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It all started in the Middle Ages, when sometime in the 1400s German Catholics decided to turn their everyday food markets into Christmas markets during the Advent season (the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day), by offering baked goods, wooden toys and other handmade gifts to brighten up their customer’s holiday season.
Germans rightfully claim that origin story, along with also being responsible for inaugurating other fundamental elements of today’s Christmas season celebrations held across the globe, including the idea of having and decorating a Christmas tree; the Advent calendar filled with small gifts for each day leading to Christmas Day; the table wreath with four candles, one lit each Sunday of the Advent season; and (most importantly to me, as he’s my favorite) the idea of Santa Claus coming to visit on Christmas Eve and bringing surprise gifts to the children.
I’ve loved Christmas since I was a child and experienced those traditions, held over in my family since 1809, when our German-immigrant relative brought them to his new life in the United States. Today, we still follow the German way, opening family presents on Christmas Eve, followed by Santa’s arrival on Christmas morning. Which is why seeing the famous German Christmas markets was always on my must-do-before-I-die list, and that I finally accomplished during this year’s holiday season.
So travel along and take a glimpse into the five German cities my friend and I wandered through, discovering that their Christmas markets run the gamut of experiences, with some distinct commonalities as well as some unique distinctions, then make your own plan to visit during the next holiday season.
STUTTGART AND ESSLINGEN AM NECKAR
I’ve always felt the lure of Stuttgart as a car aficionado, for it is the home of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, which made it the perfect place to begin our German adventure. Plus, the city has a huge Christmas market known as the Stuttgarter Weihnachts Markt, located right in the city center and one of the oldest in all of Europe, dating back to 1507 in this capital of Baden Württemberg, the country’s most southwest state.
Like most Christmas markets we visited in Germany, the Stuttgart Christmas Market opens in late November and closes just before Christmas, with dates usually coinciding with the season of Advent, the four weeks that lead up to the day that marks Christ’s birth. Germans are a mix of Protestant and Catholic believers as well as secular citizens who lean in toward the family, friends and Santa Claus aspects of the modern holiday.
The markets in every city are open during the day, but it is nighttime when they really become magical, with illuminated and – especially here in Stuttgart – often huge displays found on top of the traditional red wooden stalls that form the market. Look up to see massive, decorated Christmas trees, intricate nativity scenes, winter wonderlands and much more. There’s usually at least one church or cathedral nearby, and City Hall also takes a prominent position, too, in a city’s main market.
In Stuttgart, as is true everywhere, the Germans who live here love the Christmas markets as much as the tourists, gathering in huge crowds as the sun sets around 4:30 p.m. to begin a convivial evening that centers on drinking Glühwein and eating German sausages. Glühwein is the ubiquitous mulled wine found everywhere during the holiday season. It’s heated red or white wine filled with spices, which literally everyone drinks and clanks for jovial holiday cheers, using ceramic cups that you pay a return deposit on in every German Christmas market you visit.
And those fat German pork sausages sizzle on grills everywhere in this massive Stuttgart market, with those white-skinned, locally produced pork Bratwurst served on a doughy white bread roll being the overwhelming choice here. Look a bit deeper to find local “Swabian” delights like Steckerlfisch, a small whole fish grilled on a stick, as well as Käsespätzle (cheesy egg noodles) and Kartoffelpuffer (fried potato pancakes). Our advice is to always go to a German Christmas market hungry, because eating and drinking there is a huge part of the nightly convivial experience.
Stuttgart’s Christmas market is full of shopping stalls, filled with ornaments, woolens, toys and more, as well as food-as-gifts, featuring hand-dipped chocolates, stollen (a delicious and decadent sweet fruit bread) and locally produced honey. 2025 marked the first year that Stuttgart had an antique and arts and crafts market, a fascinating set of stalls located on Karlsplatz and filled with unique gifts. And don’t miss a ride on the huge Ferris wheel at the nearby Schlossplatz for a dazzling view of the city from high above.
Next up, we discovered an amazing Christmas market experience that’s an easy ride from Stuttgart to Esslingen am Neckar, the nearby Medieval city first settled around 800 CE. Only about a 15-minute trip by train from Stuttgart, this magical place has two Christmas markets that have to be seen to be believed. Both the Der Esslinger Mittelaltermarkt and the Weihnachtsmarkt are located in the Old Town center of this startlingly beautiful city that was built from the 13th to 16th centuries, with each market having a distinctively different feel. Both are surrounded by the half-timbered houses that make Esslingen a must-see city no matter the time of year, that give these Christmas markets an otherworldly feel.
The main Christmas market in Esslingen is a highly curated market, with over 80 wooden stalls that focus on handmade gifts, including the Kunststueck-Ritter Ceramic House booth, where the Ritter family creates delicate handmade, hand-painted miniature structures that match what you see in the market square, from the half-timbered houses to the old town hall, the city church and more, each one perfect for creating a holiday display at home. Amazingly detailed, each little building has a space for a tea light to make it glow during the holiday season.
Other booths include hand-carved wooden nativity scenes, snow globes, holiday ornaments and other exceedingly beautiful crafts; and of course, there’s Glühwein, here served from a wooden pyramid, one of Germany’s oldest Christmas motifs, plenty of sausages and a few unexpected locally sourced treats, including smoked wild boar, trout and venison, and even Swabian ravioli (Maultaschen), all designed to warm your belly on a chilly evening of market adventures.
Esslingen’s Medieval Christmas Market is a wonder to behold, complete with jugglers, fire eaters, magicians and stilt walkers all dressed in period costumes, along with similarly clad merchants whose offerings suit the time warp you’ve entered. Think furs and leather, blown-glass ornaments, hand-woven woolens and more, all set up in tents instead of wooden huts to be apropos of Medieval days. But the wackiest thing we saw here was the large wooden hot tub, hosted by two lute-playing and period-costumed singers and a watchful soldier. Two scantily clad revelers enjoyed the warmth as we looked on; we learned that they had reservations, which sell out every year by mid-September!
1. The Porsche Museum features stunning architecture to go with its stunning vehicles. 2. Mercedes-Benz’s history comes alive within its museum’s walls.
Beyond Christmas Markets in Stuttgart
A Christmas-season visit to Stuttgart goes beyond exploring the markets, for this is a city of fascinating sights to see. Grab a StuttCard when you arrive, which permits travel on all forms of public transport, as well as admission to 27 museums and more.
We had to see the Mercedes-Benz Museum, near the spot where Karl Benz first invented the gas-powered automobile in 1886, changing the history of transportation forever. Taking a live guided tour is a must, for the stories are fascinating and the docents are filled with extraordinary tales of inventions. And the cars are just incredible here, as is the building itself, an architectural marvel. Stuttgart has been M-B’s home ever since and they have the car collection to prove it here.
Across town is the Porsche Museum, the other fantastic German car marque that began (and continues) in Stuttgart. This museum’s home is another unique architectural structure that houses enough Porsches to make you drool if fast cars float your boat. Take a guided tour or just listen to the audio guide included in the admission – if you’re itching to drive a Porsche, book a Porsche Drive Experience well ahead of your visit, as those get sold out months ahead.
Speaking of architecture, make time to check out the famed Houses of the Weissenhof-Siedlung, the project created by Mies van der Rohe in the 1920s, featuring modernist homes by famed architects like Le Corbusier, Gropius, Bourgeois and Beherns. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the neighborhood is an architecture lover’s dream destination.
Stay near Stuttgart’s main train station for easy access to public transport, at the highly rated Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin or the more casual Kronenhotel Stuttgart with its fantastic breakfast buffet.
ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER
On to Bavaria, we made our way east driving a fast rental car on the Autobahns to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a walled fortified castle city (that’s what “burg” means in German) built in stages from 1142 to 1400. The Old Town inside the walls is incredibly picturesque, a place that was bombed during World War II and lost 40% of its ancient structures. Rebuilt as it was before the war, this city of half-timbered houses, winding cobblestoned streets and vast views of the Tauber River valley below draws millions of visitors every year, with the Christmas season during Advent a particularly crowded time.
So plan ahead when coming to Rothenburg’s Reiterlesmarkt (Rider’s Market) Christmas market, which is held in the central town square next to the town hall and extending to St. James’ Church nearby. Unique to this city are the holiday booths that are found inside the town hall, along with a large nativity scene, as well as the numerous pop-up spots to discover tucked down nearby narrow streets featuring cups of Glühwein, massive glasses of beer, light bites and small crafts booths found in gardens and courtyards. Those pop-ups feature live music in the evenings, too, in cozy spaces with optional blankets and sheepskins offered if the night is a chilly one. By day and night, these places are welcoming, convivial and filled with holiday cheer.
Gifts in the Reiterlesmarkt stalls feature lots of locally crafted handmade options, from carved wooden nutcrackers to painted glass-ball ornaments, toys, delicate music boxes and scented candles. Explore the market’s offerings while chowing down on Franconian sausage, a grilled pork sausage that’s a bit smaller than the Bratwurst we had in Stuttgart, still served in an easy to eat bun. Here in Rothenburg we have our first encounter with the Schneeballen, a large, hollow snowball of yummy fried dough that you crack open and share, usually with a mug of warm Glühwein in hand.
Rothenburg is a delightful place during the holiday season, but this is a city that celebrates Christmas all year round because of the double whammy of the massive Käthe Wohlfahrt flagship Christmas store, a legendary place first opened in 1977 and that now includes two year-round shops and a fascinating Christmas Museum as well. With over 30,000 items, many of which are handmade, hand painted or carved, including ornaments, nutcrackers, Advent calendars and the delicate Schwibbogen, carved wooden window decorations with lighting elements, Käthe Wohlfahrt’s huge shop is always crowded. At Advent season, the lines to get in go down the block, so get there early.
Beyond Christmas Markets in Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Part of planning ahead to see the Reiterlesmarkt in Rothenburg is to book a hotel well in advance, as most are small hostelries with only a few rooms in the traditional houses now used for visitor lodging. Choose Hotel Goldener Hirsch for large suites with views of the valley and a parking area; or the quainter Gasthaus Alter Keller, with only six rooms found up a winding staircase.
At Villa Mittermeier, you’ll find a boutique hotel with a Michelin Key award, and Mittermeier, the villa’s casual dining restaurant, which has one Michelin star and offers 5-, 7- or 9-course degustation menus. Needless to say, bookings there at the holiday season must be in place long before you arrive in Rothenburg. Also book early to dine at the Reichsküchenmeister, where traditional Bavarian fare has been served in an elegant atmosphere for over 100 years, and check out their garden, one of the Christmas season’s hottest gathering spots in town.
Take the evening Nightwatchman Walking Tour to discover the historical side of this Medieval place; and visit the Medieval Crime Museum, open for over 100 years and still giving people the creeps with its torture devices and executioner’s tools of the trade, reminding us that it wasn’t all Christmas cheer in the Middle Ages.
NUREMBERG
Speaking of crime, we got back in our rental car to test its get-up-and-go again on the Autobahn, where sections of those roads have no mandatory speed limits at all. We arrived quickly and safely to Nuremberg in the east, all the while wishing we were in one of those Porsches we drooled over in Stuttgart. (We tried to rent one, which is possible in Germany, but there was not a single one available!)
Returning the car made sense there, as the public transit system of trams, subways, buses and nonstop trains between there and Munich, our final stop, are brilliant, efficient and easy to navigate, even with luggage, so no need to have a vehicle to park in those bigger cities. Plus, we knew about KiwiTaxi and Daytrip if we needed them, two worldwide car services that send vetted drivers to take you anywhere you want to go, hassle free.
Nuremberg is a bustling metropolis that spreads out from the Old Town, where a large castle dominates, complete with about two miles of a surrounding massive wall, still standing despite the city being bombed during World War II.
Built in the 1100s, when Nuremberg was the Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire, the Old Town is where we found lots of history on our walking tour with Claudia Radtke, one of the city’s certified guides who speaks four languages and is a wealth of knowledge. Taking in the castle, its walls and moat, and the nearby home of famed Medieval artist Albrecht Dürer led us into the Hauptmarkt, the city’s massive central square framed by two churches, St. Sebald’s Lutheran church and the Catholic Frauenkirche with its Männleinlaufen, a mechanical clock from 1509 that comes alive at noon.
That square is where we found the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt, one of the world’s oldest Christmas markets, dating back to the 1500s and still one with its own distinctive feel and symbol. That’s the Christkind, an angel-like, gift-giving female with massive blonde curls, wearing a large golden crown. Her image is all over the city and a symbol of the Lutheran tradition of gift-giving on Christmas Eve.
And this market has unique gifts galore, from angels made of birds’ molted feathers and stars created with straw to prune men collectables (by artist Susanne Schrödel) fashioned with walnuts, dried prunes and figs. We’re still in Bavaria, but in the subregion known as Franconia, where prune men have graced the holidays for nearly 200 years. Who knew?
The food here in Nuremberg has changed a bit, too, as the ubiquitous Glühwein takes on an elevated quality, using blueberries and spices to create a unique taste. Sip the wine with the Nuremberg grilled rostbratwurst, small pork sausages (the size of a finger) loaded three to a bun with sauerkraut and mustard. And then there’s the Nuremberg Lebkuchen, large gingerbread cookies that are soft and chewy and sweet and spicy and have been a specialty here for over 600 years. At the Lebkuchen-Schmidt stall, that world-famous company bakes them fresh all day long, so grab a warm one to go with your Glühwein.
When you’re full and happy, make your way to the Stagecoach stop, where a massive horse-drawn, wooden-wheeled coach awaits, to ride you through the Old Town and around the Christmas market. It’s sure to make you feel like you’ve been transported into a time warp back to those Medieval times. And if you have children along to experience the wonders of Nuremberg’s Christmas markets, there’s a whole separate Kinderweihnacht (Children’s Christmas Market) that’s filled with kid-sized rides like a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and steam train, plus lots of music and other cultural events designed for the “kinder” set.
Beyond Christmas Markets in Nuremberg
History abounds in Nuremberg, some of it focusing on the memory of World War II, kept alive in Germany to ensure it never happens again. The Documentation Centre Nazi Party Rally Grounds is a forceful reminder of what happened here, with its museum exhibitions and special tours. Across town, visit the Memorium Nuremberg Trials, and see Courtroom 600, where the trials took place. The Nuremberg Card is a money-saving way to get free museum admissions and public transport, so consider purchasing that when you arrive.
We loved the Cloud One Hotel, both for its perfect hub location right next to the train station and tram lines as well as for its stylish design, comfortable modern rooms and – especially – for the Panorama Bar on the top floor that revealed the whole cityscape while paired with favorite German beers for my companion and crisp German white wines for me.
Nuremberg’s culinary scene is first rate, ranging from classic Bavarian eateries like Behringers Bratwurstglöcklein in the historical Handwerkerhof Medieval village area to Del Centro Osteria, an absolutely incredible Italian eatery making some of the best wood-oven pizza we’ve ever tasted, along with house-made pasta covered with pungently wonderful fresh truffles.
Lovers of fine dining will appreciate Imperial by Alexander Herrmann & Michi Seitz, as Herrmann is a renowned German chef, while Seitz is the chef de cuisine here. Go on a fusion adventure with these two bold creatives, with a 15-course “Celebration Mood” menu paired with wines and featuring dishes enhanced by caviar, truffles and other delightful bites and if you’re like me, you won’t need to eat again for a full day.
MUNICH
Saving the biggest Bavarian city for last meant we deliberately devoted more days to our Munich adventure, especially knowing that there are more than 20 Christmas markets scattered across this metropolis of 1.5 million residents. And so much more to see as well, from castles, monasteries and churches to museums, symphonies, wine bars and beer halls!
The first Munich Christmas market began in the 1300s, one of the country’s (and the world’s) first. Set up in the Marienplatz, the Christkindlmarkt has long been the Munichers’ favorite place for holiday meet-ups and shopping. Nestled under the massive New Town Hall with its famous Glockenspiel and huge, brightly-lit Christmas tree nearby, the market supports over 100 stalls, many with handmade goods, and has numerous events that everyone can experience. So we sang carols along with a big crowd on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., then listened to the large band and choir who performed from the Town Hall balcony at 5:15 p.m. (daily) as we joined the crowds who overflowed the market.
Tasting a Feuerzangenbowle took the edge off, as we discovered that punch made of mulled wine with a sugar cube soaked in 90-proof rum for the first time in our Christmas market tour. Of course, the bratwurst helped slow down the booze, which seems to be a system that Germans have practiced for generations. Drink the Glühwein, lager beer or Feuerzangenbowle, then soak it up with bread and sausages. It worked for us, with some gingerbread cookies added for good measure. This boisterous, beautiful experience in a perfect setting was hard to cap, but then the next day we discovered the Chinese Tower Christmas market, tucked inside Munich’s huge park called the English Garden.
With everything from gift-giving stands to a curling rink, a little children’s carousel and train ride, too, plus broader food choices like pulled pork or oxtails (and bratwurst, naturally), this Christkindlmarkt Englischer Garten is one of the most charming small markets we encountered anywhere in Germany.
Another delightful neighborhood market is the Haidhausen Christmas market found in the Weissenburger Platz. For over 40 years this small market surprises shoppers with some elegant gift ideas, from fine jewelry stalls to top-quality sheepskin items. And discovering slabs of salmon flame grilling on wooden planks was a foodie revelation, which made the Glühwein taste even better than before.
And not to be outdone by Esslingen, Munich also has a Medieval Market, known as the Mittelaltermarkt and featuring a live cadre of the city guard, outfitted circa 1400CE. Most of the vendors and performers are in Medieval garb, and don’t be surprised if an old-time dance breaks out now and then. Enjoy the spectacle while sipping on Drachenglut (dragon’s embers), a mead made from elderberries and honey, and, of course, eating a sausage.
Every Munich Christmas market we discovered was a bit different, which made it all a single-city experience to remember.
Beyond Christmas Markets in Munich
There’s so much to see and do in Munich, spending six days there barely scratched the surface. Places like the BMW Museum and Welt captured our attention, as much for their architecture as the cars and history found inside, while the Pinkothek der Moderne added more architecture, modern art and design to our already brimming heads. Those and many other sights are part of the Munich City Pass, as well as all public transportation and the hop on, hop off bus with guided audio tour, so it’s the best way to see the city. We even went to a classical concert at the Munich Philharmonic, adding a bit of culture to our wine-swilling, sausage eating adventure.
The culinary highlight of my whole trip was an evening spent at Restaurant JAN, the extraordinary three-star Michelin haute cuisine 40-seat jewel box helmed by Chef Jan Hartwig. With a winning combination of formality and ease, the team at JAN make you feel at home, if your home is a place where someone else cooks brilliantly conceived small plates, pairs wines perfectly with each course and pampers you while doing it.
What seem like tiny, beautiful bites of things like “Mustard Egg,” a quail’s egg with mustards and broccoli couscous, and “Meat Loaf,” a rabbit loaf the size of a chicken egg enhanced with fermented honey, beans and kohlrabi, which all end up being so satisfying that you eat every bit, they actually caused me to falter before scraping up the last plate of deeply satisfying dessert (there were two of those).
Also incredibly satisfying were our stays at two of Munich’s finest hotels, beginning with the Rosewood Munich, the modern five-star hotel in Old Town that was once an important bank. All that remains of the bank is the sweeping entry staircase and the incredible frescoes on the ceiling above (a reminder to always look up when in Europe!) for today the hotel is a modern marvel with welcoming places like the Wintergarten, where decadent afternoon high tea pairs with a cozy fireplace in winter or outdoor garden seating on warmer days.
The Rosewood was an excellent place to practice the latest travel trend, too, as I needed a bit of “calmcation” time to rest and reset. Their Asaya Spa added to my timeout for a wellness break with a practically perfect massage, followed by some water therapy in the serene indoor swimming pool. And if that wasn’t enough, the sublime dinner at the hotel’s Cuvilliés Brasserie, beginning with beef tartare and caviar and followed by delicate tastes of smoked salmon trout, venison and a decadent dessert made me believe I should probably never leave the hotel again. Then we heard the terrific blues band playing in Bar Montez nearby, so added that to cap off a perfect stop-and-smell-the-roses day at the Rosewood.
And since this was now rolling into my December birthday, I knew I had to get back out on the town to let Munich’s beauty and charm wash over me again. But first we moved to our last hotel of this excellent German adventure. The Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski München (also known in English as the Kempinski Munich) is one of the city’s oldest hotels, built nearly 170 years ago by King Maximilian II of Bavaria as a place to put his relatives, just down the street from the Residenz, the seat of government and where he also lived.
Many elements of this breathtaking hotel are protected by law, including the colorful and massive Art Nouveau glass dome that encompasses the elegant lobby. Another case of being sure to look up, for it is spectacular, like every element of this fine hotel. Think antiques throughout, with huge porcelain cockatiels on hand to greet you as you enter and staff ready to fulfill your every need. Even the walls on the guest floors are adorned with visions of old Munich, so fascinating you’re sure to stop and stare.
Here, too, the culinary experiences are exemplary, with both the casual Schwarzreiter Tagesbar and the elegant Schwarzreiter Restaurant each having a distinctly Bavarian influence with an elevated vision of that cuisine. Finally, the Jahreszeiten Bar is a cool spot to hang out with friends, especially if you’re an American who has decided that Germany (and the Kempinski Hotel) might just become your home away from home. At least during the Christmas markets season, which seem to be the most magical time of the year!
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