European Traveler

Visit the Nuremberg Christmas Market (Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt)

by in Bavaria, Franken / Franconia, Germany

The popular Nuremberg Christmas market (Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt) is one of the best and most famous traditional Weihnachtsmärkte in Germany.

 

German Christmas MarketThe annual Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt) in Nuremberg, Bavaria is one of the most popular Advent markets in Germany. The Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt is not the oldest or the biggest Weihnachtsmarkt in Germany but with well over two million visitors it is one of the most popular and internationally most famous Christmas markets in Germany.

Traveling to Nuremberg is easy from all parts of Germany and Europe. Trains to Nürnberg are frequent and flights to Nuremberg Airport (NUE) are convenient with easy transfers via European capitals for intercontinental travelers. Flying via Munich Airport (MUC) is also a good option. Hotels in Nürnberg come at a premium during the Christmas market season – save by arriving on a Sunday, or on weekends book hotels aimed at business travelers located slightly further away from the old town center of Nuremberg.

During 2016, the Nuremberg Christmas market (Christkindlesmarkt) will be open daily from November 25 to December 24 from around 9:30 am to 8 pm (10 pm on Friday and Saturday) and closing at 2 pm on Christmas Eve.

The Nuremberg Christmas Market (Nürnberger Weihnachtsmarkt)

The Nuremberg Christmas market is held each year during the Advent month preceding Christmas. The main market is on the huge Hauptmarkt (main market square) in the heart of old town Nuremberg.

The Christmas market in Nuremberg is not the oldest in Germany – that honor is claimed by Dresden with the first market held in 1434. The Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt is also not the largest in Germany – Frankfurt am Main generally claims that honor (although widely disputed by other cities). However, the Weihnachtsmarkt in Nuremberg is one of the most popular in Germany and may well be the most famous internationally too.

The oldest proof of a Christmas market in Nuremberg is for the date 1628 but Advent markets were probably already held in Nuremberg almost a century earlier. In 1737, 140 persons were permitted to offer wares at the Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt – a number surprisingly close to the around 180 stalls that sells wares at the current market.

Entertainment at the Nuremberg Christmas Market in Germany

Wares for sale at the Nuremberg Christmas market are generally of high quality and often closer to art than mere decorations. Wooden items are particularly praised and cheap imported plastics not appreciated. Food and drink are the main reason for many visitors to visit a Christmas market. The famous small Nürnberger sausages are very popular.

A huge cultural program entertains visitors to Nuremberg during the Advent period. Music is played in many churches and other cultural venues including open air music performances near the market itself. Special workshops are arranged for children.

Top Museums and Sights to See in Nuremberg in Franken

Nürnberg is an interesting city to visit and offers visitors much more than just the Christmas market. Apart from being a beautiful city with the old town almost completely enclosed by its historic defensive town walls, Nuremberg has several excellent museums. The cultural tour de force is the German National Museum (Germanisches Nationalmuseum) with the world’s largest cultural-historical collection of items related to the German-speaking world. The Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle) is also worth a visit.

Other fine museums in Nuremberg include the German Railways Museum (DB Deutsche Bahn), Toy Museum (Spielzeugmuseum), the Albrecht Dürer Haus, and the Neue Museum (modern design). Also worth seeing are the three main Gothic churches (Frauen, St Sebald, St Lorenz) and the Handwerkershof near the station where medieval Nürnberg comes to live. It is also worth the short tram ride to see the Reichsparteitagsgelände where the Nazi Party staged the famous party rallies.

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