Hi, looking at markets north of Frankfurt; mid size+ to start with. Any comments on experiences with the following Christmas Markets to help me narrow the choices?
Bremen, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Leipzig. Cologne and Dresden are already on the list for sure. We're not really big city types but a lot of the usually mentioned locations seem to be a half million or more population.
thanks,
Mac

How much time do you have for this trip? If you have time for all those and a strong desire to experience that many, we would suggest replacing Dortmund with Luebeck.

Of the ones on your list, Dresden is our clear favorite, followed by (in order) Leipzig, Bremen and Dusseldorf. Not far from Dusseldorf is the charming small town of Hattingen. No big Christmas market per se but still a lovely spot to visit during the season.

> We're not really big city types but a lot of the usually mentioned locations seem to be a half million or more population.

Then why not trust us here on this travel board and listen to our recommendations for smaller towns and their Christmas markets? As Dresden is on your list you will be happy to learn that there are lots of charming Christmas markets in that region (day trip distance) in smaller towns. Just some examples: Görlitz, Bautzen, Freiberg, Zwickau, Annaberg-Buchholz and all these other places in the Erzgebirge (Ore mountains) like Seiffen, Schneeberg, Schwarzenberg ... Also, only on weekends (Fri-Sun) at Fortress Königstein (20 km from Dresden.)

Ditto what Ingo says. We really enjoyed exploring the Erzgebirge during the holidays. My report from that trip (unfinished, but I did manage to finish the Dresden and Erzgebirge sections).

December in Deutschland