Christmas in Nuremberg

One night is about right. I arrived the evening before, spent the full day there and left the next morning. You don’t need two nights. You could arrive in the morning, spend the whole day and leave that night, or arrive around noon, drop your bags at the hotel and stay through the evening before leaving the next morning.

I like to see the market both by day and after dark. During the day you can see much more of the surrounding buildings and architecture. In the evening the lights come on at all the markets and the atmosphere gets better. It also gets more crowded, but it’s prettier.

Focus on Hauptmarkt. The Pegnitz River splits the Old Town in two, and the main Christmas markets are all around the main square on the north side. If you only have a couple of hours, spend them there.

The Handwerkerhof, by the train station, doesn’t need a place in your main visit. It’s a cute area, but it’s small, and if you arrive by train you’ll walk past it on your way into town and again on your way out. A quick look costs you nothing, so see it then.

The same goes for the area south of the river. You can walk down Karolinenstraße to Ludwigsplatz and Jakobsplatz, where you’ll find more stalls, the Ehekarussell fountain, the Weißer Turm and more of the city’s architecture. It’s all worth seeing, but the heart of the market is Hauptmarkt.

I don’t have one item to recommend. Explore the food stands and try the local gingerbread, the bratwursts and the sweets. Every stand has something different, and it’s fun to try something new. Make trying the food a big part of your visit.

Yes. Nuremberg has a large Children’s Christmas Market, and the Christkind, the market’s Christmas angel, is a big part of the season here.

Most places take both cash and card, in euros.

On Hans-Sachs-Platz.