Christmas Markets - Prague, Germany, Paris
 

Hi everyone
My partner and I are planning a winter trip in December 2018. We’re travelling from NZ to the UK for 2 and a half months and want to do a 2 week side trip to see the Christmas Markets.

The places I would like to see are Prague, Germany and travel back through Paris. What we are really stuck on is what destinations we should visit in Germany. I would really love to stay a night in Rothenberg.

We are a couple in our early 30’s not really into the party scene (clubbing etc). We really enjoy our food and beer/wine, we tend to walk a lot on holiday, like visiting historical sites and just generally exploring the places we visit.

Must dos for the trip is obviously some Christmas Markets, a castle visit and visiting Rothenberg.

Can anybody help us with an idea of where we could go to in Germany we will be arriving from Prague. I was wondering about Munich, Rothenburg and then Nuremberg? I’m not sure if we would be better seeing some different places? We don’t mind moving around but don’t want to feel like we’re constantly moving from place to place each day. Thanks ��

The principal Christmas market in Paris was cancelled this year due to a dispute between the municipality and the operator. However, there are plenty of other Christmas things to keep you busy during your stay.

Oh, and since you are talking about December 2018, the Christmas market will almost certainly be back by then and absolutely nobody can tell you how it will be since it is supposed to be completely different from the commercial tacky event that took place up to now.

There are additional Marches de Noel at various sites in Paris.
Here's a list:
http://www.sortiraparis.com/loisirs/...e-noel-a-paris

Nuremberg was my favorite. Dresden was my second favorite. And Munich has several markets. Medieval was probably my favorite, because it was different.

I liked the smaller places generally. Nuremberg Market is huge, and has great crafts- it’s a wonderful shopping market. But atmosphere wise, I enjoyed places like Erfurt and Regensburg. And part of it is that the bus tours hit Nuremberg and Dresden- crazy crowds on the weekends. So I think a lot depends on whether this is a shopping trip for you or more of an experience trip.

I think you need a full day in Rothenburg. The city museum was a highlight. Also the night watch tour. It’s not really a great Christmas Market, and honestly it’s not one of my favorite places. But I loved my hotel, and the town is unique to walk around, and the Christmas stores are good.

<i>There are additional Marches de Noel at various sites in Paris.</i>

Who knows what will exist a year from now?

Trains are great to all those German cities but bus best Prague to Munich.

Yeh fly into Prague from London

take bus or train to Nurnberg - great Xmas Market and neat city - train to Rothenburg

then to Munich

day trip to Fussen by train for Neuschwanstein Castle perhaps

Take train Munich to Paris or fly

Paris-London by Eurostar train-www.eurostar.com.

For lots on German trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I highly recommend the markets in Aachen, Cologne, and Duisburg, in Germany. (Full disclosure; my Son operates four Christmas huts in those towns each Xmas season.)

:-)

I spent several days once doing Christmas Markets in Frankfurt area and of the several I saw all were wonderful - Frankfurt's Romerplatz one much bigger but even in Darmstadt where I stayed it was amazing.

Any sizable town will have a nice Christmas Market IME.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I’ll research some of these towns - a bit worried about getting Xmas market overload so just need to make sure we pick the right places to get a nice balance.

That’s what I did. I picked places I mostly just want to see, because of museums or churches.

But people warned me constantly of getting Christmas Market overload, and it never happened. Everywhere has different food, different setting, different hot drinks. I’d probably go again. Have a wonderful time planning!

Christmas Market overload, and it never happened. Everywhere has different food, different setting, different hot drinks. I’d probably go again.>

I enjoyed going back to same Christmas Market near my hotel each night - joining locals who were stopping by after work, etc. And yes all the various markets I visited were fun but I actually enjoyed the smaller city markets better than larger ones more popular with tourists.

thanks all for your suggestions. Is there anywhere I can find out what train prices are between strasbourg and paris in mid december? It looks like it could get expensive. We'll be going from munich to strasbourg, then strasbourg to paris. Although if it is going to cost too much we may go somewhere else before paris...

www.voyages-sncf.com should have those fares and if early enough you can get very cheap fares but those are limited in number and go quick - booking starts I think about 90 days out. Check www.seat61.com for more about that.

Munich to Strasbourg check www.bahn.de/en - German Railways official site where you can also book your own discounted tickets - for as low as 19 or 29 euros often.

Thanks PalenQ, I had a look but can't seem to find approx prices. We've booked some accom that has free cancellation - if it works out far too expensive we can change our itinerary i guess!

When do you arrive in the UK? Because if you will be there in November, I highly recommend the Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair. https://www.countrylivingfair.com/

I've gone to that fair several times and it has always been very well done (only the London version, though, I have not been to the Glasgow or Harrogate fares). The 2018 dates are already posted.

Back to Germany, Dresden is far and away our favorite (note: Dresden holds several Christmas markets, including a medieval market, each with a different vibe). Dresden has a nice selection of good restaurants, and Saxon wine, hard to find outside the region, is definitely worth trying.

Re accommodation note, if you do opt to put Dresden in your mix, try to do it at the mid-point of your trip and book one of the aparthotels that come with washing machines in the units. Public laundromats can be thin on the ground in Germany and this way you can pack less. Just a thought. We've stayed at this aparthotel several times, with stays ranging from a few nights to five weeks:
https://www.aparthotels-frauenkirche...resden-en.html

My preference is to mix one or two large markets with smaller city/town markets -- small city markets include Detmold, Freiburg, and Muenster. Basel, where we live, also hosts a good Christmas market if your travels have you hopping over the border into Switzerland.

Happy travel planning!

We did a day trip to Strasbourg from Paris last month and the round trip train fare was about 80 euros. We booked about 90 days out to get the less expensive fares.

Thanks PalenQ, I had a look but can't seem to find approx prices.>

Try thetrainline.com - same trains as www.voyages-sncf.com but many say easier to use - yeh 40 euros one way should be available 90 days out or less.