Is the Nuremberg Christmas Market Really the Best in Germany?

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Wondering if the Nuremberg Christmas market is really the best in Germany? If you are planning a Christmas market trip to Germany, you have likely Googled “which German Christmas market is the best”…in which case, you’ve probably seen countless websites mention Nuremberg. But why is it so good? What makes it so special? Is it all actually worth the hype, or is it just the Internet talking? In this blog post, I will tell you about my experience at the Nuremberg Christmas market, what makes it special, and why I think it’s absolutely worth visiting.

I’ll be honest with you: I had no idea Nuremberg even existed until I started researching what the best Christmas market in Germany was. Countless websites mentioned Nuremberg as the best and the one you must visit. The more I researched, I even saw where some people called it the best in the world.

Well! That settles it then. If someone tells me something is the best in the world, you can guarantee that I’m going to go see it. Safe to say, the bar was set! I gathered my hat, scarf, coat, and high expectations and started planning. Spoiler alert: my only regret is that I didn’t stay longer. Keep scrolling to read why the Nuremberg Christmas market is 100% worth it, along with the opening dates & hours, the best time to go, and how to plan your trip.

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What Are the 2024 Dates for the Nuremberg Christmas Market?

This year, the Nuremberg Christmas markets are open from November 29, 2024 through December 24, 2024. The hours of operation for most stalls are 10:00am to 9:00pm, except on Christmas Eve, the markets will close at 2:00pm.

Where is the Main Christmas Market in Nuremberg Located?

The main Christmas market location is in Hauptmarkt, the central square in Nuremberg’s old town. If you take the Deutsche Bahn train into the city, it’s only about a 10 minute walk from the station. There will also be smaller markets down some of the side streets.

The Frauenkirche and the Schöner Brunnen

Once you get into the central square, you’ll see the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) and the Schöner Brunnen, which literally translates into “beautiful fountain.”

The Schöner Brunnen has the shape of a Gothic spire and is made of forty tiers adorned with meticulously crafted stone statues of biblical scenes, church figures, philosophers, and secular leaders. As you can see, there is a fence surrounding it, making it difficult to see up close. However, the fence does more than just keep people away. There are 2 small rings embedded into it known as Ehekarussell, which supposedly brings good luck and even fulfills wishes when you turn them.

As for me, I’m not going to tell you what I wished for, but I will tell you that so far it hasn’t come true. SO – I don’t know. Maybe wish upon a star instead 😉.

• Fun Fact: There was originally only one ring, but it got so worn out over the years from people turning it that there are now 2. The golden ring is new, and the black iron ring is the original.

What is the Main Christmas Market in Germany?

The main market 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. These days, a local girl between the ages of 16-19 gets chosen each year to play the Christkind, and must fulfill her Christmas market duties for 2 years – including giving the Prologue that opens the market!

On Hans-Sachs-Platz there’s a Christmas City just for children, where kids can bake cookies, paint glass, write their Christmas wish list for the Christkind or take a ride on the carousel or Ferris wheel. There’s also the Sister Cities market, located on Rathausplatz (north of the main market), where vendors from different cities come and set up their Christmas stalls. Proceeds from all hand-made Christmas decorations go to charitable organizations in these cities.

Why are the Nuremberg Christmas Markets the Best in Germany?

The Nuremberg Christmas markets are world famous because they are among the most traditional Christmas markets in Germany. As I previously mentioned, they are regarded by some as being the best Christmas markets in the world. Nicknamed “the little city of wood and cloth,” you are sure to find unique handmade gifts, ornaments, and toys in Nuremberg.

Once I got into the central square, the first thing I saw was Frauenkirche, the ornate Gothic church towering over the city. Many German Christmas markets have stunning buildings like this as their backdrop, but Frauenkirche stood out as exceptionally unique in terms of its architecture. I thought it was gorgeous and the perfect Christmas backdrop for the markets.

TBH, I knew I was going to love the markets, but I was not expecting to fall in love with the atmosphere of the city as a whole. There was just something so…magical about it. So pure, and happy. Despite how excited everyone was, no one was rushing around to get anywhere or to see anything. Everyone just seemed to go slowly…to take it all in.

A lot of the things that were sold at the market stalls were handmade by the employees that were working there, and you could tell they were so proud of what they created. Not that the other employees at the other markets weren’t proud, but it was just different here.

It didn’t take me long to realize that it was different because they knew. They knew how special this market was, and they knew it was their job to keep it that way. I immediately understood what people meant when they said this market was “more traditional.” While the things being sold at the markets I went to in Cologne and Munich were somewhat similar, this market provided more traditional German toys, mini Christmas villages, and unique ornaments.

• Pro Tip: I felt like a lot of the souvenirs were more expensive here than at some of the other markets. However, this would be the market that I would want to bring something home from. If you don’t want to spend a ton of money, you can also get a glass of hot, spiced wine, aka glühwein, because they give you a souvenir mug that you can take home with you.

It’s hard to put into words how I felt when I was at the Nuremberg Christmas market, but I think the best way to explain it is that I felt like the true meaning of Christmas was really taken seriously. Not just the birth of Jesus, but the love we are all supposed to have for each other and for God. I was filled with immense gratitude that I was even able to be here, present in this moment.

I talk a little bit more about this further down, but I went to 2 other German Christmas markets in Cologne and Munich before coming to Nuremberg. Visiting these other 2 markets first really highlighted how different Nuremberg was in the sense of it being more traditional. For this reason, I would recommend seeing the Christmas markets in at least one other German city before visiting the Nuremberg markets, because it will be obvious why it’s the “OG” Christmas market in Germany.

How Do You Get to The Nuremberg Christmas Market?

The 2 best ways to get into Nuremberg are to either fly into the airport or take the Deutsche Bahn (aka the train) from another city. You could also take a bus such as Flixbus, but depending on where you are traveling from, this may take you longer than the train.

I took the train in to Nuremberg, which will arrive at the main Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof train station. From here, it is roughly a 5-10 minute walk to the market entrance (follow the crowds!).

If you decide to fly, you can find relatively cheap – and sometimes direct – flights from other parts of Europe into Nuremberg. If you are flying directly into Nuremberg from the US, expect to have at least one layover, as Nuremberg’s airport (NUE) is not considered a “major” airport.

I use an app/website called Omio almost every time I am planning to travel within Europe. Omio allows you to compare train, bus, and flight prices and times to choose the best route for you. When I traveled to Nuremberg, I took the Deutsche Bahn and booked my ticket through the Omio app.

• Pro Tip: The southern part of Germany is in the mountains, and therefore can get a good bit of snow in the wintertime. When this happens, the trains don’t always run (and…sometimes, you don’t always get a cancellation notice. I speak from experience.) In other words, check the weather before you book.

Planning Your Trip to the Nuremberg Christmas Markets

The easiest way for me to tell you how to visit the Nuremberg Christmas markets is to take you back to how this whole Christmas market trip got started in the first place.

Seeing the German Christmas markets have been a bucket list destination for me ever since I found out they existed. An entire country that dedicates themselves to having the best Christmas experience in the world? Put me on a FLIGHT. But with countless markets in countless cities, how do you even choose? Since it’s so easy to travel within Europe, I always visit multiple cities when I’m over there, which means multiple markets. BUT, I had to be strategic about which ones I picked.

Knowing that, 1. this would be an expensive trip, and 2. I only had a week and a half in Europe, I planned this vacation around airline prices and location proximities. In other words, I researched the cheapest flight into Europe that was in or near Germany, and then I chose 3 cities that I could hit up that were relatively close to each other and wouldn’t involve a lot of travel time. However, I also knew that I had to plan this trip around being able to see Nuremberg, since that market was essentially the best and the one I really wanted to see.

• Pro Tip: Skyscanner is my favorite worldwide airline search engine to compare flight prices. Search and compare prices for your next trip using the tool below.

Long story short: I was able to experience the Christmas markets in Cologne, Munich, and Nuremberg, Germany, in that order. One of the reasons I chose to visit Munich is because Nuremberg is only an hour train ride away. In other words, I could make a day trip up to Nuremberg without having to book an extra hotel room. Win-win! You could also do this the other way around (stay in Nuremberg and take a day trip to Munich). In order to get the most bang for your buck and save you time, I would absolutely recommend doing this, as long as the weather cooperates!

• Related Post: Are the Christmas Markets in Cologne, Germany Worth It?

When Is The Best Time to Visit The Nuremberg Christmas Markets?

There really isn’t a bad time to visit the Nuremberg Christmas markets, although keep in mind, the markets will be the most crowded on weekends, evenings, opening day, and Christmas Eve.

As luck would have it, the day I planned to go to Nuremberg just happened to be the opening day of the city’s Christmas market AND a Friday. Probably not the best idea to experience something world famous this way. There were times that it was so crowded I could barely move. I’m talking New-York-City-at-Christmastime crowded. You’re probably sitting there asking yourself, “what was she thinking?” and, well…I wasn’t. That’s the only answer I have.

But despite how crowded it was, nobody was angry or pushy. Everyone inched their way to the market stalls, high off of the lights and the magic and the snow falling from the sky. Once you got into the rows of markets, the crowds dissipated, and it was much easier to walk through. It was getting to the rows of market stalls that was the hard part. The photo below shows my view of walking to the market stalls from the train station (you can see the stalls to the left). The only other time I had to fight through the crowds was when I was standing in line at one of the market stalls, waiting to try the famous Nuremberger (the sandwich that I pictured earlier in this post).

Other Ways to Experience the Nuremberg Christmas Market

While walking around, I noticed that there were a few bars and restaurants with 2nd floor seating that you could go up and see the entire market from a different vantage point. If you don’t want to eat at the markets (or you only want to eat a little bit), I would suggest going to one of these places and getting an actual dinner.

I ended up going to ALEX, a restaurant with great food and a great view of the Frauenkirche and the markets. The inside has a really cozy ambiance, and their tomato soup was the perfect thing to warm me up from the cold! Despite the abundance of food at the Christmas markets, the cold can affect the taste of things, especially breads and cookies. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I tried the Nuremberger, and I would also encourage you to try one, but my bun was kind of…hard. So…I was looking forward to that tomato soup 😉.

Additionally, you can get a great view of the markets from one of two churches! Both the St. Lorenz church and St. Sebald church offer stunning views of the city from high up. At the time of this post, you are able to go up into the St. Lorenz church until 8pm and the St. Sebald church til 6:30pm.

My Overall Impression of the Nuremberg Christmas Market

By now, I think you know what I’m going to say, but in case you don’t…I loved the Nuremberg Christmas markets. They reminded me of my childhood, when everything was truly magical. I got that same excited feeling I got every year as a little kid, but the adult me also knew how incredibly blessed I was to even be here. If you have the chance, you should absolutely come experience these markets for yourself and take in one of the oldest traditions in German history.

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