The Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg at night, stalls lit in front of the Frauenkirche, photographed on one of our own trips

Late November to Christmas

The Christmas markets, done properly.

13 towns across 5 countries, walked over 4 winters. Tell us which ones you want and we build the route around you — there is no fixed departure.

Plan your markets trip See a route we ran

The markets we have actually walked

Not a list copied from a guidebook. Every town below is one we have spent a December day in, and every photograph on this page is ours.

Freiburg im Breisgau

Germany

5 photographs
Mulhouse

France

5 photographs
Colmar

France

6 photographs
Strasbourg

France

14 photographs
Stuttgart

Germany

4 photographs
Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Germany

13 photographs
Nuremberg

Germany

17 photographs
Basel

Switzerland

6 photographs
Prague

Czech Republic

10 photographs
Paris

France

17 photographs

Also in the winter albums: Milan , Como , Solothurn .

December 2024 — eight days

A route we ran ourselves

This is not a package you can buy. It is the shape of one trip, shown because it is easier to react to something real than to a blank page. Yours would be different.

01

Freiburg im Breisgau

Germany
02

Mulhouse

France
03

Colmar

France
04

Strasbourg

France
05

Stuttgart

Germany
06

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Germany
07

Nuremberg

Germany
08

Basel

Switzerland

Three countries in eight days, ending in Basel. It works because the distances are short and the trains are good — not because anyone was rushed. Most days had one market and one long lunch.

How yours would work

You pick the markets

Some people want the big three — Nuremberg, Strasbourg, Rothenburg. Others would rather have Colmar and Mulhouse to themselves. Both are good trips; they are not the same trip.

We handle the awkward part

December accommodation in these towns goes early and gets expensive late. Trains between them are simple once someone has worked out the connections. That is the job.

Book well ahead

Christmas markets run late November to Christmas Eve, and the good hotels in Rothenburg and Nuremberg are gone months out. Start in summer if you can.

Which markets do you want?

Tell us that, your rough dates and what you are comfortable spending, and Doug will come back with a route — and an honest view on whether December is the right time for the trip you have in mind.

Start planning