernberg is beautiful but if you're staying in Berlin / hamburg, then I'd suggest you try to visit Luebeck near hamburg instead. Or another night in hamburg because there's a ton to see right there. The harbor and water are sweet and you can take a boat 2-hour ride even in winter.

Nuernberg is a great visit if you're also seeing Muenchen or other southern places. But from Berlin it's a bit far. My American analogy is that it's like staying in Denver/Colorado and taking a flight to monterey to see the sea lions.

I appreciate all the input. After hearing the opinions here and talking it over with my sister we will be striking the market from the itinerary. It would be too much of a haul, especially having to leave the day after returning, granted it would've been nice to see some friends down in Bamberg.

I'm half tempted to do another night in Hamburg, but I am not sure how much my sister's work schedule will permit.

My new crazy idea is dropping my luggage off in BER and then heading down to CGN that same night to attend the final day of 31. Internationale Ausstellung f�r Modellbahn und -zubeh�r.

I should have planned better. I'm going to need a vacation from the vacation.

I am assuming that you know about the fantastic model train exhibition 'Miniatur Wunderland' in Hamburg.
Here is the link, just in case you don't :
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com

And I would certainly recommend an extra night in Hamburg - to give you time to enjoy the Miniatur Wunderland and all the christmas markets.