I spent the first half of December 2022 backpacking around southern Germany with my friend Elise. Our goal? Christmas market-hopping. If it sounds dreamy, it was. Visiting the Christmas markets in Germany should be on everyone’s bucket list. And I’m here to help you pick the best German Christmas market for your visit!
I can’t tell you how many articles I consumed during my planning stage. Listicles of which markets were the “best,” the most “local,” and the ones that I “couldn’t miss.” It was a lot and I started to suffer from FOMO before we even left the US.
I was left feeling a little overwhelmed with the amount of choices I had. It seemed like every town in Germany had a must-visit market, and I was going to not do Germany justice if I missed all 300 of them during my 2-week trip.
Fortunately I’m an experienced traveler and knew how to pick the best German Christmas market in each region that fit my personal style, taste, budget, and dreams. And now I want to share that process with you.
So whether you are wanting to go Christmas market-hopping like we did, or if you just want to pick the best German Christmas market during your European holiday, don’t worry.
There are a few easy decisions you can make at the start of your planning phase that will really set the tone and help you not deal with decision fatigue.
Let’s talk about them!
What is your goal?
Like I mentioned before, our goal was to visit as many German Christmas markets as possible on our trip. With a goal in mind, we were able to make some pretty big decisions right off the bat.
When I started to tell people that we was going to visit the German Christmas markets, I was often asked if we’d be country-hopping while we were in Europe. While the idea was fun, we had already settled on making our trip focused on the German Christmas markets. Since we made the decision before we left, we didn’t feel any pressure to travel to other countries that were literally a quick train ride away.
Think about what your goal is. Is it to pick the best German Christmas market to visit during a business trip to Frankfurt? Is it to find the most fill-in-the-blank-est market or trinket?
Having a goal in mind when planning any kind of adventure will help you focus in and make decisions that will lead you towards that goal, without having to stress too much about it.
Which region will you be visiting?
Almost every Germany town and village will have their own Christmas market. So you just need to figure out which part of the country you want to visit and go from there. Keep in mind that although Germany is well-connected via trains, do you really want to spend the majority of your time in transit?
If your trip is centered around visiting as many Christmas markets as you can, pick a city that will be your “home base.” For me, it was Munich. And then draw a circle around the city you choose, encompassing the surrounding cities that would take less than a few hours to get to. Boom, there’s your region with dozens of Christmas markets.
The idea of drawing a circle around your town doesn’t change if you’re wanting to visit a Christmas market during your European holiday.
Let’s say that you’re country-hopping from Germany to France, visiting family and friends along the way. You’re taking the train from Berlin over to Paris, but want to pick the best German Christmas market to visit along the way. Trace your route and find the cities that you’d be stopping in along the way. Draw the circle and you’ve already narrowed down the ever-expanding list of market options.
Best-case scenario? The city that you’re transferring trains at will most likely have a Christmas market.
Do you have a theme?
Like having a goal, picking a theme (which is totally optional) can help guide you towards your dream to pick the best German Christmas market out there. If you want to visit only markets in major cities with international airports, or markets with the most unique foods, or even ones that have the best light displays, you narrow down your search significantly.
When Elise and I traveled, we didn’t have a theme. It was her first time to Europe, so everything was new and exciting. For someone who maybe lives in Europe, creating a theme will help keep visiting the Christmas markets stay fresh and exciting. Like you’re on a scavenger hunt for the most off-the-beaten-path market with the least amount of foreign tourists.
(we found one outside the town of Hechingen at the Hohenzollern Castle!)
Check your dates
While most German Christmas markets operate from the end of November until right before Christmas, some specialty markets and smaller town markets are only operating for a short time, such as a weekend.
Once you’ve picked your area, have your goal in mind, start looking at the dates of markets while you’ll be in the area. Simply Google “(the town you’re in) Christmas market.” You’ll find either the city’s website, market’s website, or blogs highlighting the market. This is how I found the Christmas market/party at the castle!
Bigger cities have multiple markets
While it’s true that most German cities have Christmas markets in the center of town, the larger cities have multiple spread throughout the city limits.
Cities that we visited, such as Nuremberg, Munich, and Stuttgart, each had multiple markets. So if your German travel plans are keeping you in a big city, you can still visit different markets!
Remember we all have different tastes and opinions
When you’re working to pick the best German Christmas market for you, remember that it might not be the best for me. Or your friend. But chances are, it’s going to be amazing.
I really loved some of the markets we visited in the larger cities, but got some clap-backs from others about how they’re not good. That’s fine. We’re each allowed our own opinions. And it might take you some time to find the best market for you. The cool thing is each market is special in its own way, and what an adventure to figure out!
What other criteria would you include to pick the best German Christmas market for yourself? Have you ever been?
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