Travelers on cheap flights with low-cost airline Ryanair can enjoy Christmas markets in Bernkastel-Kues, Cochem, Trier, Koblenz, and Mainz near Frankfurt-Hahn Airport.
Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN) is the main hub in Germany of low-cost airline Ryanair and also popular with other budget carriers including Wizz Air and Iceland Express. Although Frankfurt-Hahn Airport is far removed from major German cities, travelers can visit several Christmas markets within easy driving distance from the airport. The best Weihnachtsmärkte in the Hahn region include Bernkastel-Kues, Cochem, Trier, and Koblenz while Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt am Main are an easy bus ride from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. No Christmas market is held inside Frankfurt-Hahn Airport itself.
Christmas market times are set every year and differ from market to market as well. Some German Christmas markets near Frankfurt-Hahn Airport open as early as November 20, although a week later is more common. Very few German Christmas markets operate on December 24 and most are likely to close down a few days before Christmas.
Bernkastel-Kues and Cochem Christmas Markets near Frankfurt-Hahn Airport
The closest major Christmas markets to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN) in Western Germany are held in the lovely Mosel River towns Bernkastel-Kues and Cochem. Both towns are important in the wine (and tourist) trade and have romantic old towns with half-timbered houses.
The Bernkastel-Kues Weihnachtsmarkt is held in the old town with a huge advent calendar on the market square (Marktplatz) as the focus point of the Christmas market. Bernkastel-Kues is around 30 km from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport.
The Cochem Adventzauber and Weihnachtsmarkt are held in the old town as well as in the nineteenth-century historicist Reichsburg Cochem (Imperial Castle) that towers over the Mosel Valley. Cochem is around 50 km from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport.
Passengers enjoy cheap flights on low-cost airlines flying to Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN). However, budget travelers should note that public transportation is not available to these Mosel towns – a taxi to Bernkastel-Kues will be around €50 and to Cochem €90. Taxis and private shuttles from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport can be reserved in advance at fixed prices. Taxi2Airport gives online quotes without requiring too much information.
Christmas Markets in Trier and Koblenz near Frankfurt-Hahn Airport
Trier and Koblenz are also on the Mosel River in Germany but far bigger than Bernkastel-Kues and Cochem. Both towns can be reached in around an hour by car or bus from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport.
The Trier Weihnachtsmarkt is held in the old town with the interesting Trier cathedral as background. The Trier cathedral dates partly back to Roman times and is one of the most interesting religious buildings in Germany. Further interesting sights include several large Roman monuments and the first Gothic church completed on German soil.
Koblenz is situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel Rivers. The Weihnachtsmarkt is held in the center of Koblenz, which was extensively destroyed during the Second World War and not particularly beautiful. However, Koblenz has excellent rail connections to other towns on the Rhine River.
Christmas Markets in Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt am Main
The largest Christmas market in the region, and by some counts the largest in Germany, is the annual Weihnachtsmarkt in Frankfurt am Main. The main market is centered on two large squares in the old town with one of the largest Christmas trees in Germany on Römerplatz in front of the historic old town hall. Further Christmas markets are held at Frankfurt-Hauptbahnhof (Main Train Station) and at Frankfurt International Airport (FRA).
Mainz and Wiesbaden offer large city alternatives for travelers who find Frankfurt too modern for a romantic Christmas market setting. The Mainz Weihnachtsmarkt has the thousand-year-old Romanesque cathedral (Mainzer Dom) as backdrop. The Wiesbaden Sternschnuppenmarkt is held on Schlossplatz while the town’s hot springs can be enjoyed in various spas.
Frequent buses from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport take just over an hour to reach Mainz and just less than two hours to Frankfurt am Main. Wiesbaden is a very short S-Bahn train ride from Mainz.