Strawberry festival is along with Medieval & Christmas market the most romantic event in Esslingen…read more Once a year in June from the early morning hundreds of meters of tables on Küferstraße are set up with strawberry and strawberry cake. I strongly recommend not to miss official cutting of huge heart-shaped strawberry cake at 10 o'clock (Ottilienplatz). After that you can buy a piece of cake for you and your sweetheart ;)))

Running this year from November 23 to January 6, I arrived in Baden-Baden in time to catch the very…read morefirst day. Organized and tidy, there's plenty to see, plenty to eat, plenty to drink, and of course, plenty to purchase. Get your Glühwein here and yes, they have actual ceramic mugs as opposed to some cities that are trying this in plastic (hello, Mulhouse). The wine is different from one vendor to the next so you might have to try a couple of them. Note that there is a €3 deposit on the mug which you get back when you return it, or you can keep the mug as a souvenir. Baden-Baden's Christmas Market has a fairy tale street, a dedicated market stall area with food (to eat and to purchase as a gift), trinkets, scarves and hats, carved wood, spun glass and so many interesting things. Don't miss the nativity scene exhibits in the Trinkhalle. Along the way, you'll find live music and more. I did not find a vendor that did not accept Google Pay / Apple Pay but there might be some so be prepared with cash just in case. Yes, they do Euros here in Germany. There are organized tours if you'd prefer a guide to show you the way https://www.baden-baden.com/en/events/baden-baden-christmas-market/guided-christmas-market-tour-english. [Review 20955 overall - 227 in Germany - 1940 of 2023.]

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.