I Visited 5 German Christmas Market Cities: Here’s How I’d Compare Them

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Want to visit the legendary German Christmas markets but don’t know where to start? German cities are famous for having some of the best Christmas markets in the world, but if you’ve never experienced any of them, you’re probably a tad overwhelmed planning your trip. If we haven’t met, I’m Gina, and I’m an aesthetic traveler who likes to think of herself as the Mariah Carey of Christmas markets. No, that doesn’t mean I’m a diva…it just means I love European Christmas markets as much as MC loves Christmas!

As someone who is obsessed with the holiday season, visiting Germany’s Christmas markets was a bucket list trip for me for years. In this post, I’ll compare the Christmas markets in 5 German cities so you have a good basis to plan your trip. It’s packed with a ton of info, but if you have any questions, use the Contact Me form at the bottom and I’ll be happy to help you out!

I have made it a goal of mine to take a Christmas market trip every December. I try to visit anywhere from 3 to 5 cities, and I almost always find myself in Germany at least once. So far, I have visited the Christmas markets in Cologne, Munich, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. and this blog post is my recap. To discover my favorite things about each one and what I would recommend to future visitors, keep reading!

Overview of the Cologne Christmas Markets

Cologne had my favorite Christmas markets out of all the ones I visited in Germany. This is mainly because they are all vastly different from each other and have their own theme (angels, Christmas villages, and house elves, to name a few!). The main market is located at the Cologne Cathedral (pictured above). In some cities, you could argue that “if you’ve seen one Christmas market, you’ve seen them all” – but in Cologne this was not the case. I loved how each market was its own special experience. You can easily take the subway to hop from market to market.

Overview of the Munich Christmas Markets

Munich is such a fun city to explore Christmas markets because there’s just so much to see as you’re walking from one market to the next. The main Christmas market is located in Marienplatz, and the backdrop is the Neues Rathaus (New Town Hall) building. It’s absolutely stunning. You are able to marvel at the Glockenspiel and architecture while also basking in the glow of the Christmas lights. I don’t even want to know how much time I wasted simply just staring at this entire setup, especially at night. It was beautiful.

• Pro Tip: Munich is also a great place to go if you want to visit the Christmas markets in Nuremberg, since Nuremberg is only an hour train ride away.

IMO, Munich is the perfect place to go if you want to visit Christmas markets AND experience Bavarian German culture. You could get a beer at the world-famous Hofbräuhaus, or take a walking tour to discover WWII history. Since Bavarian Germany has a strong connection to fairytales, you could even take a day trip to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle (fun fact: this is the castle Walt Disney modeled Cinderella’s Castle after!).

• Pro Tip: Southern Germany gets a lot of snow; check the weather if you book a day trip. All activities listed below are cancellable up until 24 hours before.

Check out top-rated Munich tours and activities below:

Overview of the Nuremberg Christmas Markets

The Nuremberg Christmas markets are world famous and among the most traditional Christmas markets in Germany. Because of this, they are regarded by some as being the best Christmas markets in the country. The main market is located in Hauptmarkt (Old Town Square) and is called the “Christkindlesmarkt,” or Christ Child’s Market. This market is based around the idea that the Christkind brings the children their gifts on Christmas morning. You’ll notice more traditional gifts, ornaments, and toys at the Nuremberg markets. What do I mean by “traditional?” I’ll show you:

Overview of the Frankfurt Christmas Markets

Frankfurt is the financial capital of Germany and is one of the few cities where you can find a modern-day city skyline mixed in with all the historic architecture (similar to London!). The main market is located at Römerberg in front of a backdrop of old heritage architecture including the city hall, aka the Römer. If I’m being completely honest with you, I was not overly impressed with Frankfurt during the day, but I really enjoyed walking around the markets at night. I thought they looked totally different and had a much better ambiance once all the lights came on.

One unique thing I loved about these markets is the rooftops on the stall were all decorated. I had never seen this done before and really enjoyed how each of the vendors took their time to make each market stall their own. If you’re a sausage fan, be sure to try one of the famous hot Frankfurters to keep you warm!

Stuttgart has 4 Christmas markets in the city, with the main one being in Schlossplatz (the other 3 are in Karlsplatz, Schillerplatz, and Marktplatz). The market in Schlossplatz is where you can find many kid-friendly activities, from an ice skating rink to a ferris wheel to a children’s fairytale land with a miniature railway.

Listen, I am going to be so honest with you. I thought the Stuttgart markets were cute, but comparatively speaking, I would not consider them a must-do. The reason I decided to visit these markets was because they were an hour and a half train ride from Strasbourg, and I thought “why not?” I came, I saw, I walked around. I’m glad I did it, but I don’t particularly know that it’s a city I would highly recommend as far as aesthetic.

For starters, the Neues Schloss (New Palace) in Schlossplatz is, IMO, not as stunning of a backdrop as the Cologne Cathedral, the Frauenkirche in Nuremberg, or Neues Rathaus in Munich. I’m sorry. Architecturally speaking, the Slytherin in me LOVES a Gothic setup. I thought the Old Castle gave some medieval flair, but it was still not a “WOW!” to me. One thing I did like was the rooftops of the market stalls were elaborately decorated, similar to Frankfurt’s. In fact, Stuttgart even has a Most Beautiful Stall competition! I also thought some of the markets had an intimate, cozy feel to them due to the rows of stalls being close to each other.

I do want to point out that Stuttgart is an hour and a half train ride from Strasbourg, France, which has incredible Christmas markets that I would also urge you to visit. If Strasbourg is on your itinerary and you have extra time one day, you could always pop up and check out Stuttgart’s markets if you desire!

My Recap of the German Christmas Markets

Overall, I loved my journey through the German Christmas markets. I thought it was the perfect way to spend the holiday season. Below, my overall recap:

The Best Ambiance

Nikolausdorf, Markt der Engel, and Heinzel’s Wintermarchen in Cologne

The Best Backdrop

Neues Rathaus in Munich (honorable mention goes to the Frauenkirche in Nuremberg and the Cologne Cathedral)

The Best Food

TBH, I don’t eat much at the markets. The best food is going to be anything you can get that is hot (sausages, bratwurst, etc)…and I’m not a fan of this style of food. If it’s not hot, there’s a good chance it may taste hard or stale from being out in the cold. If anything, I’ll try some of the treats…and so far, I like the lebkuchen in Nuremberg best.

The Best Gifts/Souvenirs

Nuremberg and its traditional gifts (side note: the gifts and ornaments at all the Christmas markets seemed unnecessarily expensive. A lot of ornaments were €20, and some were €40-50. Bye Felicia…)

• Pro Tip: If you get a drink at each of the markets, you can keep your souvenir mug. This way, you’ll have a souvenir, a delicious drink, AND save money!

The Best Overall Market

You already know Cologne won my heart – but the memories and experiences you create during your Christmas market visits will be what defines your favorite market city! 😉

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