Christmas Markets 2017

Old Apr 16th, 2017, 11:32 AM
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Christmas Markets 2017

Hello, looking for suggestions for the Christmas market 2017, would like to spend a few days in Colmar then possibly somewhere in Germany , any suggestions would be helpful. we have a total of 7 full days to work with. Thank You!
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Old Apr 16th, 2017, 11:38 AM
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A lot of this will depend on new security measures. I went to Strasbourg last Christmas. The city center is on an island which was completely sealed off from all vehicular traffic, and there were checkpoints for pedestrians on the bridges that were open. The tramway lines continued to run, but during the Christmas market times, all of the central stations were closed and the trams just continued through without stopping.

So if security is a concern, Strasbourg would be your destination. And anyway, the Christmas market there is spectacular.
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Old Apr 16th, 2017, 12:07 PM
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Here's my trip report on the markets I went to December 2016, around Frankfurt.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...htsmrktes-.cfm
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Old Apr 16th, 2017, 12:28 PM
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I went to the 2016 markets including Colmar. The Colmar markets were too small for my taste. The Strasbourg market(s) were larger and more interesting. Strasbourg get lit up at night all over the city. As mentioned, it was a huge pedestrian only zone in the evening during the market time. We stayed in the middle of the island so getting in and out from our hotel to markets was a snap.

I would spend more time at German markets. I liked the medium to large ones on the eastern side: Dresden (family oriented, pretty large, but not yet totally crushed by the tourists), Nürnberg (huge and touristy), Leipzig, Chemnitz (no obvious tourists), etc.
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Old Apr 16th, 2017, 02:19 PM
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We've been to the markets in Berlin as well as Munich. They both had what appeared to be (and how anybody is going to know exactly where ANY of these attendees are from I have no idea) filled with folks because both of them are extensive. There is more than one market in both of those cities, too.

I am certain there are many others which would be close to your route of travel but obviously some of the markets are MUCH more extensive than those in smaller places.
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Old Apr 16th, 2017, 04:59 PM
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We've visited many markets over the years and are mulling over options for 2017 as well.

Where you decide to go depends a lot on which city you're flying into/out of and how far you're willing to travel during your week long stay, and your mode of transport.

For example, if you fly into Zurich, you can be in Freiburg im Breisgau in under two hours via train. From Freiburg you can take day trips to Colmar, Basel (and Strasbourg) - so you can see French, German and Swiss Christmas Markets easily within your time frame.

(FWIW Colmar was thick with gendarme last year if security is a major concern).

If you fly into Munich, you can easily visit Bamberg (wonderful market) and/or Nuremburg and potentially Rothenburg ob Tauber, all within a well planned week. And Munich itself of course.

Then there's Augsburg...or you could visit the nearby small town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (home of the Zugspitz) as well as several others. Keep in mind that in small towns, the Christmas Markets are only open on weekends, or in some cases, just one particular weekend.

Then there's Dresden, home to the Striezelmarkt, the oldest documented Christmas Market in Germany (581 years!).

And the Erzgebirge, i.e. the Ore Mountains, near the Germany/Czech Republic border - ‘Germany’s real Christmas Country’, home to authentic handcrafted Erzgebirge folk art and Europe’s earliest mining district.

The choices are endless.
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Old Apr 16th, 2017, 07:44 PM
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Here is the report I made about last Christmas in Strasbourg: http://tinyurl.com/sxbnoel

I also went to the Christmas market in Obernai and covered it in the same report.
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Old Jul 19th, 2017, 10:20 AM
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Melnq8 since you mentioned the Czech border have you been to the markets in Prague? Any thoughts on those?

This is a somewhat older thread but I have just started looking in to traveling to some Christmas Markets this year and was thinking of Munich and Prague. A friend is really pulling for Prague although many of the ones mentioned above sound wonderful.

Thanks for your thoughts and I will probably start my own thread when I get closer to deciding. It was either this or river boat trip to India.
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Old Jul 19th, 2017, 11:29 AM
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Jen -

No, haven't been to Prague. We stayed in Dresden and Annaberg –Buchholtz.

Here's my trip report from that trip, I never did finish the Bavaria portion, but did finish Dresden and Annaberg. It might give you a few ideas.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...eutschland.cfm
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Old Jul 20th, 2017, 06:07 AM
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We love Christmas markets. We've been every four years starting in 2004 (I refuse to go more often because it's so cold). We've been to Nurnberg, Munich, Rothenburg od Tauber, Nordlingen, Stuttgart, Salzburg, Vienna, Dresden, and Prague. I am forgetting some of the smaller German towns. We've enjoyed them all but really loved Dresden and Munich (probably because we love this city and there are so many markets to visit).

My report from last year when we went to Vienna, Prague, and Dresden is here: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rkets-2016.cfm

I don't think you can go wrong with any of them, sincerely.

NOLA
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Old Jul 20th, 2017, 02:40 PM
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I would consider some of the markets in the Ruhr area which is a bit further to the north of where you will be in France. Last year I had a trip across Germany to see the markets, starting up north in Hamburg, going across to Lüneburg, Wismar and Schwerin and then across the country stopping at many towns on the way (Hildesheim, Hameln, Münster), winding up with Düsseldorf (enormous) and Aachen (beautiful at night). There are small regional differences along the way which you can see if you take in a large survey like that. I really liked Aachen and would highly recommend that city. It's probably not the closest to you in Colmar or Strasbourg (Saarbrücken, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart are probably the closest), but you have the advantage that there are many cities close together so you can hit a lot of different markets. Aachen, Cologne (seven markets here alone!) and Bonn would be a good trio but you have a lot of different choices in the area.

Also there is a lot to see in Aachen and Cologne apart from the markets, such as the amazing Cologne Cathedral and good museums in Cologne, and in Aachen the UNESCO-listed cathedral where Charlemagne is buried and which was the historical coronation site of the German kings of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Cathedral Treasury. Bonn has the Poppelsdorfer Schloss and is a pretty town just to visit. But as Nola says, you can't really go wrong. Every big city has markets (often multiple), and so do many smaller towns, and all have their charm.

Lavandula
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Old Jul 20th, 2017, 03:04 PM
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The Regensburg and Passau Christmas markets are very good. I liked the Passau market for the hand-carved wooden items, but Regensburg also has some fine bakeries and a cathedral with a noted boychoir.
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Old Jul 22nd, 2017, 02:21 PM
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Texasbookworm linked our 2016 Market adventures above, but let me mention a couple on my radar that I would like to attend:

1. Burg Ronneburg does a candlelight-only Christmas market that has been highly recommended to me. Their schedule is here: http://www.burg-ronneburg.de/

The Ronneburg ends earlier in December than some markets, so the available markets depend on your travel dates. It was closed before we could get there. However, I have visited the castle and would still recommend it, even sans Christmas market.

2. This summer I visited the tiny, yet picturesque, little town of Monschau, just across the border from Belgium. I would love to see it with a fresh snowfall, all aglow with Christmas lights.

I stayed at the Carat Hotel while there. I asked the desk when I needed to book the hotel for a stay during the Christmas market. The answer: one year in advance!
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Old Jul 28th, 2017, 07:20 PM
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The market at Ronneburg Castle is fantastic, but is held only on 3 weekends.

I enjoyed the market in Colmar a lot. It was different than the German markets and the settings along the canals made it so beautiful.

For a big city market, Stuttgart is about the best one. Extensive, but you never get the cattle car feel like happens in some of the big city markets, like Nuremberg. Pair it with Esslingen and their unique medieval market and this should satisfy all tastes.
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Old Jul 28th, 2017, 07:23 PM
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Meanwhile, Paris has decided to cancel the Christmas market on the Champs Elysées this year.
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Old Jul 28th, 2017, 08:27 PM
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haha! Great! I've never liked that market -- much prefer the avenue-lining little garden. I'll be there in early Dec, so that makes me very happy!

s
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Old Aug 1st, 2017, 11:18 AM
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Nuremberg is famous and very crowded an touristy. The good thing is, that the whole city is kind of a christmas market then.

I'm from Nuremberg and of course I recommend going there. You can visit several interesting things in town during the day and enjoy the market in the evening. Would then do daytrips to Rothenburg and Bamberg from here. Both cities have nice markets and are very pretty destinations on their own.

Dresden is a nice city but I do not like the market there. Munich has a nice market, too. Salzburg is worth a visit any time of the year. Maybe do something like Nuremberg - Munich - Salzburg with a base in Nuremberg in the beginning an Munich in the end. There are good train Connections between all mentioned cities.
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Old Aug 1st, 2017, 01:20 PM
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>

Which one? There are 12.
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Old Aug 1st, 2017, 09:18 PM
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The main one called Striezelmarkt. Every big city has more than one market but often they are either pretty small or somehow connected.

I recommend visiting Dresden because of all the sights but the market wouldn't be my top reason.
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Old Aug 27th, 2017, 01:08 AM
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We had a different view of the Dresden marketS than Bosley -- we've been to them for three years and found them delightful. Definitely among our favorites. The Nuremberg market was such a mob scene we left pretty quickly.
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