This is a small artisan holiday market down the road from the larger Wiehnachtsmarkt at the water…read moretower. Just follow Kunststrasse to reach this smaller market. Unlike the larger market, this is populated by local artisans. Soap, alcohol, wood crafts, metal crafts, and much more. Definitely worth a look. We parked near this smaller market, walked through to see check out their offerings and then returned after visiting the larger market to make purchases. I love that they have a market specifically for local artisans. Definitely check it out!

I went to the Mannheim Christmas Market a few times while I was living in Germany. Their market was…read morefairly large, and they have one of those large candelabra fans, which is pretty neat to see. As with other markets you will find traditional gift booths, delicious food, baked goods and mulled wine.

Heidelberg Xmas Market is just the best. Spanning multiple locations down the busy Hauptstrasse,…read moreyou have to visit all to avoid missing out on the unique offerings. There is an ice rink right below the castle location. The church location offers the Heidelberger Fass experience, where you can chill in giant barrels. The university location has my favorite tea shop, carousel, champignon booth, and the best "steak" sandwich. Next to Cafe Extrablatt, you can get your photos taken with a fake Santa. Last but not least, you haven't lived if you haven't tried the Flammlachs (flaming lox) at the Bismarkplatz location. Maybe I'm biased because I grew up here, but in my book, this is the best Christmas market experience in Germany--period.

It was the highlight of our recent 3-day weihnachtsmarkt trip to West Germany and Luxembourg, and…read moreit was one of the best ones among seven cities (and I'm counting altogether five markets we visited in Heidelberg as one) we visited in total. We parked and started our route at Karlsplatz just under the Heidelberg Castle (photo). Fortunately, the entrance line was not too long since we arrived sort of early in the evening before the crowd. Heidelberg Christmas Markets are the only one that mandated 2G+ COVID Requirement during our trip. That meant you had to have a negative PCR test results as well as vaccination certificate. Due to that requirement the entry point was a little congested and slow for checking everyone with proper paperwork, but once you got cleared to enter, you were given a wrist band that would allow you go to enter any other markets in town. That saved us a ton of time later. There were some PCR Testing sites near some markets, but since we have gotten it done earlier, we didn't have to bother with that, either. As the evening progressed, there were long lines at both testing sites and entrances. Now, weihnachtsmarkts were wonderful. There were some very nice vendor huts and food choices. I enjoyed some potato pancakes, Glühwein and Nürnberger lebkuchen. I believe ice skate rink was very popular. All five markets were nicely placed within about three city blocks along the main street (Hauptstraße) from Karlsplatz to Marketplatz. It was very enjoyable.

We had an absolute blast at this Christmas market in Frankfurt! It was easy to find since one end…read morestarts by the river. And it seems to go on forever! Of course, it has a party atmosphere, but I never once felt unsafe. It was quite organized and people were festive and friendly.Yes, it does get packed at night, but we could easily step away out of the rush and relax with a beer or the wonderful gluhwein- a yummy hot wine with spices. Perfect for the cold weather to quickly warm up and keep going! There are tons of food stands, with one that even offered vegetarian sausage, yeah! We split one of these sandwiches with an order of fries. HOnestly, the sausage was a little grainy and I wouldn't order it again. The fries were hot and they offer either ketchup or mayo that is topped on the fries. I love mayo on fries! If you ever get a chance, be sure to visit this market. It is absolutely beautiful and will definitely get you in the Christmas spirit!

The market we visited was primarily located in the Marktplatz next to the Mainz Cathedral. As this…read moreis the only Weihnachtsmarkt listing I can find on Yelp for Mainz, here I am. Schillerplatz is directly down the road from the Cathedral, and the holiday markets run throughout the area as you'll read below. We visited the Mainz Christmas Market in early December. It was a super cold day, but that's just how you want it to be when at a German Christmas Market! Dress in layers and sip on hot gluhwein or cocoa. I love how lights have been run from a center pole outward over the marktplatz. It's so bright and cheerful on a winter's night. Many German Christmas Markets are located near the city Cathedral. A large open marktplatz located by Mainz Cathedral is where many vendors and a couple of rides are located. Vendors display all types of items including ornaments, pottery, metal objects d'art, wood holiday decor, lots of food. So much food and gluhwein. Nuts, schnitzel, schnapps, beer, wursts, sandwiches, so much food and drink. Continue to walk and you'll find an open area with a large wood fire burning to keep you warm, huge wine barrel shaped seating areas, wooden covered areas to stand under while you eat and drink. Walk on some more and you'll find another area of vendors. Just keep following the lights, sounds and smells. Plenty to see and do at this market and Mainz has some beautiful older buildings surrounding the pedestrian areas lending an 'old Europe' feel to the market atmosphere. Many local shops and restaurants are also open during the market so if you need them, there are places to step inside and get warm. Mainz is located close to other cities with large Christmas Markets, making this one you definitely can include on your tour of German Christmas Markets.

Our visit to the Mannheim Weihnactsmarkt unfortunately was all too brief, and amidst a light…read moreshower. It is located in a very dense area, buses and cars busily circle round the market. This is right at the Mannheim Water Tower at Friedrichsplatz. It is noted that this is the oldest and largest Christmas market in Germany; however, I did prefer the markets in Speyer and Rudesheim.

This market has a lot going on. The main market is at Friedrichsplatz near the Wasserturm. Here you…read morewill find a giant weihnachtspyramid where you can purchase gluhwein. Plenty of kids rides include a small ferris wheel, merry-go-round and small train. Vendors offerings include ornaments, hats and scarves, wooden household items, holiday décor, lots of food choices including roasted chestnuts, wurst, and so much more. I love the atmosphere German Christmas markets invoke. Small wooden huts decorated with greens and lights. Music. The smell of mulled wine and chestnuts roasting. Snow falling. Kids bundled up. This is not a huge market, but plenty big with lots of vendors and definitely worth the trip. Close enough to Heidelberg and Speyer that you can easily get to all three markets. Check out the Mannheim Christmas market video at https://www.youtube.com/@Travel-with-Ron to get an idea of what to expect.

YES. Finally a…read moreChristmas market I like! Christmas markets rock... they really do, but I'm claustrophobic and hate being in enclosed and crowded spaces, so basically a Christmas market is hell on earth for me. This market brought the joy back into my life. I went here in a group of five people and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Not nearly as touristy or crowded as the others, I found a seat rather quick on a bench and was able to enjoy my beer in a festive environment. I drank a Carolus doppelbock and sat with friends for hours and highly suggest this market to anyone who is not looking to get hit with cameras from tourists or mediocre food and drink.

Nicht zu empfehlen! Unser Erlebnis als Familie war: Absolut…read morekundenunfreundlich! Wir haben bei Nungessers Schlemmerhuette fuer 25 Euro Bratwurst, Currywurst, Pommes, Braten, etc, gekauft. Auf die Bitte nach einem zweiten Aufspiesser fuer die Pommes (Wert 1 Cent!) kam die Antwort - wir duerfen pro Artikel nur einen Aufspiesser rausgeben!

Fun time in the evenings during the holiday season. Amazingly tasty foods that are horrible for you…read morebut that's not the point. Enjoy a warm cup (or 3) of gluhwein and wander around, or stay put and chat it up with the locals. Rides for kids to enjoy while parents mingle. Smaller than other markets, but still worth going to if you are looking for something to do in the cold.

Added on 041208: OMG! Pics!…read more(http://www.ka-news.de/fotos/bilddetail/cme1855,72297.html?SORT=PRIO) Must see! :D ~~~~~ This Christmas market is held in the heart of Durlach, about 15 minutes from Karlsruhe by tram. (Tram #1, Tram stop: Schlossplatz) The few stalls in the front part sell the usual food/beverages/ornaments/etc. like other normal Christmas markets, but if you walk farther you'll feel like you're going back in time. The vendors wear medieval clothes and they speak a distinct style of german (I think, I hope someone else can confirm that since my grasp of german isn't that good ^_^). There is a booth selling bows and arrows, another booth selling medieval clothing, some booths selling decorations made from wood, some others selling food (my favorites are Rittersteak and some kind of Fladenbrot--they're all very yummy) and a couple of taverns (mead! yoohoo!). Oh, and there is even a storyteller! She usually stands in the middle of the market, close to the big campfire, telling stories or playing some kind of flute. I prefer this market than the one in Karlsruhe's Marktplatz, I like the flair and it's not so crowded. The only downside is that with all those campfires around the market you'll reek of smoke.

Wow. The castle is stunning!!!! Our daughter lives in the area and we decided to walked up to the…read morecastle when we visited. It is steep walk up but very doable. It took us less than 10 min to get to the top. The grounds where buzzing with tourists but even tho there where a lot of people it didn't feel crowded. We walked around the grounds for a while and I honestly couldn't get enough of the view! It is out of this world-- it is overlooking beautiful, historic Heidelberg and Neckar river!!! To get the whole experience we opted to tour the ruins and castle courtyard. The 11Euro to go inside the castle is totally worth it. The giant wine barrel in one part of the castle is insane-- it is so big that the is even a dance floor on top of it! Overall, an unforgettable experience and a must-see if you're in the area!

It was quite walk , a 15 mins to climb from downtown square up to the castle. There's alternative…read morethe train round trip. Only setback long line by the time you get to the castle you wasted 30 mins and you have to pay the fee. It was worth the steepest stair and cobble stone walk. The castle was well preserved. Beautiful color scheme of the old wall . Once your on top the entire view of Heidelberg was mesmerizing. Bring water and apply sunblock it was hot this month of visit.