There is alot of information out there about the big Christmas markets that go on most of December. Some of my favorites have been the weekend only markets we have come across in smaller towns. Does anyone have any favorites?

These are some of the small ones in the Rhein Main area. Though I certainly have not been to all of them, I think the one in Buedingen has a good reputation. It is held in the moat of the old castle, they use lanterns and torches and you get a more unique feeling. There are a few more held in castles too, that might be nice.

* 27-29 Nov. Ruesselsheim Fortress Yuletide Arts & Crafts Market
* 27-29 Nov. & 4-6 Dec. Hadamar, Castle Square Christmas Market
* 28-29 Nov.& 4-6 Dec.& 12-13 Dec. Ronneburg Historical Christmas Market
* 28-29 Nov. Ober-Moerlen Christmas Market at the Castle Courtyard
* 28-29 Nov. Butzbach Christmas Market
* 28 Nov. Bad Homburg v.d. Hoehe 11th Bad Homburg Christmas Festival
* 28 Nov. Waechtersbach City Center Christmas Market
* 28-29 Nov. & 5-6 Dec. Langen Christmas Market
* 28-30 Nov. Langenselbold, Castle Grounds Christmas Market
* 28-30 Nov. Bad Camberg Christmas Market

* 4-6 Dec. Buedingen Old Town Christmas Market
* 4-6 Dec. Koenigstein Christmas Market in the Spa Park
* 4-6 Dec. Schluechtern Christmas Market
* 5-6 Dec. Idstein Christmas Market
* 5-6 Dec. Hoffheim am Taunus Advent Market
* 5-6 Dec. Heusenstamm St. Nicholas Market
* 5-6 Dec. Muehlheim am Main Old Town Christmas Market
* 5-6 Dec. Bad Soden Christmas Market in the Old Spa Park
* 5-6 Dec. Neu-Isenburg Old Town, Market Square Christmas Market
* 6 Dec. Kronberg St. Nicholas at the Opel Zoo
* 5-6 Dec.& 12-13 Dec. Dreieich-Dreieichenhain Hayn Castle Christmas Market
* 11-13 Dec. Steinau Christmas Market at the Castle, City Center, Town Hall
* 11-13 Dec. Bad Vilbel Christmas Market at the Moated Castle
* 12-13 Dec.& 19-20 Dec. Weilburg Christmas Market
* 12-13 Dec. Kronberg Christmas Market
* 18-20 Dec. Bad Nauheim, Sprudelhof Christmas Marke

The Christmas Market is Bad Wimpfen takes place on 3 weekends.
It is a fairy tale setting, and I found the offerings to be much better than in some of the larger towns. I stayed in Heidelberg and took a day trip by train to Bad Wimpfen...along with many other merry shoppers.

http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-badwimpfe...lish/index.php

We haven't been to Bad Wimpfen during the Christmas Markets, but loved staying in this little jewel a couple of years ago. If you decide to go and want to stay overnight, I can recommend the Hotel Garni Neckarblick, just a short walk to the Hauptstrasse.

My favourite Swiss Christmas market is in Rapperswil.

Another vote for Bad Wimpfen. I also love Michelstadt. Both of these markets have more intimate feeling than the more overtly commercial large markets. Michelstadt in particular has the feel of a "county fair" where mnay people seem to know each other.

Schuler,
What can you tell me about Rapperswil? Why is it your favorite?

Rapperswil is a lovely town on the lake of Zürich. The market winds through the old town. It's definitely not as big as Munich or the other large German Christmas markets which might add to its charm.

I found a lot of the goods being sold to be more handcrafted and individualized and not mass-marketed. The whole market took about 2 hours to get through and put you in a nice Christmas mood and not an exhausted overwhelming feeling.

Thanks schuler. I just looked up Rapperswil.The dates for this years market are December 11-13 if anyone is interested.

Perfect! My friend will be visiting from the US that week and that is a perfect day trip.

Thanks Schuler!

May I also mention there is a market in Einsiedeln as well. As it is up relatively high the sun often shines here when it is cloudy in Zurich. Plus you can visit the gorgeous monastery.

http://www.einsiedeln.ch/Events.1977.0.html

gruezi

LLC,

Are you only looking for markets in the North of France? If not, Lyon has a fabulous one, although that's in one of the biggest cities.
The small, beautiful hilltop village of Grignan in the Drôme has a fantastic live Nativity Scene.

Jeni

Alas, I'm not so crazy about Basel's. But there's lots of good shopping in the city.

We tend to focus on the Black Forest markets:
http://www.gernsbach.de/buergerinfo/...arkt/index.htm
http://www.fwtm.freiburg.de/servlet/...668/index.html
http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschla...den-baden.html