TOUR

A Tour of Germany’s Christmas Markets

By Heather Thompson

If you find yourself in need of some yuletide cheer, pack your bags and fly to a German Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt). After all, it’s the capital of Christmas customs.

Weihnachtsmärkte are a proud centuries-old tradition. Every year from the beginning of Advent until Christmas Eve, markets set up camp in streets and town squares across Germany, offering a mix of crafts, toys and fairground attractions. Best of all, they’re overflowing with traditional treats like Glühwein (spiced, mulled wine), Bratwurst and chocolate-covered Lebkuchen (gingerbread).

Competition is stiff, so many cities make an effort to put an individual stamp on their Weihnachtsmärkte. Here are some of the notable ones:

At Berlin’s classy Gendarmenmarkt, the specially painted Glühwein cups and the beautiful architecture set the mood. You can admire two stately churches and an opera house while you drink the warming brew. From the market, it’s only five minutes (or 10, depending on the strength of the Glühwein) south to the Unter den Linden, where a walk under the elegantly lit lime trees to the Brandenburg Gate is the perfect complement to an evening at the market. Be sure to stop at the Operpalais Weihnachtsmarkt on the way. The view from the top of its 100-year-old Ferris wheel is spectacular.

In Dresden, you’ll find the oldest Weihnachtsmarkt in Germany, complete with a four-ton Stollen, the traditional Christmas cake. And if you think bigger is better, then Frankfurt takes the Kuchen; it always features a gigantic Christmas tree.

In Cologne, punters enjoy Christmas on the Rhine in Germany’s only floating Weihnachtsmarkt, while Lübeck, the self-proclaimed Christmas Capital of Northern Germany, comes in first in the candy stakes. It specializes in marzipan.

Elsewhere, the “little plum people” (dolls made of prunes) are the perfect mascot for Nuremberg. This Renaissance city was historically Germany’s toy-making capital, so the wares at its Weihnachtsmarkt hold special appeal for kids. Its cousin in Hamburg, however, is not to be outdone. Despite its arty bent, it features a tantalizing “toy alley.”

If art is what you’re after, head to Munich. The Münchener Freiheit sells beautiful handmade crafts. Despite its straitlaced reputation, the city also boasts the hippyish Tollwood Markt and the Pink Christmas Gay and Lesbian Markt.

Those in need of Bratwurst-busting exercise should visit Leipzig, where a skating rink and a model railroad make for active yuletide fun. And when it’s time to relax, you can’t beat the dulcet tones of the 700-year-old Thomanerchor. Bach led the legendary choir from the picturesque Thomaskirche for almost three decades.

Augsburg is simply heavenly. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening, 24 golden-winged “angels” turn the front of the city hall into a life-size Advent calendar. For those who are unable to make it in December, it’s always Christmas time in the medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where you’ll find a Weihnachts museum and a store for off-season ornament shopping.

(Heather Thompson is a writer and journalist who lives in Berlin.)

TOP PHOTO: B. ROEMMELT / MUNICH TOURIST OFFICE
GENDARMENMARKT: GENDARMENMARKT BERLIN
FRANKFURT: FRANKFURT TOURIST OFFICE
NUREMBERG: CHRISTINE DIERENBACH / CITY OF NUREMBERG
LEIPZIG: LTM-SCHMIDT / LEIPZIG.DE