German Christmas Markets

[Burlington]

The world renown German Christmas Markets truly deserve their reputation for being wonderful places to visit. Some going far back, with almost 600 years of history, the traditions are rich with character and flavour.

We made it to three different markets over the weekend around northern Germany this year, really great times.

There is so much to capture, but I thought what may be of most interest, was some of the different foods on offer at this time of year.



Flamed salmon - this is a particular favourite of mine. The charring from the wood fire really imparts a great taste.



Hand made sweets and various bon-bons.



Traditional German Brezel



An Xmas highlight - hot, cauldron cooked nuts with various crunchy sugar coatings. Beyond delicious.



Warm Berliners !!



Plenty of wurst stands too



Freshly baked Spekulatius





The delicious Lebkuchen (gingerbread)



This just scratches the surface of the various foods on offer around the country as so much of it is regional.

If anyone is thinking of visiting Germany at this time of year, these are my favourite markets in order (each town has their own, so this is just a small selection of where we have visited) I haven’t listed the smaller ones as they are too tiny for a special visit, but often they are the most charming.

- Dresden
- Nürnberg
- Hamburg
- Köln
- Berlin
- Erfurt
- Bremen
- Düsseldorf

And an honourable mention to Budapest too - a really really great Xmas market to visit as well for something a bit different.

What are your local Christmas traditions ?

[.brian.]

Great pics, thanks for sharing!

[dubins930]

I’ve been looking at making a trip over to Germany... how is tourism with the language barrier? I know some basic words and phrases but overall it is a bit of a concern. I hate looking like an asshole going to another country and assuming people speak English.

I share a last name with a small town in Baraviria that is a must visit, and Glashütte!

[Burlington]

Originally Posted by dubins930

I’ve been looking at making a trip over to Germany... how is tourism with the language barrier? I know some basic words and phrases but overall it is a bit of a concern. I hate looking like an asshole going to another country and assuming people speak English.

I share a last name with a small town in Baraviria that is a must visit, and Glashütte!

You will find most people have some level of English - as with all countries they really like it when people try with the local language but are more than happy for the most part to switch to English, some positively ecstatic at having the chance to speak with someone.

70% of the songs on the radio are in English, a lot of towns & cities also show original language cinema (again English for the most part.)

It would be very unlikely to encounter someone who gives you attitude for using English as it’s the common global language used by any visitors from non English speaking countries too.

[teqp]

Originally Posted by Burlington

The world renown German Christmas Markets truly deserve their reputation for being wonderful places to visit. Some going far back, with almost 600 years of history, the traditions are rich with character and flavour.

If anyone is thinking of visiting Germany at this time of year, these are my favourite markets in order (each town has their own, so this is just a small selection of where we have visited) I haven’t listed the smaller ones as they are too tiny for a special visit, but often they are the most charming.

Nice photos, thanks for sharing.

I’ve been to the Christmas markets in the southern part of Germany and I agree, they are a fun place to visit, grab some food and walk around enjoying the different smells. I enjoyed everything but the gluhwein.

Originally Posted by dubins930

I’ve been looking at making a trip over to Germany... how is tourism with the language barrier? I know some basic words and phrases but overall it is a bit of a concern. I hate looking like an asshole going to another country and assuming people speak English.

I’ve been to southern, western and eastern parts of Germany and never had much trouble with language issues. Most Germans I’ve encountered while visiting have spoken English. I also try to learn a few phrases to get by. I wouldn’t let language concerns stop you from visiting.

[Knappo 1307]

[HK Islandboy]

Thank you for sharing.

[GB-man]

Everything looks delicious!

[tudorbaja27]

I was in Frankfurt just last week. Had some decent Gluehwein