Nuremberg: before and after Christmas. Christmas market in Nuremberg Opening hours of the Christmas markets

We decided to start our Christmas journey from Nuremberg, because the largest and most famous Christmas market in Germany is located there.



The idea of ​​visiting German Christmas markets has been in my head for a very long time. And I infected Olya with this idea. For six months we have been reading interesting posts about Christmas markets (mostly from LiveJournal). As a result, tickets were purchased and hotels were booked. Let me tell you that the hotels were already half occupied for this period. And this is four months before the markets open! As a result of a strict selection, the details of which I omit, the route turned out to be as follows: Vienna - Nuremberg - Rothenburg ob der Tauber - Passau - Vienna.
As always, I prepared a trip plan, but on the day of departure, when I was supposed to copy the plan into the tablet, the insidious electricians did their dark deed, and the file remained a useless burden on my home computer without power. It’s good that I had an old version of the file in the mail, where the plan was ready without two cities - Passau and Vienna.
Due to ongoing reconstruction, Krasnodar airport delayed flights. We were lucky that our flight was pushed back by only 10 minutes. But at the airport a small bonus awaited us in the form of a crowd of Swiss football fans! Where did they come from? A day earlier, a match was held between FC Kuban and FC St. Gallen, which ended in our victory with a score of 4:0. The fans drank Zhigulevskoye and loudly sang songs in German. It all looked pretty funny.
So, on November 29, 2013, an Austrian Airlines Fokker 100 plane took us from Krasnodar to Vienna. I remember this plane because it has two rows of seats on the left. If you fly together, this is a nice bonus.
In the history of our travels abroad, this is the first time that we visited the same city twice. I must say that the sensations are very pleasant. This time Vienna seemed like a native, familiar city to us. You know what to watch, where to go, where to save. We spent the night and took the ICE expressway in the morning.
We reached Nuremberg around lunchtime.
Our hotel in Nuremberg was called Steichele Hotel & Weinrestaurant. The surprise was that there was a double bed in the room. This is such a long narrow bed from one wall to the other. That is, you need to sleep on it in a row, one after another. I had to go to the administrator and negotiate another room. The woman behind the counter wasn't particularly helpful, she pretended she didn't understand my English and said she'd better call Svetlana. There were no available rooms at this time, as you yourself understand. With Svetlana's help, we managed to convince the administrator to change the number. Thank you very much!
By this time, my stomach organized a protest rally and demanded an urgent meal with banners “Give me Nuremberg sausages!” It didn’t take long to persuade myself, especially since the corresponding establishment was located literally around the corner from our hotel. This is one of Nuremberg's historic beer halls. The inscription says that "Zum Gulden Stern" has been in operation since 1419.
Since the building is historical, I decided that it would not be superfluous to show it to you.

Nuremberg sausages are really good! There is a reason why they write rave reviews about them. Portion options are as follows: 6, 8, 10 and 12 pieces. They are offered with sauerkraut or potato salad. Here they indulge in Tucher beer. Great for sausages. This local “sausage” cuisine impressed us, and in the evening of the same day we came here again for dinner. Besides - inexpensive.
Can these sausages be called truly Bavarian? I don’t know, two Asians fried them on the fire))
I won’t describe the legend of the appearance of Nuremberg sausages, as everyone knows.

And then Olya went on a merciless shopping spree, and we spent the rest of the day in local stores. At this time, pre-Christmas discounts have already begun. Taking this opportunity, I bought myself a Wellensteyn jacket at one and a half times cheaper than the usual price. By the way, large chain stores are full of Russian-speaking salespeople.

The shopping hell is over, the purchases were successfully carried to the hotel. Then, as I wrote above, we again visited the “sausage” pub. And finally, we headed to the very center of historical Nuremberg to experience all the delights of German Christmas.
To fully immerse myself in the German Christmas atmosphere, I drank a mug of hot mulled wine. The effect followed immediately))

That evening I took almost no photographs at the market. I wanted to fully enjoy the sensations. Everything that was happening around me was new and unusual for me! The smells of mulled wine, fried sausages, gingerbread, cinnamon, and burning candles were in the air. Words cannot express the enormous amount of positive emotions I received from contemplating such a beautiful spectacle. Perhaps the only drawback of the Christmas market in Nuremberg is the huge crowds of people. Russian speech can be heard everywhere here.
At night I had a wonderful Christmas dream, which, unfortunately, I did not remember.

After such a huge number of people on the streets of the city, I wanted to see another Nuremberg - sleeping, quiet, deserted. So the next morning I got up at six o'clock, took my tripod and went for a walk. There was almost no one on the streets. It is in moments like these, when I am alone with the city, that I begin to feel it to the fullest.
And the Pegnitz river has a beautiful color! Meat Bridge (Fleischbrücke). Despite its apparent simplicity, this is the most famous bridge of the old city.

I couldn’t help but capture the most photographed place in Nuremberg - the Holy Spirit Hospital (Heilig-Geist-Spital). Once upon a time, the “spear of fate” was kept here, which we will see in Vienna.

Church of St. Lawrence surrounded by market stalls. At the moment when I took the photo, the cleaners appeared, and every speck from the street was removed.

I can’t believe that after World War II there was no stone left unturned from Nuremberg. The city was restored with such German care that you can’t even find fault with the details.

Returned to the hotel for breakfast. There has not yet been a case where I was given a bad breakfast in at least one hotel in Germany (I remember with horror Rimini on a tour package).
Olya had already gotten up, we had breakfast and walked towards the center. Now I knew the shortest route to the market.
There are a lot of bridges in Nuremberg. In terms of their number, it can easily compete with cities such as Amsterdam or Venice.
Of course, we couldn’t pass by such beauty.
Hangman's Bridge (Henkersteg). If in the old days people did not particularly want to walk across the bridge, much less meet the executioner here, now the traffic along the bridge is quite lively. Five minutes before our arrival, a tourist group with a guide passed across the bridge. Then I waited for a long time for the moment when a cyclist would pass along it, a lady with a dog would pass, a student would run, etc. Moreover, they all apologized to me, seeing that I was standing with a camera aimed at me.

I liked the market much more in the morning. Firstly, there were few people, and secondly, it was much more pleasant to photograph in sunlight. These products were brought from the Czech Republic. I bought a small house with lighting here. It looked amazing under the Christmas tree.

What you should definitely bring from Nuremberg are Christmas tree decorations. No, not these ones (they just looked good in the photo), but glass ones.

Half-timbered houses are my weakness!

We went to lunch at the restaurant at our hotel. Yesterday we booked a table for 12:00, since the place is quite popular. We were even included in the magazine! Imagine our surprise that no one knows about our reservation today! No wonder I didn’t like the nasty aunt-administrator.
We were served by a Russian-speaking waitress originally from Ukraine. We didn’t hear any apologies about the missed reservation, but she asked if we could have lunch before 1:00 p.m. The meat was deliciously cooked, but I will not recommend this restaurant, you can see for yourself what attitude they have towards visitors.

Next to our hotel was the Catholic Church of St. Elizabeth (Pfarrkirche St. Elisabeth). I was surprised that I didn’t see her photo on the Internet, although I looked at quite a lot of posts about the city. From the outside the church looks very impressive. It's more modest inside.

The chapel of St. Elizabeth at the hospital used to stand on this site. The number of parishioners grew, and in 1785 the first stone of the church that you can see today was laid.

I just liked the houses.

We visited the toy museum. The collection spans three floors! Personally, I was interested in the toy railroad section. The photo shows a large model of a railway with moving trains. Photography is not allowed inside the museum.

Another bridge. It feels like there wasn’t enough material for it, so they collected it from whatever they could find. Or the architect’s strange idea suggests something similar. Or maybe historically it happened that the bridge was made up of three parts. Still, I will get to the bottom of the truth and update the text.

The positive inscription on the sign: “The Museum of Communications wishes you a Merry Christmas!”

Church of St. Sebald. You've already seen something similar on the other side of the river, haven't you?

Dürer's house. We didn’t go inside, we saved the visit for the next time we’re in Nuremburg.

Restaurant named after Dürer. There are rave reviews about it on TripAdvisor.

Nuremberg Fortress. We didn’t calculate the time and didn’t manage to visit it. We also left it for next time.

From the top there is an excellent panorama of old Nuremberg.

Meanwhile, it began to get dark, and we went to see the Christmas market (Christkindlesmarkt) again. We came here mainly because of him.

A beautifully designed showcase and a charming smile of the seller are the key to successful trading))

I wanted to take a picture of the market from above. I went to Frauenkirche, there was a ticket office and the sign “Museum Christlkindl”. I was so happy, bought two tickets, called Olya, we went upstairs, and there... That, in fact, is the whole museum)) Although no, on the side of the wall there were worn photographs of girls who had been chosen as Christmas symbols over the past few years.

But from here there is a good view of the main altar of the church.

I don’t recommend filming the market from here, otherwise you’ll get the same terrible angles. The fact is that the church is illuminated from below by bright lamps, which, when included in the frame, will not evoke positive emotions in the photographer. All that remains are the areas on the sides, which are not particularly photogenic. So, it’s better to film the market from some building opposite the church across the square.

Super cute candlesticks.

I liked the city of Nuremberg. Just before Christmas we won't go here again. Too many people. I recommend visiting it in the fall. I am 100% sure that in autumn Nuremberg is more attractive than at other times of the year. It's all about the color.
Here you will not be lost without knowledge of German or English; every second person we met spoke Russian.

This time the Muse did not visit me, so the text is in complete trouble. I'll edit later.

Ahead of us is the most Christmas city in Germany - Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Nuremberg is the unofficial capital of Franconia (eastern Bavaria) and one of the most interesting cities in this region. It is attractive not only for tourists from abroad, but also for the Germans themselves, especially in Advent, the period before Christmas, when the famous Christmas market with the long name Christkindlesmarkt opens on the Market Square. Up to 2 million people visit it annually, making this market one of the most famous of its kind. This year I was in Nuremberg during the New Year holidays, and I want to tell you all the most interesting things about this city, continuing the series of articles on Matronakh.Ru about how Christmas is celebrated in different countries of the world.

It is not known for certain when the Christkindlesmarkt appeared, but the first written evidence about it dates back to the 17th century - that is, its history goes back several centuries.

It got its name thanks to the religious folklore character Christkindl: the Child (or rather child) Jesus. This is an analogue of Santa Claus, popular in this and neighboring regions. This image became popular during the Reformation, when the Lutheran Church fought against the cult of saints. He is assigned the function of giving gifts to children at Christmas, and he bears little resemblance to the real Jesus.

The Nuremberg market opens four weeks before Christmas with a ceremony featuring a teenager playing the role of "Child Jesus". She is a girl with blond hair, wearing white and gold robes and a crown. She stands on the balcony of the Church of the Virgin Mary and reads a speech in which she invites adults to reminisce about being children and welcomes children on the threshold of life.

The Christmas market consists of several parts: the main part in the main square, the children's market and the twin cities market. On the latter there are counters with imported products from Venice, Prague, Vienna, Glasgow and other cities.

Of course, you can wander around such a bazaar for hours. It’s amazing to see the variety of Christmas tree decorations, Christmas interior items, wooden nativity scenes, toys and the most unexpected things here. For example, cookie cutters and woolen hot mats. As well as handmade candles, knitted scarves and mittens, music boxes and beautiful dishes. The list can be continued as much as your imagination allows.

The bazaar also delights with gastronomic and alcoholic delights: here you can find trays with Christmas egg liqueurs, honey wine, mulled wine, not to mention a huge selection of Bavarian sausages, honey, and jams. Or, for example, suddenly discover a counter where you are offered to try several dozen types of mustard. Special attention should be paid to traditional gingerbread cookies (Liebkuchen), which can be found in other places, but the Bavarians claim that this is their invention.

Mulled wine, by the way, becomes the main drink during Advent and Christmas: you can taste it literally at every step, and, I must say, it is very tasty.

The Christmas market at this time is the main attraction of Nuremberg, and you can even spend more than one day there. However, Nuremberg is famous not only for this.

Firstly, this is the city of Durer (one of the nicknames of Nuremberg is Durerstadt). The house in which he lived is one of the few buildings in the historical center that was almost undamaged during the bombing in 1945. Now there is a museum there, which, oddly enough, does not contain a single original, but displays beautifully executed copies of the artist’s main works. There is also a copy of a printing press from Dürer’s time (working!) and a possible interior of the workshop recreated. The exhibition of the house-museum allows you to learn not only about the biography and work of the great master, but also to immerse yourself in the general context of the end of the 15th century, when the Middle Ages were already ending and the Renaissance began with its scientific discoveries and humanism.

Secondly, there is a unique toy museum in Nuremberg. A visit to it will bring great pleasure to both adults and children (for the latter there is a special playroom). In the museum you can trace the evolution of toys from the 19th century to the present day. See dozens of doll houses and forty-piece sets for them, a room-sized railroad, wind-up toys, construction sets and dolls, miniature cities and parks.

Thirdly, we must not forget about the tragic pages of the history of this city. After all, Nuremberg was the ideological center of German fascism and the place where anti-Semitic laws appeared. However, it also became the site of the final collapse of Nazi Germany thanks to the Nuremberg trials. Therefore, when visiting the city, it is impossible not to remember the Second World War. During it, among other events, many ancient art objects and jewelry were hidden in Nuremberg.

Now the Kunstbunker (kunst - “art”) is open to tourists. Built in the early 1940s, it became a hiding place for both German statues and paintings (as well as the crown and scepter of the German Empire) and stolen items from other cities. For example, for a huge 15th century altar from St. Mary's Church in Krakow. Now, of course, all the “trophies” stored there have been returned to their places.

Among the many churches in the city, three deserve special attention: the Church of the Virgin Mary, the Church of St. Sebald and St. Lawrence. All of them were very badly damaged during the war and were actually rebuilt, but many of the interior items were preserved. Nuremberg, unlike Catholic Munich, is mainly Protestant. Therefore, its churches are distinguished by austerity and relatively sparse decoration, but on the outside they are beautiful Gothic buildings, decorated with stone statues.

Another historical paradox is associated with the Church of the Virgin Mary (Frauenkirche). It was built in the middle of the 14th century on the site of a synagogue destroyed during the Jewish pogrom (the entire Jewish quarter was destroyed at the same time). Now the Star of David in the interior of the church and the statue of St. remind us of this. Edith Stein - a Jewish Carmelite nun who converted to Christianity and was killed during the Holocaust.

Perhaps Nuremberg will not seem to you the most beautiful city in the world (especially if, like me, you come there in winter, when there is no snow, and there are black trees with lonely hanging garlands all around). However, its historical significance and number of museums and attractions make it, without a doubt, a must-stop in Germany. I didn’t mention Nuremberg Castle, the medieval prison under the Town Hall, the Nuremberg Trials memorial, the National Museum, which, by the way, now has a wonderful exhibition of Renaissance clothing - and that’s not all that will be interesting and, perhaps, will make you come back more than once.

And, of course, don’t forget about the hearty meat Bavarian cuisine and local beer, which is rightfully considered one of the best in the world.

When republishing materials from the Matrony.ru website, a direct active link to the source text of the material is required.

Since you are here...

...we have a small request. The Matrona portal is actively developing, our audience is growing, but we do not have enough funds for the editorial office. Many topics that we would like to raise and that are of interest to you, our readers, remain uncovered due to financial restrictions. Unlike many media outlets, we deliberately do not make a paid subscription, because we want our materials to be available to everyone.

But. Matrons are daily articles, columns and interviews, translations of the best English-language articles about family and education, editors, hosting and servers. So you can understand why we are asking for your help.

For example, 50 rubles a month - is it a lot or a little? A cup of coffee? Not much for a family budget. For Matrons - a lot.

If everyone who reads Matrona supports us with 50 rubles a month, they will make a huge contribution to the development of the publication and the emergence of new relevant and interesting materials about the life of a woman in the modern world, family, raising children, creative self-realization and spiritual meanings.

3 Comment threads

5 Thread replies

0 Followers

Most reacted comment

Hottest comment thread

new old popular

0 You must be logged in to vote.

Woman's Day, together with Booking.com, an online booking service with the world's largest selection of unusual holiday destinations, has compiled a list of the best Christmas markets around the world. The selection is based on thousands of traveler reviews.

Christmas markets are the perfect place to get into the festive spirit. A pleasant search for unusual gifts, delicious local food and evening walks along the streets among twinkling lights - what could be better?

It is important to book your ticket now! We have calculated the cost minimum price for a direct flight (where possible) for two on the first day of the fair and a return flight seven days after arrival at your destination. The price of accommodation includes a room at the specified hotel for seven days and six nights.

Christmas markets in Prague (November 20 - January 3)

Prague is a magical city at any time of the year, but on the eve of Catholic Christmas it literally transforms! This is an ideal place for those who want to get acquainted with a new culture, history and architecture and, of course, do New Year's shopping. In the Old Town and Wenceslas Squares you will find all kinds of Christmas shops, delicious local dishes and traditional handicrafts. The main travelers to Prague this time last year included visitors from Germany, Italy and the UK.

Set in a historic building, the 4-star Residence Agnes Boutique Hotel is located in the heart of the city, just 600 meters from the beautiful Old Town Square with its many shops. There are top-class restaurants in the immediate vicinity, and the hotel itself serves a delicious breakfast buffet to help fuel your busy day.

Issue price: 26,598 rubles for a ticket + 54,949 rubles for accommodation.

Christmas Town, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA (November 21 - December 21)

For the ultimate Western Christmas experience, head to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. More than a million people visit this city's Christmas markets every year. Here you will find cozy wooden houses where you can buy delicious food, mulled wine and unusual gifts. Most of the guests last year came here from the USA, China, Taiwan and Italy.

The historic Hotel Bethlehem opened in 1922. It has a unique hall with paintings depicting scenes from the history of the city. The hotel features distinctive design, elegant rooms and a beautiful restaurant serving gourmet cuisine.

Issue price: 61,902 rubles for a ticket + 77,342 rubles for accommodation.

Christmas Market in Tivoli Park, Copenhagen (November 15 - January 3)

The Danes love the simple pleasures of life so much that they even came up with a special word for it - “huga”. And at the Christmas market in Tivoli Park you will certainly feel the same feeling. Try fragrant glög and traditional Danish donuts, walk along the Christmas stalls (of which there are more than 50) and enjoy the incredible evening lighting by Lake Tivoli. And don't forget about the reindeer - who knows, you might be lucky enough to see them! Most travelers here this time last year came from Denmark, the UK, Sweden and Italy.

Set within Copenhagen's famous Tivoli Park, Nimb is a stylish boutique hotel housed in an impressive Moorish-style building. After a busy day at the Christmas market, guests can relax in the cozy rooms, which feature four-poster beds, a fireplace and a bath. Visit Nimb Brasserie for seasonal Scandinavian and French cuisine, then relax by the fireplace in the bar.

Issue price: 30,902 rubles for a ticket + 404,380 rubles for accommodation.

WinterFest Christmas markets in Hong Kong (November 29 - January 1)

Hong Kong's glittering skyscrapers provide the perfect backdrop for Christmas markets. There are several of them in the city: the largest is located in the Northern Square of Statues. Well, if you like artificial snow, New Year's shops and delicious food, go to Hong Kong Disneyland, not only children will have fun here! If you're looking for something luxurious for your New Year's getaway, the 5-star Peninsula Hong Kong on Victoria Harbor is just what you've been looking for. During the day, guests can swim in the Roman-style indoor pool, and in the evening, dine at the rooftop restaurant and enjoy incredible views of the city. This is an ideal location for those who want to go to the Christmas market or stroll along Victoria Harbor and admire the city lights reflected in the water at night.

Issue price: 55,560 rubles for a ticket + 237,206 rubles for accommodation.

Christkindlesmarkt Christmas market in Nuremberg, Germany (November 29 - December 24)

The Christmas market in Nuremberg is the oldest in the world. It has been held since the 16th century, so it’s definitely worth a look. Smell the fragrant smells of mulled wine, roasted almonds and gingerbread, stroll along 180 Christmas shops and enjoy the New Year's atmosphere of this medieval city. If you want to buy a New Year's souvenir, take a closer look at the traditional “plum men” (figurines made of plums and figs, dressed in traditional folk clothes). Last year this destination was most popular among guests from Austria, Great Britain and Italy.

At this 4-star themed design hotel, guests can stay in stylish and cozy rooms or in unique themed rooms that tell mythical stories about Nuremberg. Hotel Drei Raben is located just a 3-minute walk from St. Lawrence Church and 5 minutes from the main station.

Issue price: 25,035 rubles for a ticket + 82,585 rubles for accommodation.

Bath Christmas Market, UK (24 November - 11 December)

The UK's largest Christmas markets are located in the beautiful, historic city of Bath. Here you will find over 150 New Year's stalls selling local food and handmade crafts. Bath is a real paradise for New Year's shopping lovers: on Christmas Eve the city center is transformed and attracts crowds of visitors. Last year, the largest number of visitors to the city on New Year's Eve were from the UK, Australia, the US and China.

Situated in Bath's historic Belvedere Terrace, Hill House B&B is a 1760 building. Each room is individually decorated and is perfect for relaxing after a busy day at the Christmas market. Guests can enjoy breakfast at a large communal table in the room, which was once used as a liquor store. The hotel is a 5-minute walk from the Assembly Rooms and the famous historic Roman Baths, less than 1.5 km away.

Issue price: 36,866 rubles for a ticket + 68,881 rubles for accommodation.

Christmas Market in Vancouver, Canada (November 21 - December 24)

Vancouver's Christmas markets are some of the most authentic in North America. Here you will find unique gifts, entertainment for the whole family, delicious food and beautiful decorations. If you're traveling with kids, take them to the Christmas carousel (the only one of its kind in Vancouver). Key visitors to the site on New Year's Day last year included travelers from Canada, the US, Australia and the UK.

Rosewood Georgia is located across the street from the Vancouver Art Gallery. Guests can take a dip in the indoor salt water pool, gym or spa. The shopping area of ​​Robson Street is just a 5-minute walk from the hotel, making it easy to return to the comfort of your room after a busy day and enjoy fine local cuisine at Bel Café or a cocktail at the 1927 Lounge or Bar Prohibition.

Aparthotel DASKöln is just 10 minutes from Cologne Cathedral, the Christmas market and the main station. Guests will enjoy modern rooms with stylish furnishings. Numerous restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and other shops are located less than 350 meters from the hotel. The Cologne Opera is just a couple of minutes' walk away, and the Cologne Trade Fair is less than 2 km away.

Issue price: 58,182 rubles for a ticket + 17,455 rubles for accommodation.

It was our first Christmas in Germany, and everything was new to us: the lights and window displays, the sounds and smells, the joyful people and the endless shops. This year we wanted something new, and for Christmas we decided to go to the Bavarian city of Nuremberg, famous for its Christmas market. We went there with a large group of children, and although we spent only one day there, it was quite enough to walk around and get into the holiday atmosphere.

From Munich you can reach Nuremberg by train in less than two hours. Just leaving the central station, you find yourself in front of the walls of the old city, where the main festive events take place. The next photo shows the entrance to the Craftsmen's Court ( Handwerkhof) is a place where traditional craft workshops are concentrated, as well as shops selling souvenirs made here.

The entrance to the Craftsmen's Court is from the other side.

At Christmas, there is a whole exhibition of nativity scenes created in a variety of styles.

The facades of houses, shop windows, entrance doors and signs in the city are decorated in Christmas tree style.

Santa Clauses appear on houses. Santa Claus is called Weinachtsmann in German, which can be translated as “Christmas man.” Not very fancy, but better than the Finnish “Christmas goat” Jolupukki.

This one seems to have done its job...

The most important Christmas Fair (Christkindlesmarkt) is located in the very center of the old town on the Hauptmarkt square (which means “main market”) and consists of long rows of stalls selling souvenirs, various goodies and, of course, Christmas strong drinks.

All the central pedestrian streets of Nuremberg are filled with people walking, who sooner or later will find themselves at the main Christmas market.

The festive sign “Zum Christkindlesmarkt” (German for “for the Christmas market”) suggests: you are on the right path, comrades!

A few seconds after I took this photo, the monument climbed down from its pedestal and began counting the money he had earned, after which he also calmly walked back and forth, smoking a cigarette. It all looked very comical.

On the way to the main Christmas market.

It’s a pity that photos on the Internet are not yet able to convey the smells that were tangible at the moment when this photo was taken. Then, when viewing this photo report, profuse salivation would be guaranteed. After all, a variety of goodies and sweets are sold here at every turn, and it is very difficult to control yourself without being tempted by another Bavarian gingerbread, sweet nuts or pancake.

By the way, there are some pretty colorful sellers in these stalls.

And of course, warming drinks. Although there are no such severe frosts as in Russia, warming up with hot mulled wine or punch is a favorite pastime among Germans at Christmas.

The traditional container for Christmas mulled wine is a brightly colored cup in the shape of a boot. A deposit of a couple of euros is taken for the cup, and if you wish, you can not return it, but keep it as a souvenir.

Non-alcoholic punch is provided for nursing mothers and children.

Unlike other cities, Nuremberg also has a children's Christmas market.

However, she is distinguished from an adult only by a small variety of food, as well as the presence of a couple of carousels.

And children will find entertainment anywhere.

We were in Nuremberg on December 24, that is, on the very eve of Christmas. This is the last day of the fair, when all the pavilions and tents finish their work in the afternoon, and by the time it gets dark, everyone is already going home to celebrate Christmas in a narrow family circle.

Huge canisters with the remains of mulled wine are loaded into cars.

Well, we go to a cafe to refresh ourselves to continue our walk.

Our Christmas gnomes.

After lunch, with renewed vigor, walk through the streets of Nuremberg, which, as expected, turned out to be a very beautiful old German city. To be honest, we practically did not prepare for this trip and did not read anything about the city in advance. It was all the more interesting to “discover” it ourselves.

To top it all off, it turned out that Nuremberg also has its own fortress (Keiserburg Nürnberg) with an observation deck and a beautiful view of the city.

The closed part of the fortress.

The favorite pastime of all Chinese is to take pictures against the backdrop of some kind of bullshit - in this case it is quite appropriate, since the view of the city at sunset is cool - it’s not a sin to screw up the onion.

Well, here I end my story and say hello to my mother, who is now probably reading these lines and thinking: “Well, that’s why he again does not follow the example of the Chinese, but photographs only the city without himself, his wife and children!”

How not to get lost in the splendor of German Christmas markets and visit the best of them? Here is a ranking of the most beautiful and interesting Christmas markets.

There is music here. Trumpeters greet guests from the Town Hall balcony. In the Church of St. Thomas you can hear the wonderful singing of the boys' choir, which has existed since 1212 - the famous Thomanerchor group, which performed in ancient times under the direction of the great maestro Bach.

Daily 11/27/2018 – 12/23/2018.
Sun-Thu: 10:00 – 21:00;
Fri, Sat: 10:00 – 22:00;
November 27: 17:00 - 21:00;
December 23: 10:00 - 20:00.

Address: Innenstadt Markt 1 04109 Leipzig. Website: leipzig.de.

Festive fair in Augsburg

Regensburg

The most famous fair in Germany. Nuremberg

Bremen Fair

Fabulous Lubeck

Christmas Cologne

Opening times for Christmas markets

(Stuttgart) The tradition of Christmas markets is already three hundred years old. Festive wooden chalets are lined up against the backdrop of the medieval Old Palace (Altes Schloss), near Schillerplatz, Marktplatz and the Monastery Church (Stiftskirche). The roofs of each trading house are decorated with fairy-tale figures and scenes of the Nativity.

Next to the Palace Square, on Karlplatz, a real Finnish village is growing. Here you can try Scandinavian treats: venison, grilled salmon, Finnish beer. Stuttgart is famous for its mulled wine - connoisseurs claim that it is made especially tasty here.

In the evenings, Christmas music concerts are held in the courtyard of Stuttgart's Altes Schloss.

In contact with

Opening hours of the Christmas market

Daily 11/28/2018 - 12/23/2018.
Mon-Thu: 10:00 - 21:00;
Fri-Sat: 10:00 - 22:00;
Sun: 11:00 – 21:00.

How can I save up to 20% on hotels?

It’s very simple - look not only on booking. I prefer the search engine RoomGuru. He searches for discounts simultaneously on Booking and on 70 other booking sites.