Celebrate the Season at Christmas Markets in Germany

Celebrants of the holiday have delighted in such customs as festive goods and handcrafted gifts like decorations and wooden toys, musical performances, rides for kids, mulled wine (Glühwein), cider, hot chocolate, and of course, delicious food that fills the senses and pleases the palate.

Illuminated with the beautiful bright glow of Christmas lights, these outdoor markets offer everything from spicy sausages and gingerbread to sumptuous sweet pastries and confectionary Christmas cakes. These culinary delights and seasonal scents combine to make these Christmas markets as much of a delight to the nose as they are to the eyes and the ears. And they’re all set up to be especially pedestrian-friendly.

If all of this sounds like the perfect atmosphere to celebrate the sacred holiday season, then Christmastime might be your time to book a visit to Germany, where you will be overwhelmed by the prospect of more than  all over the country to which you can plan a visit. Whether in large cities or quaint towns, Christmas markets celebrate seasonal customs and traditions in historical surroundings. Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt and the Striezelmarkt in Dresden are especially popular with tourists, but there’s virtually no end to the enjoyment you can derive from these outdoor celebrations of the season.

The St. Wendel Christmas Market, in the town of St. Wendel, includes a medieval market, tobogganing in the snow and plenty of stalls selling unique Christmas decorations and carved gifts. The Christmas market in Aurich looks like a wintertime amusement park, filled to the gill with rides, crafts, lights and music. In Mannheim, the Christmas Market is reputed to be one of the most beautiful and expansive in the southwestern part of the country.

This represents just a “scratching of the surface” of the broad range of diverse Christmas markets from which to choose. There are more than 140 others we haven’t even mentioned. Most of the Christmas markets in Germany start late November and run through December and are open in the morning and continue until at least mid-evening. They’re fun during the day and spectacular after dark.

To book a trip to Germany this Christmas season that might become the most memorable holiday you’ve ever spent, visit