Visiting German Christmas Markets is one of our family’s favorite winter traditions. It is a great way to get into the holiday spirit, while drinking delicious hot drinks and doing a little shopping too! These stunning markets take over the landscape in late November through the Christmas season all over Europe, making it the best place to visit for those looking to transport themselves to a true winter wonderland. Yes, the weather may be cold and the days are short, but that doesn’t stop anyone from enjoying these markets to the fullest.
After several years of visiting Christmas Markets in Europe, we have made our fair share of mistakes that we share with you here!
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5 Mistakes to Avoid When Visiting Christmas Markets
Below are our top 5 things to consider when planning and visiting Christmas markets in Germany or throughout Europe.
Not Having Space for All Your Coffee Mug Souvenirs
One of my son’s favorite things to do while visiting German Christmas markets is to collect the mugs at each market. If you don’t know, the markets are very eco-friendly and use actual mugs when you purchase a drink, nothing disposable. Each market has several cool designs that change each year. When you buy a hot beverage, you will pay a deposit of 2-3 Euros. If you return the mug, you get your deposit back, but if you don’t you have a nice souvenir from the market!
For my collector child, this is his favorite thing to bring back from our Christmas Market trips. I will warn you though, it takes up a lot of space in the suitcase, so make sure to have extra space!
Visiting Without Cash
One of the biggest surprises to most people is that cash is still king at many Christmas Markets in Europe. While this is changing more and more, most vendors still greatly prefer cash over credit card purchases. It is a necessity for the drink mug deposits as well, so it’s easier to just have a wad of cash on hand for your food and beverage purchases, saving the bigger shopping for credit cards if they take them.
Not Trying All the Local Food
Besides the amazing atmosphere at the markets, the best thing for us is the food on offer. Every market and region seems to have their own speciality in terms of food. Visiting the Black Forest markets allowed us to sample a great number of traditional German Christmas Market foods that we now search for all over the country!
Don’t plan on eating other places, come to the markets hungry and ready to try everything from sausages, to full meat based meals. In Berlin, we even went on a Christmas Market food tour with Fork & Walk, which was amazing. We learned so many new foods we hadn’t noticed before and found out more about the ones we had tried.
Skipping the Smaller Markets
For many people visiting the Christmas Markets in Germany, the large markets are the main draw, especially if you are on a scheduled tour. However, I will say that while the larger markets like Nuremberg and Dresden are worth visiting, in our experiences, it is the smaller markets that actually offer a more unique experience. From the small towns in the Black Forest where you get hands on experiences and one of a kind handcrafted goods to the more intimate experiences like at one of the many off the beaten path small markets in Berlin. In our opinion, it is well worth mixing up your itinerary with both the larger markets and smaller out of the way markets that might provide more unique souvenirs and more local experiences.
Not Packing the Correct Layers
German winters can be quite cold, especially in December. Markets are mostly outdoors, so it’s essential to dress in layers, wear a good coat, gloves, a hat, and warm shoes. Remember, you’ll be walking and standing around, so staying warm is crucial for enjoying your time. For us the most important thing to know is to wear shoes that have good insulation. Your feet can get very cold when standing on cold concrete for hours and hours at a time.
Our favorite things to pack are wool layers of course and we often also buy these wool fur inserts for our boots either before we arrive or at our first market visit (it’s a popular item to buy here!).
Other things to considering bringing: umbrellas, rain jackets, waterproof shoes and waterproof backpacks. In Berlin it rained almost daily, so our waterproof gear came in very handy. In the Black Forest, it snowed daily, so having this super warm jacket was essential.
Do you have visiting European Christmas markets on your travel wishlist? If so, check out these other posts and join us on Instagram where we share all our favorite Christmas markets.
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