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Christmas Markets - Germany :

Nuremberg's 'Christkindlemarkt is probably the most well know of Germany's markets. It's long history reaches back to 1639; and much remains the same. The 150 or more stalls, with their red and white striped awnings, fill the ancient cobbled square. Thousands of visitors will enjoy browsing amongst the stalls and watching the parades and a lantern-lit procession celebrating the coming of the Christ Child.

Aachen's Christmas Market can be found in the area around the Cathedral and Town Hall. If you visit the market at the weekends you will various entertainments adding to the Christmas spirit. Don't foget to try some of Aachen's special confection, Aachen Printe which is a kind of gingerbread.

If you visit Augsburg's Christmas Market you will be visiting one with an impressive history reaching back over 500 years. Look out for an appearance of the Augsburg Angels playing their music above the old Town Hall which is transformed into an enormous Advent calendar.

Visit Berlin and you'll find not one but several Christmas Markets, each offering its own atmosphere and specialities. For a beautiful setting try the one in Gendarmenmarkt full of light, magic and entertainment.

Bonn at Advent offers a fantastic Christmas Market against the backdrop of the Munsterplatz and the adjoining streets. The old Town Hall becomes transformed into a giant Advent calendar as, each day, one more window becomes illuminated. To add to the visitors enjoyment there is a daily programme of entertainments.

Another extremely popular Christmas Market is that hosted by Bremen, with over 170 different stalls to wander amongst. This riverside market takes full advantage of its waterfront setting. Take a break from wandering around the many fascinating stalls and enjoy mulled wine by a log fire and torchlight. The chalet style stalls offer a variety of Bavarian specialities and fish dishes. All this can be enjoyed against the sound of carols being sung. This, and much more, is what you can expect to find if you visit Bremen during Advent.

If you want to find more than one Christmas Market then Cologne is the place to be. The city hosts no less than 6 Christmas Markets, the biggest ones being those in front of the cathedral, on the Alter Markt, the Neumarkt and the Rudolfplatz. The market at the cathedral has to be one of the most impressive given that it has the cathedral itself as a backdrop. There is even a floating market, found on MS Wappen von Mainz.

One of Germany's biggest Christmas Markets is to be found in Dortmund and has over 300 stalls. It features a giant Christmas tree which itself is constructed from 1700 small trees. It stands 45m high and blazes with 13,000 lights. A truly amazing sight.

Dresden's Striezelmarkt is reputed to be Germany's oldest Christmas Market and its history goes way back to 1434. The market's attractions include stalls offering lace, glass and intricately carved wooden items. The food specialities to be found here include Dresden Christstollen (the German Christmas Cake) which even has its own special day, the Stollen Festival on the Saturday before the second Sunday in Advent. Or visit the Pyramid festival on the following Saturday. Dresden's Christmas Pyramid is reputed to be the tallest in the world, at 14m high.

Highlights of the Christmas Market at Erfurt, in Thuringia, are the 25m Christmas Tree, it's 12m high pyramid and a beautifully hand-carved nativity tableau with almost life-size figures. All this is to be found in the Domplatz of this lovely medieval town, together with 200 stalls offering the visitor a bewildering assortment of items for sale.

By contrast to many of the other German Christmas Markets, which tend to specialise in tradtional items of their own region, the Christmas Market at Essen offers a more international assortment. Here you'll find products from all over the world, including crafted items from Africa, Russia, Cuba, Greece and the USA. Even the food takes on an international flavour (forgive the pun!) and you can sample food from the middle east, Poland, France and Holland, as well as the more home-grown specialities.

Another Christmars market with a tradition stretching back over 600 years is that of Frankfurt. Enjoy browsing amongst the stalls as you experience the tantalising smells of baking apples, roasting nuts, mulled wine and gingerbread. .