Any sugestions about Christmas markets in Germany & Austria which is better for markets .I have read alot on line but still not having any luck on decideing which ones.
I am thinking about flyin into Frankfurt germany and out of Munich anyone with a better plane
.Would like to do Salzburg also . I 'm thinking about doing two markets only have 8 days so don't want to spend it on the run from place to place.Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

There are too many good choices. We are flying into Frankfurt and out of Munich ourselves. My brother and his wife are coming with us for the first time. This is our third Advent season visit and we lived in Germany for 6 years.

IMO the Christmas Markets are best in the evening, leaving the day mostly for sight-seeing. So, we visit places that we would otherwise like to see and take the markets as a bonus. We are doing Aschaffenburg, Rothenburg, Würzburg, Nürnberg, Regensburg and Munich. I am sure that a good case could be made for these cities and dozens of others. I have been to Salzburg over this season in the past and it was beautiful.

Rothenburg and Würzburg are our favorites this time of year. Rothenburg has many shops that go over to Christmas items augmenting a small market. Rothenburg is very scenic in any case. We will visit Würzburg mainly for the fortress and the archbishop's baroque residence. The market is of moderate size.

Regards, Gary

Nurnburg and Munich are the biggest we've been to. Salzburg's is very nice as is the market in Strasburg, France.

We have done the Christmas markets many times. Five years in a row one time, and a few random trips back.

I agree with seeing them in the evening. Remember that the days are short at that time of the year so it will start to get dark after 4pm. Do your day visits early. With eight days you will have plenty of time. Go from Frankfurt to Rothenburg...about two hour drive in good weather.

Where to go? ROTHENBURG is a favorite of ours because it is small and quaint. The town has a great feel. Get some Gluwein and visit the booths. You should go online to see when the opening ceremony happens. They bring in the queen of the market, have a band and light the tree in the square. Check some of my other posts on this town to get some ideas about the Nightwatchman Tour also.

MUNICH is downtown and large. Use the subway to go to the main platz. It will all be laid out there and you avoid the parking hassle.

SALZBURG is another great town. Not far from Munich and great setting. Hard to beat the old town area for ambiance. We stayed at Bristol Hotel a few years ago and enjoed it. It is a close walk across the river to old town.

NURNBERG is the grand daddy. Has a big opening ceremony. Many booths and things to see. Not that far from Rothenburg and almost in the general direction of heading to Munich.

With your flight plan I would arrive Frankfurt and head directly to Rothenburg. Two nights there as the first night you will have jet lag. Then go through Nurnburg and end up in Munich. Visit that market and Salzburg. You may even have time for visit to BERCHTESGADEN (very close to Salzburg) and make a day trip from Munich to GARMISCH...easy day trip.

Allow for bad weather. We have been there sometime and had only cold. We have been there other times and had a lot of snow and slow driving. You do not know. Allow for traffic delays if you are driving.

We have done the market season three times so far and are headed back again this year. We enjoy them for the festive atmosphere, brisk weather (we live in FL), and we have experiences some unique and unexpected adventures.

We also prefer to visit them in the early evenings and we are not interested in the shopping so the markets we most enjoy are not about the wares.

Last year we flew into Berlin and out of Munich and we will do the same this year. We have also flown in and out of Munich. We don't rent cars so rely on public transpoert.

We enjoyed our time in Berlin so much we are spending another 4 nights there this year. We found several of the markets that were particularly enjoyable, with full restaurants set up in between the stalls.

We always enjoy an extended stay in Salzburg and make day trips from there. St. Gilgen, St. Wolfgang, Zell am See, Helbrunn - there are so many options.

Wurzburg and Bamberg were lovely and we liked Rothenburg ober der Tauer but would not be interested in overnighting there. Nurember was a bit of a disappointment all the way around as was Frankfurt.

This year we will be visiting Cologne and Regensburg.

As for bad weather, that is one reason we will not drive at that time of year. Some of the roads in the smaller villages and the mountains are a bit scary for thos of us not used to that type of driving and not at all used to winter. We generally have a mixture of rain and sun and have seen some snow as well.

It is so beautiful in Germany and Austria! Enjoy.

Thank You everyone!

Salzburg is a short 2 hr train ride from Munich and I would definitely make sure to go there. 2 days in Salzburg would be plenty if all you are going for is the