This is not a time sensitive question but I'd rather dream about my Christmas travel than do more practical things right now!

I'll be spending time at Christmas markets in Munich (just one evening), Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague this December. I know it's going to be a challenge to pace myself with the souvenir buying - to not buy everything at the first market but also not to pass up something really unique thinking I'll find it at a later market. So, what are some of the items unique to the markets in the places I'll be visiting? I'm specifically thinking I'll be buying ornaments and a nativity set or two. I'd also really like to buy a German Christmas pyramid. Are those found only in Germany or will I also be able to find those in Vienna and Prague?

I believe you will find the pyramids at the others if memory serves me right. I just haven't been to the Christmas market in Prague. I don't think I buy anything specific just whatever catches my eye like jewelry. I find it fun to just walk and look. I've learned and not just at these markets, if its something crafty don't expect to find the same thing at the next place. If I have to think about it, I can never find it again even if I swore it was the same store I was in the day before.

I've seen the pyramids in every market I've visited.

>>I don't think I buy anything specific just whatever catches my eye . . . <<

Me too -- there is a huge variety and I just like to wander and then decide what strikes my fancy at the time .

I know janis it's like a treasure hunt. I even have some squirrels that are to be sprayed with nice scents. No clue why I bought them but they hang out on my fireplace mantel peeking out of vases.

Glühwein mugs. I collect mugs from various markets. Different shapes, different designs. These are very durable quality mugs. The easiest way to do this is to just forefait mug deposit worth a few euros and keep the mug. But I realized when I told the vendors I wanted to keep the mug, they either gave me a non-chipped mug or told me to come back and they would give me a washed non-sticky mug to take home. It got somewhat complicated when I did not care to drink wine. In this case, not all the stalls had a process of just selling mugs, and I had to through fake deposit then return cycle to pay for the mug. Every Christmas time at home, I use these mugs to drink coffee and remember the past trips.

In Salzburg, they sell egg shell ornaments of Christmas and other theme. These are also sold in a couple of stores in the old town year round, however. If you might want to do this, bring a sturdy assemblable small cardboard box from home. They give you an egg crate but the eggs would not survive plane trips. Camping egg carriers will not work because of the decorations added around the egg shell.

I echo what greg said about the mugs--not only are they unique to each city/town/village, they are a bit smaller than most mugs so bit easier to pack and are wonderful to use as decorations AND as mugs at Christmases.

(I also got an egg shell ornament in Michelstadt's market, made it home with it, used it one year, and then in the packing up of decorations, it got sadly broken! Maybe an excuse to go back one day!?)

We lived in Vienna for seven years (just returned to the U.S. last month), and I can write that we never set out to an Advent or Christmas market intentionally looking for something to purchase; the atmosphere alone was worth the visit.

Just a note, but the Vienna Christmas markets are highly commercial (especially the Wiener Christkindlmarkt at Rathaus and its many, "Made in China" products), but that should not stop you from visiting. The twinkling lights and the Glühwein (or Kinderpunsch if you don't imbibe) make the setting merry.

We have also been to the markets in Munich, Salzburg, and Prague. We very much enjoyed the SternBrau Advent market in Salzburg, but the offerings are not for everyone. As for nativities, it took five years of market-going before one set "spoke" to me, and it was at a small market in a castle in Upper Austria. Just FYI.

Aside from Glühwein mugs the real treasures, at least for me, were at the small, one-weekend markets scattered around Central Europe in old palaces and the like. Depending on your visit dates, there may be smaller markets where you might find something special. At these markets we found unique pieces of pottery and other special items that now recall our time overseas. Many of the markets are accessible via public transportation should you be so inclined; a little research should help identify the markets in the surroundings of your destinations.

Last year they were putting the wine in plastic cups! I love my mugs. So hoping that was just a France thing but Brussels was the same. We enjoy the food and the lights. I have a thing for felt ornaments.

>>Last year they were putting the wine in plastic cups!<<

At which markets? I attended 4 markets last Dec and all had regular Glühwein mugs.

The only place I've seen plastic (or in this case styrofoam) was in Davos, Switzerland of all places. It completely ruined the whole gluhwein experience for me (but then I feel the same way about coffee - I'm a cup snob, I want an actual ceramic cup!)

I've not see plastic cups/mugs in Munich, Zurich, Salzburg, Vienna, Frankfurt area Augsburg and Florence. In Frankfurt, you could buy clean mugs if you didn't want the drink.

The only problem with the mugs is they can get heavy in the suitcase. So my sister only brings home the ones she think are fancy aka the ones in Munich that are different colors.

Lille, Paris, Brussels and Ypres. German markets this year so hoping for mugs. I have my Munich and Nurnberg mugs. It isn't the same even though they were nice plastic cups. I only brought home the Lille one. The wine is not my favourite thing to drink so we went right for the beer in Belgium. I also found the best ornaments in the oxfam store. I bought these little bags of the baby Jesus made with marshmallow in Paris. Jim got into them and ate two bags. I went back and bought five more for gifts. Our apartment in Germany has decorations for Christmas but want a small tree and will buy some ornaments that I can take home.

This post is getting me excited for our Christmas Market trip this December. Planning on visiting Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Rothenburg OBT, Esslingen and Stuttgart as well as Hohenzollern Castle. Looking forward to finding little treasures along the way but mainly want to experience the ambiance of the markets. I am packing some Tupperware containers to pack my little treasures along the way. I have purchased Tupperware in many countries over the years to pack breakables for the trip home. This is the first time the Tupperware will be heading back to Europe!

Michele, In Rothenburg try to go to the Kathie Wolfhart store, a Xmas store right in the middle of RB. I am pretty sure it is still there. They have a great assortment of Xmas items, all Xmas. Sue

Yes, Its still there -- I visited it last Dec.

michele_d: Be prepared for massive crowds - especially in Nuremburg. Could barely walk around . . . But loved them anyway. Last time I visited some of those Xmas Markets was 20-ish years ago and the size of crowds last year were exponentially larger.