Last year was our first winter living in Amsterdam, so we finally got a taste of Europe’s Christmas Markets. I fell in love with them instantly. This year instead of visiting one or two markets near us, we planned a (fairly last minute!) road trip to see six of the best Christmas Markets across Germany and France.
Some of my favorite highlights from our trip included: catching the first snow of the year in the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, waking up in a castle overlooking the city of Bonn, and of course gorging ourselves on sweets, glühwein (hot mulled wine) and German pretzels.
Despite some minor delays on our drives due to rain and snow, it was an amazing trip and I’d recommend a similar itinerary for anyone who wants to take a grand tour of Europe’s Christmas Markets. Here’s a breakdown of the markets we visited and details if you want to plan your own road trip, including a map at the bottom of this post…
6 MARKETS
you should visit
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7 DAYS
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to see it all
Aachen, Germany
a quaint local christmas market right on the border of Germany and Holland.
Strasbourg, France
one of the most famous christmas markets in France with festive decor, crêpes, and French mulled wine.
Colmar, France
a maze of 5 different markets, spread out across a fairytale French town.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
a medieval German town with christmas stalls and shops stretching out from the main square.
Nuremburg, Germany
the second largest city in Bavaria, with an equally large market situated inside the old city walls.
Cologne, Germany
one of the most photographed markets in Germany, set against the backdrop of the famous Cologne cathedral.
Aachen, Germany
Aachen WeihnachtsMarkt
Our first stop was the German town of Aachen, located just a few minutes away from the border of the Netherlands. This market definitely has a ‘local’ vibe and is family-friendly. The stalls featured a nice mix of handmade ornaments and decorations and there were plenty of stalls to step inside for some hot wine. It was easy to park nearby and there was plenty to explore around the main market square.
What we bought: Mushrooms with garlic sauce and Krakauer (German sausage).
Where we stayed: Hotel Kasteel Bloemendal, which was one of the best values of any hotel I’ve ever stayed at! It’s a luxurious castle-turned-hotel located a short 15 minute drive from the market in the Netherlands.
The beautiful grounds of Hotel Kasteel Bloemendal.
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Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg Christkindelsmärik
The Strasbourg Christmas Market has been voted a European favorite market multiple times. It’s also the oldest Christmas Market in Europe, with the first market taking place in 1570. The stalls are set amongst the dramatic backdrop of the Strasbourg Cathedral and the square also has a large Christmas tree, which makes for some amazing photos. We loved the overall feel of this market and definitely could have stayed longer to explore the city!
What we bought: Chocolate pralines and plenty of Glühwein.
Where we stayed: Hostellerie De La Pommerie, which is located right in between the Strasbourg and Colmar markets. The service at this quaint boutique hotel was exceptional, and we loved that we were staying outside of Strasbourg town (which gets very crowded this time of year).
Hostellerie De La Pommerie – so quaint and French!
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Colmar, France
Colmar Christmas Market
Colmar has been voted the best Christmas Market in France, and it’s easy to see why people love it so much. The city is exceptionally picturesque, with its old French half-timbered houses and romantic canals. This market was definitely smaller than Strasbourg, but has lots of charm to make up for it. Instead of the market taking place in a main square like most do, there are five smaller markets spread out across town which allows you to wind your way through the old buildings to discover different stalls.
What we bought: Nutella crêpes and freshly-baked pretzels.
Where we stayed: Hostellerie De La Pommerie again, outside of Colmar. If you want to stay in Colmar, Hotel Le Columbier and Hotel Le Marechal are both great options nearby the markets.
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Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Rothenburg Reiterlesmarkt
This market was our favorite of the trip. Everything from the location (the cutest medieval German town), to the atmosphere (carolers set up in the main square), the items for sale (handmade ornaments and traditional German Christmas decorations), and the food (endless Gluhwein stands and some delicious German brats and burgers) was perfect. It snowed while we were here, which added to the beauty of it all. I’d definitely recommend this market for anyone who appreciates a more authentic feel and plenty of city streets to explore.
What we bought: Rothenburg Snowballs and “white” mulled wine.
Where we stayed: We continued on to Nuremberg this evening, but I would’ve loved to stay at the Hotel Goldener Hirsch.
Picturesque cobblestone streets in front of the Hotel Goldener Hirsch.
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Nuremberg, Germany
Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt
Nuremberg’s Christmas Market is definitely one of the more impressive. To enter the town you’ll pass through the old city walls, which you can still walk on to this day. The main square hosts the largest number of market stalls, and they’re filled with plenty of fun Christmas ornaments, hot wine and beer, and of course: sausages. If you have time to explore the city, there’s plenty of museums and restaurants to try in this Bavarian city.
What we bought: Nuremberg sausages with sauerkraut, Nuremberg gingerbread and red wine-spiked hot chocolate.
Where we stayed: Dürer Hotel Nuremberg, which was located just steps away from the old city walls and a short 10 minute walk to the market.
The old fort walls across from Dürer Hotel Nuremberg.
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Cologne, Germany
Kölner Weihnachtsmarkt
Though Cologne is a large city, the Christmas Market here feels exceptionally cozy. I loved walking amongst the red stalls and twinkle lights with the impressive Cologne Cathedral in the background. If you’re just looking to visit a couple markets, I’d highly recommend including Cologne on your list for its exceptional food, variety of handmade items, and festive decor.
What we bought: Spaetzle (soft egg noodles) and Käsekrainer (cheese-filled sausage).
Where we stayed: We drove into Cologne, and had an incredible stay one town over at the Steigenberger Grandhotel Petersburg. It’s a historic hotel situated overlooking the Rhine River that has accommodated the Queen of England in the past! If you want to stay in the center of Cologne, I’d recommend checking out Hotel im Wasserturm (an old water tower turned hotel!) and Excelsior Hotel Ernst.
Taking in the views from the balcony of the Steigenberger Grandhotel Petersburg.
Final Thoughts
I’d recommend giving yourself a week for a similar road trip so you have enough time to visit each Christmas Market and enjoy the towns in wintertime before your next drive (the towns are typically anywhere from half an hour to 3 hours apart). Plan your trip in advance since hotels nearby the markets book up early! Our two favorite markets were Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber and Cologne.
You can also add other nearby Christmas Markets in this region to your itinerary, like the one in Metz, France or the German markets in Frankfurt, Konstanz and Stuttgart. I included a map of our full drive below, and you can click here for the interactive version to add your own stops:
The German Christmas Markets have been my favorite so far, but there are plenty of other Christmas Markets in Europe I’m hoping to explore next year! And I’m already thinking about re-visiting Budapest in the wintertime since we loved it so much.
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Has this guide inspired you to visit the Christmas Markets in Europe?
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Tanya Livingston Says
I have researched Christmas markets for two before I bought tickets for December 2020 which obviously was cancelled.
Your guide is the most precise and informative than any I’ve seen and I’m going to follow your path EXACTLY for the 7 day Christmas market list!
Thanks so very much and keep up the good work!
Selena Says
Post authorThat makes me so happy! I hope all your Christmas Market dreams come true this year ; )
Kendall Says
Hi There, I have used your posts as inspiration for a few of our trips in the past and we are currently planning Europe for christmas this year. Do you think this trip would be doable via train instead of driving? Would you recommend Austria for Christmas time as well?
Selena Says
Post authorHi Kendall! So happy they’ve been useful for you. You could hit some of these spots with train travel, but it really depends on where you’re going. I personally preferred driving so we could be flexible with pulling over along the way. Omio is a great site to book train travel though!
I’ve heard great things about Austria for Christmas, a friend of mine went to the markets in Austria this past December and loved it. It’s on my list for the future. Enjoy!
Bianca Says
Hello! I am going to Germany this winter and I was wondering what preset you used for these photos and what camera you used for these pictures. I love your photos on your blog and when I take photos they seem to come out bland and I am hoping to have some advice on how to take better photos. Thank you, Bianca :)))
Selena Says
Post authorHi Bianca! I used mostly my Europe presets and some Greek Islands presets for these photos. I have an editing tutorial on my shop page (just click on any collection and scroll down for the video!). That should help give you an idea of what the edit can do. These photos were mostly shot with our Sony A7RII (though I tend to prefer Canon for color). These posts might help you a bit more:
https://finduslost.com/how-we-shoot-and-edit-photos/
https://finduslost.com/how-to-choose-the-best-camera-and-lens-for-travel-photos/
Bianca Says
Thank you so much! I just bought your European Collection Preset for the desktop, but for the Lightroom Adobe subscription, which one do you recommend? The Lightroom plan seems to have more storage, but the Photography Plan seems to have bonuses. I was wondering which one you recommend. Thank you-Bianca
Selena Says
Post authorI use the Photography plan because I edit in Lightroom Classic and also use Photoshop sometimes. So I’d recommend that one for more editing capabilities!
Bianca Says
Hello! I am going to Germany this winter and I was wondering what preset you used for these photos and what camera you used for these pictures. I love your photos on your blog and when I take photos they seem to come out bland and I am hoping to have some advice on how to take better photos. Thank you, Bianca 🙂
Ahmree Says
Thank you soo much for this post. I’m headed to Germany in the first week of December and can’t wait to see all of the beautiful Christmas Markets! (I’m also considering moving to Amsterdam now!)
Selena Says
Post authorHow exciting! Enjoy every minute – this time of year is one of my absolute favorites in Europe 🙂
Laura Cardinale Says
Just stumbled across this post whilst planning my 4 week December trip. I have now changed the first week to a road trip through France and Germany finishing in Nuremberg then taking a train to Prague to continue on. I was just worried about the 1 night in each town – did it seemed rushed while you were doing it? Or was the afternoon and evening enough to see each town then ready to move on to the next? Thankyou!!
Selena Says
Post authorHi Laura! We found 1 night to be enough if we were purely just visiting the Christmas markets. I’d say most days we would check out from our hotel around 10am, drive 2-3 hours, check in to our new hotel and then visit the christmas markets for a few hours. It’s definitely fast-paced, but it allowed us to see quite a bit in a short amount of time. Towards the end of our trip we stayed 2 nights in a couple cities, which broke up that schedule and allowed us to relax a bit more.
Hope that helps! Your trip sounds amazing 😉
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Olivia Says
Love this post, it is really helping me plan my own trip this December. I was wondering how you rented your car. Was there a certain company you used that allowed you to drive between countries? Not sure what the car rental procedure is in Europe <3 Torn between renting a car and trying to take the train.
Selena Says
Post authorHey Olivia! We rented a car while we were living in Amsterdam, and picked up at the nearest airport.
Nicole Says
Absolutely amazing post! Would love to do this same trip! Thank you for sharing. 🙂 Just curious, when exactly did you do this trip (obviously around Christmastime, but like early December or late November?). I’m guessing these markets are open for a month or two so is there a better (less crowded) time to go?
Selena Says
Post authorYou’re so welcome! We went the first week of December. The markets definitely get more crowded as Christmas nears, so go late November / early December if you want it to be on the quieter side. Just double check dates for each market before you go! xx
Kayla Daniels Says
Now that I’ve read this I’m dying to do this road trip! My husband and I have been to 8 Countries in Europe on a Cosmos tour plus Ireland by ourselves. Is the language barrier ever problematic for you guys? That’s what makes me nervous about going on our own, but I would much rather be on our own schedule than tour.
Selena Says
Post authorHi Kayla! Honestly, no, it’s never been a real issue for us. In countries like Germany and the Netherlands, usually everyone you encounter speaks English. If you’re going to more rural places (as opposed to big cities), that changes sometimes, but we’ve never had an issue.
My advice: download Google Maps offline for the places you plan to visit (you can do it for any city), that way if you ever get lost you don’t need to rely on directions from others. Most people in the hospitality industry in these countries are fluent in English. Hope that helps!
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ehsan Says
I really enjoyed this post full of foods and hotels and colorful markets 🙂
Selena Says
Post authorAll my favorite things! Especially the food 😉
Natalia Says
The editing on these photos is beautiful. Great job!
Selena Says
Post authorThanks Natalia 🙂 xx
Katherine McVey Says
This was a beautiful post! Love the new site. What camera lens are you using?
Selena Says
Post authorThanks Katherine! So glad to hear that. 🙂 Most of the shots in this guide were taken with a Sony 35mm lens.
Anastasia Pittini Says
Loved it all! Super beautiful photos and very useful tips 🙂
Selena Says
Post authorThank you Anastasia! xx
Michael @ Mile in My Glasses Says
Thank-you for this incredible guide! It sounds like you both had the best time exploring, what gorgeous Christmas markets!
I hope you’ve had a fab Friday!
Michael
https://www.mileinmyglasses.com
Selena Says
Post authorSo glad you found it useful! Happy Holidays 🙂