Christmas Markets Munich, Nuremberg and Mainz
Nov 16th, 2018, 04:44 AM
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Christmas Markets Munich, Nuremberg and Mainz
Leaving next week for Christmas Market tour. Visited those several years ago, but would like an update. Read the reply by fourfortravel regarding Salzburg. Great recap,thanks for that. Might anyone else have thoughts?
Because of the wonderful videos of Paris Christmas displays from kerouac, we will be going to Paris to view those.
Thanks to all for your assistance.
Huggy
Because of the wonderful videos of Paris Christmas displays from kerouac, we will be going to Paris to view those.
Thanks to all for your assistance.
Huggy
Nov 16th, 2018, 05:49 AM
#2
With the caveat that these notes are from our 2014 visit, for whatever help they may be. 
Christmas Village at Munich Residenz. Described as a “recreated farming village” in the courtyard, to us it was indistinguishable from any small and pleasant market we have visited. A large Christmas pyramid and the lighting made the market festive at night; and the storybook scenes were enjoyable to walk through even with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.
The Munich Christkindlmarkt at Marienplatz met all of the criteria of a major European city’s showcase market: a spectacular setting (in front of Rathaus), a large Christmas tree strung with twinkling lights; and striking wooden pyramids with eye-popping pricetags. Of course, the €460, five-tier pyramid was the one I admired the most, but with not an ounce of German in our heritage, we took a pass. If there were 10 straw ornaments to choose from, there were 10.000! But, at a mere Euro or two each, I easily added a few dozen to our tree without breaking the bank. Many, many sweets stalls, though the savory food choices were a little lacking.
Nürnberg Christmas Market
We have the fortunate advantage of living in Europe and are spoilt for choice with Christmas markets; this makes us sometimes a little choosier and perhaps a little more critical of the market offerings than a first-time visitor. With that caveat I can write that Nürnberg did not disappoint! We arrived on a Sunday, three days before Christmas, and explored the section of the market hosted by the “Sister Cities” of Nürnberg first. Lavender products from Nice; handmade ties and scarves from Scotland; intricate Matruschka dolls from Ukraine, and so forth. The stall from Macedonia amused us; there were no gifts or comestibles from the nation on display or for purchase—the representative had merely set up a bar! Conversely, the stall from Atlanta, GA disappointed us. Thinking “Coca-Cola” products, all that was on display was Kool-Aid, M&Ms, and Hershey products.
By this time we were near to the lunch reservations I had made, and so we sat for a rather ordinary but perfectly satisfactory lunch at an Italian restaurant on the square. The reservations were a great idea; by the time we left there was not an empty table available. And when we stepped outside into the market, the perfect Christmas market storm of sunny weather and the proximity to the holiday meant there was not a free cobblestone to walk upon. There was a line simply to enter the Käthe Wohlfahrt store! We heaved to and fro with fellow marketgoers, thoroughly exhausted by the time we found our way back to the car. The experience was grand, mostly because we had no agenda and were not under any pressure to find last-minute gifts.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Christmas Market
Our final day was left open, and the children selected GAP, about an hours’ drive from Munich. The Teenage Son was a counselor at the BSA camp in Garmisch for the past two summers, and wanted to take his sister atop Zugspitze. Alas, the windy weather had closed Zugspitze temporarily, so they had to “settle” for the Seilbahn to the top of neighboring Alpspitze. While the two of them played atop Germany, taking selfies off the viewing platform (not closed because of high winds, interestingly!), DH, DDog and I took a leisurely walk through the city and its charming, but very small market where I somehow ended up purchasing more at than from the bigger markets! The children caught up with us and we all enjoyed some of the most delicious bierwurst we’ve ever eaten before heading back to Munich for our final night.
Christmas Village at Munich Residenz. Described as a “recreated farming village” in the courtyard, to us it was indistinguishable from any small and pleasant market we have visited. A large Christmas pyramid and the lighting made the market festive at night; and the storybook scenes were enjoyable to walk through even with shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.
The Munich Christkindlmarkt at Marienplatz met all of the criteria of a major European city’s showcase market: a spectacular setting (in front of Rathaus), a large Christmas tree strung with twinkling lights; and striking wooden pyramids with eye-popping pricetags. Of course, the €460, five-tier pyramid was the one I admired the most, but with not an ounce of German in our heritage, we took a pass. If there were 10 straw ornaments to choose from, there were 10.000! But, at a mere Euro or two each, I easily added a few dozen to our tree without breaking the bank. Many, many sweets stalls, though the savory food choices were a little lacking.
Nürnberg Christmas Market
We have the fortunate advantage of living in Europe and are spoilt for choice with Christmas markets; this makes us sometimes a little choosier and perhaps a little more critical of the market offerings than a first-time visitor. With that caveat I can write that Nürnberg did not disappoint! We arrived on a Sunday, three days before Christmas, and explored the section of the market hosted by the “Sister Cities” of Nürnberg first. Lavender products from Nice; handmade ties and scarves from Scotland; intricate Matruschka dolls from Ukraine, and so forth. The stall from Macedonia amused us; there were no gifts or comestibles from the nation on display or for purchase—the representative had merely set up a bar! Conversely, the stall from Atlanta, GA disappointed us. Thinking “Coca-Cola” products, all that was on display was Kool-Aid, M&Ms, and Hershey products.
By this time we were near to the lunch reservations I had made, and so we sat for a rather ordinary but perfectly satisfactory lunch at an Italian restaurant on the square. The reservations were a great idea; by the time we left there was not an empty table available. And when we stepped outside into the market, the perfect Christmas market storm of sunny weather and the proximity to the holiday meant there was not a free cobblestone to walk upon. There was a line simply to enter the Käthe Wohlfahrt store! We heaved to and fro with fellow marketgoers, thoroughly exhausted by the time we found our way back to the car. The experience was grand, mostly because we had no agenda and were not under any pressure to find last-minute gifts.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Christmas Market
Our final day was left open, and the children selected GAP, about an hours’ drive from Munich. The Teenage Son was a counselor at the BSA camp in Garmisch for the past two summers, and wanted to take his sister atop Zugspitze. Alas, the windy weather had closed Zugspitze temporarily, so they had to “settle” for the Seilbahn to the top of neighboring Alpspitze. While the two of them played atop Germany, taking selfies off the viewing platform (not closed because of high winds, interestingly!), DH, DDog and I took a leisurely walk through the city and its charming, but very small market where I somehow ended up purchasing more at than from the bigger markets! The children caught up with us and we all enjoyed some of the most delicious bierwurst we’ve ever eaten before heading back to Munich for our final night.
Nov 16th, 2018, 06:12 AM
#3
We found the Tollwood Market near Munich rather interesting - lots of food, go hungry.
https://www.tollwood.de/en/tollwood-winterfestival/
And the Medieval Christmas market (Mittelaltermarkt Munchen) was also fun, especially after dark.
We rather enjoyed The Sister Cities in Nurnberg too - very lively the day we were there with dancing, etc.
Nuremberg Christmas Market: Market of the Sister Cities - christkindlesmarkt.de
https://www.tollwood.de/en/tollwood-winterfestival/
And the Medieval Christmas market (Mittelaltermarkt Munchen) was also fun, especially after dark.
We rather enjoyed The Sister Cities in Nurnberg too - very lively the day we were there with dancing, etc.
Nuremberg Christmas Market: Market of the Sister Cities - christkindlesmarkt.de
