... which is in, er... Slovakia, right ? ;)

J-

:p:D

Erfurt and Rothenburg o.d.T have very nice markets

http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschla...kt-erfurt.html
http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschla...er-tauber.html

Just copied the link into my post. OS have special ticket fares to visit the Christkindlmarkt.

I also am partial to Regensburg.
Munich does have several, all worthy of several days to explore.
Innsbruck Austria has several
I liked Nurnburg but was there several years ago.

Innsbruck was my first introduction to Christmas Markets last year. I got off the ski bus near the pedestrian zone and heard music and people talking, followed the noise and discovered the market, with tons of people all chatting away and drinking Gluhwein, people selling things, and then underneath the Golden Roof trumpeters played classic Christmas tunes. It was fantastic.

>>>there are some great ideas here!!..the trip is kind of morphing.. we are making an appearance in frankfurt at the do there.. then sounds like we will go to nurmberg and to munich, then bev will fly home. I am really leaning toward heading off myself for a few days try to get to some less major tourist areas..so im definately checking out a lot of these suggestions!! And then I will probably heading back to frankfurt to fly out from there.. but.. nothing is concrete yet!! thanks again..

Will the market in Munich be open AFTER Christmas? We're planning in going there Dec 29/30.

no. all markets end on or before dec24

Open after Christmas? Of course not. What for? Christmas markets are about buying gifts and Christmas decorations, which are needed on Christmas Eve, Dec 24. No one wants them afterwards.
The only market in Germany I know about that reopens after the Christmas holidays for 2 days in the one in Braunschweig. It's quite a sad affair on Dec 27 and 28, though. The festive atmosphere is gone. I don't know if they'll keep that up this year.
Have a Glühwein in a pub instead.

And the ironic thing about this is that some of the Christmas market river cruises that companies are marketing have departures the weekend before Christmas..I just hope that people realize that they will have several days of.. no Christmas markets!

How does the Christmas market in Strasbourg compare to some of the larger German markets?

Not all of them. And there is one in Munich (Isartor) that goes until January 7.
http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschland.de/termine.html

Christmas market on Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin is open till Dec 31.

you will certainly know, offer a lot of further attractions.



Fantastic timing as I’ve just booked to go to Berlin for a big shopping spree in mid December. Flying Lawyer, you’ve given me some assurance that I’ve made a good choice considering Berlin and Dresden.

The list for pressies for family, godchildren (under 10) and friends is fairly long. Am also looking for quality ornamental Xmas and household items and knick-knacks that are quite unusual and which I wouldn’t be able to get in the UK or elsewhere.

• Would the markets in Berlin and Dresden be able to accommodate my needs?
• Where are the markets held in Berlin – is there anywhere in particular I should go?
• Do the markets in both locations offer more or less the same thing or do they have their own specialities?
• Which has the most ambience in terms of atmosphere, activities, (and of course, gluhwein and stollen!) I suspect the answer will be Dresden.

Am planning to stay at the Hyatt in Berlin – are there any good restaurants (not into nouveau cuisine or anything OTT) in the vicinity that you would recommend as well as events/acts happening around mid December that are worth checking out?

Many thanks
R