Ice Wine Grapes - Image D.Rivard/Wiki

The cold weather, snow and frost are elements that are usually not conducive for growing anything.  But for producers of Eiswein (German for ice wine), snow and frost are just the perfect conditions that they pray for.

So What is Ice Wine?

Ice wine is a type of dessert wine that is produced from grapes that have been frozen while still hanging on the vine. It is believed that ice wine was first invented in Franconia around 1794.

Germany and Canada are the two main producers of ice wine and in both these countries, the grapes must freeze naturally on the vine in order to qualify as ice wine. No mechanical cryo-extraction of the grapes is allowed. In Germany, the grapes are required to be frozen at a temperature of -7 °C (19 °F) or colder and in Canada it is a legal requirement that the grapes are frozen at -8 °C (17 °F) or colder. Ice wine might remind you of Sauternes and other dessert wines, but the big difference is that unlike Sauternes ice wine grapes must not be affected by Botrytis.

Production of Ice Wine

The production of ice wine is a risky and labour-intensive business and the conditions harsh for those involved. As the grapes have to stay on the vine for months after the normal harvest time, the yields are very low and as such the prices for ice wines can be quite expensive. The ripened grapes have to be kept healthy on the vines, away from disease and foraging birds and insects until the cold weather arrives.

There is a sense of urgency in the production of ice wine.  When the required temperature occurs,the frozen grapes have to be harvested immediately requiring the pickers to work at night or in the early morning.  If the freeze is too severe, juice extraction becomes difficult. The frozen grapes are pressed immediately, and requires workers to work in unheated premises.

Whilst Riesling is considered to be the most suitable grape variety by German winemakers, other grapes are used as well including merlot and pinot noir.

Unlike other dessert wines, ice wines are refreshing and not cloying. They also usually have a slightly lower alcohol content than regular table wine.

Ice wine vintners can be found in many of the wine growing regions of Germany, including the Mosel, Rheingau, Rheinhessen and Pfalz. Just follow the snow trail.

Photo Courtesy Suedliche Weinstrasse

Spring is a beautiful time for walking and discovering Germany’s romantic wine villages and wineries.  And, for those who would like to combine a weekend of walking and wine-tasting in Germany, the Wine Walking Weekend is ideal.

Wine and Walking Weekend – April 2012

Germany‘s fourth Wine and Walking Weekend (WeinWanderWochenende) is scheduled for the weekend of April 28 and 29 and offers visitors more than 100 themed activities – including wine tasting with llamas?

During the Wine Walking Weekend, keen walkers (and drinkers) throughout the country will set off across meadows and fields, stopping only to sample the wine.

Many of the walks are accompanied by expert guides and lead to Roman forts and through herb gardens along the famous German wine routes. Along the way, walkers can also sample some culinary delights – the choice ranges from hearty regional fare to five-course gourmet meals.

A number of the trails also take walkers through wine-growing villages and wineries to traditional wine festivals. Not to be missed: along the narrow River Ahr in Rhineland-Palatinate, groups can even be led along by llamas!

The good news is that on the Wine Walking Weekend, there is no problem with drink-driving!

For places to stay in Germany, you can search and book your hotels online HERE.

For more information on wine walking activities in your area, contact the German Wine Institute.

Deutsches Weininstitut GmbH
Gutenbergplatz 3-5
55116 Mainz
Tel.: +49 (0)6131 28290
Email: info@deutscheweine.de
www.deutscheweine.de

Cologne Chocolate Museum - by N.Angermannn

As one of the ten most visited museums in Cologne, it seems that visitors to Cologne find the Cologne Chocolate Museum irrisistable.  At this Cologne museum, chocoholics can learn all about the world of chocolate and also get to taste fresh chocolate from their famous chocolate fountain.

Founded in 1993, the Cologne Chocolate Museum (Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum) presents the history of cocoa and chocolate production on three levels of the Museum, starting from the time of the Olmecs, the Mayas and Aztecs and up to the present.

Chocolate Museum Attractions

Some of the more valuable exhibits include precious 18th and 19th century porcelain from the times when chocolate was a luxury andvessels for drinking chocolate from pre-Columbian central America.

Then there are vending machines, chocolate moulds and historical chocolate advertising – in the Chocolate Cinema you can watch chocolate commercials from 1926 up to the present.

There is a small conservatory where visitors can see live cacao plants being grown.

Much of one floor of the Museum is taken up by miniature versions of machines for the production of chocolate. Visitors can see the process of making the sample mini-chocolate bars which are given out at the entrance.

And the Chocolate Museum’s special attraction is the 3-metre high chocolate fountain which holds 200 kilos of warm, liquid chocolate.  Chocolate Museum employees dip wafers into the liquid chocolate for visitors to taste.

Cologne Chocolate Museum

Opening Times:

Tues to Fri  – 10:00 – 18:00
Sat, Sun, holidays – 11:00 – 19:00 (Closed on Mondays)

Where is the Chocolate Museum

The Chocolate Museum building sits on the tip of the Rheinauhafen peninsula.  Built of glass and metal it looks like a ship moored in the Rhine river.  It is  about 15 minutes walk south from Cologne Cathedral.

Address:

Am Schokoladenmuseum 1A
50678 Cologne, Germany

Map of Cologne:

St Stephan's Altar - Passau

On Friday, June 29th, the 60th Festspiele Europäische Wochen Passau (Passau European Weeks Festival ) opens under the theme “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”.  This year’s opening performance at the Bräuhausplatz Hacklberg features the commissioned work by an Austrian composer, Alfred Huber.  His composition “Danubio” reflects the Festival theme and you might recognize strands of the Blue Danube in it.

This long-running and prestigious Passau Music Festival takes place at a range of venues across town, such as churches, the Passau town hall, monasteries and theatres.

Passau Music Festival Program 2012

With the Festival theme “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”, Johann Strauss’s Blue Danube Waltz will certainly be featured.  But, if you’re concerned that the Festival is going to be all about waltzes, you need not worry.  The Festival program includes a range of operas, oratorios, orchestral, choral and solo concerts, recitals, dance, theater, reading, film, exhibitions, etc.   Performing at this Bavarian festival are internationally renowned artists as well as fresh young talents.

Festspiele Europäische Wochen Passau closes on July 29th with a concert at the Passau Study Church.

For the Festival program and booking information see the Europäische Wochen website.

Hotels in Passau

To follow through with the Blue Danube theme, the 4-star Hotel Residenz is situated on the banks of the River Danube.  Located in the heart of the Old Town of Passau, it is within easy reach of St. Stephan’s Cathedral and the historic Residenzplatz square.  The Hotel König is another hotel on the banks of the River Danube and within 5 minutes walk of Passau attractions.  For all other Passau hotels, see HERE.

Event: Festspiele Europäische Wochen Passau 2012
Date : June 29 – July 29, 2012
Venue: Various locations in Passau

Nockherberg - Starkbierfest 2012

Lent 2012 starts on February 23 and the Nockherberg Starkbierfest 2012 takes place  from March 9 – 25, 2012.

Starkbierfest is the Strong Beer Festival and drinkers who like stouts will enjoy the Salvator at Nockherberg, a bottom-fermented strong Doppelbock beer (alcohol 7.5%). During the Starkbierfest, Salvator stout is traditionally served in 1-litre steins, called the Keferloher.

Music at Nockherberg Starkbierfest

During the festival, “Die Nockherberger”, their Oktoberfest band, will provide live music from 4:00 p.m. on week days and from 2:00 p.m. on weekends.

Food at Nockherberg

Visitors to Nockherberg’s Starkbierfest will be able to enjoy typical Bavarian specialties like pork knuckle, chicken, duck and more. There will be stands selling souvenirs, the traditional gingerbread hearts and other delicacies.

Information about Nockherberg Starkbierfest:

Venue : The Paulaner Festival Hall at Paulaner am Nockherberg, Hochstraße 77, 81541 München
Dates  : March 9 – 25, 2012
Opening hours : Monday – Friday:  2:00 p.m to 10:30 p.m. | Saturday & Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Entry Fee : Expected to be €2.00 per person (cash only)

How to Get there:

-  Underground line 1 & 2 to Kolumbusplatz
-  Tram 15 and 25 to Ostfriedhof
-  Tram 27 to Mariahilfplatz
-  Bus 52 to Mariahilfplatz

During Starkbierfest, there is a taxi stand directly on Hochstraße.

Reservations:

Reservations can be made from Monday to Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. only by phone or fax:
Tel: +49 (89) 45 99 13-65
Fax: +49 (89) 45 99 13-64

You must be take your place at the reserved time as they have no obligation to hold your reservation past the reserved time.

Good Health!

Map of Munich:

Rudesheim Christmas Market

The pretty historic town of Rüdesheim has a special Christmas market. Called the Christmas Market of Nations or Rüdesheimer Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen, there are 124 stalls at the market, representing the Christmas traditionsfrom 12 nations.

The market is held in the heart of the historic Old Town, on the Market Square. From the Marktstrasse via Oberstrasse into Rüdesheim’s famous Droselgasse and through to Rhine Street – the Rüdesheimer Weihnachtsmarkt is spread throughout the streets of the Old Town.

Christmas Market of Nations

For a whole month prior to Christmas, Rüdesheim puts on its Christmas charm with a full program of carols, entertainment and performances by well known radio and television celebrities.

At the 124 festively decorated Christmas market stalls you’ll find lots of handmade artwork and handicrafts and you can even watch candles, decorations, wood figures, wood carvings, glass engravings, “schwibbögen” arched candles, mangers, pewter casters and dolls being made before your very eyes. Then of course, you can try famous and traditional Christmas foods from the region, washed down with the famous Rüdesheim mulled wine.

Christmas is a special time for children and in the Market Square, Germany´s biggest nativity scene (life-size figures) stand on about 150 square metres of ground. Beside it is Rüdesheim’s well known Children’s Christmas Market made by children for the children.

Rüdesheim is a lovely travel destination at any time of the year but during the pre-Christmas season the atmosphere is magical.   Like most of Germany’s Christmas markets, a visit to Rüdesheim’s Christmas Market of Nations is well worth the trip.

Rüdesheim Hotels

Breuer’s Rüdesheimer Schloss is a family-run hotel in the Old Town. It’s located in an 18th century building and has a lovely beer garden. It also does a nice Asbach Uralt drink.

Other family-run hotels in the centre of Rüdesheim include Brühls Hotel Trapp and Hotel Rüdesheimer Hof. For the complete list of Rüdesheim am Rhein hotels, see Here.

Event: Rüdesheimer Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen 2011
Dates: November 21 – December 23, 2011
Place: Market Square – Rüdesheim Old Town, Rüdesheim am Rhein
Website: www.w-d-n.de/

Map of Rüdesheim:

:

Rhine Riesling Vineyards

For connoisseurs of wine and beer, spring and summer are  fantastic times to be in Germany. From Berlin to the Rhineland, there is a great choice of festivals to attend, depending on whether you prefer to conduct your wine-tasting in one of the small towns along the Mosel or in Rudesheim on the Rhine or at wine festivals in the larger towns like Stuttgart, Hamburg, Mainz, Frankfurt or Aachen. And then there are the almighty giant beer festivals to keep you merry as well.

The German wine and beer festivals are a great time to enjoy a variety of wines and beers, but it’s also an opportunity to observe the local traditions and sample local foods, as well as to meet a nice cross-section of people.

Some Beer and Wine Festivals in 2012

**Some of these dates may change so please always check the festival website before making your travel plans.**
Starkbierzeit 2012 - Munich’s Strong Beer Festival

February 24 – March 24, 2012 (Löwenbräukeller) and March 9 – 25, 2012 (Paulaner am Nockherberg) :  This is Munich’s secret beer festival in spring. Starkbierzeit focuses on strong beers traditionally consumed during Lent. More about Starkbierzeit…
For Munich hotels see Here.

Frühlingsfest 2012 – Munich Spring Festival
April 20 – May 6, 2012:  Munich Frühlingfest ends the spring Strong Beer Season. The fair is supposed to be a scaled-down version of Oktoberfest.  This year the fair will be held in Theresienwiese – Oktoberfest grounds.
Website: www.muenchnervolksfeste.de

Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest 2012 – Stuttgart Spring Festival – Stuttgart
April 21 – May 13, 2012 – Stuttgart Spring Festival in Cannstatter Wasen celebrates the end of the winter season.  The festival features beer tents, oompah bands, funfair, fireworks and lots of parties at night.
Website:  www.stuttgarter-fruehlingsfest.de/

Mosel Wine Festivals 2012
From April 27 – September 23, 2012: From early spring through fall, the towns along the Mosel hold “Weinfeste” (wine festivals). Local foods and wines are served and a general party atmosphere prevails. The Mosel Valley is full of vineyards that rise up the hills from the river banks. There is likely to be a wine festival in one town or another every weekend in the Mosel region.
Website: www.traben-trarbach.de/

Bergkirchweih Erlanger 2012
May 24 – June 4, 2012: This annual beer festival is a 250 year-old tradition and is celebrated around Pentecost for 12 days. More than 1 million visitors each year come to enjoy Erlangen beer and Franconian dishes.  The Bergkirchweih is open from 10:00 to 23:00 daily and you can then roll on to the pubs in downtown Erlangen.  Erlangen’s claim to fame is that they were the first to export beer, even before Munich and Kulmbach.
Website: www.der-berg-ruft.de

‘Assmannshausen in Red‘ – Assmannshausen Red Wine Festival 2012
June 2, 2012 – Assmannshausen is famous for its Pinot Noir.  On this one-day festival wine connoiseurs get to enjoy the Assmannshäuser red wine as well as local dishes and entertainment.

International Bierbörse 2012
June 1 – September 2, 2012:  This looks like a good excuse to drink beer non-stop for 3 months!  Bierbörse is an chain of annual beer festivals which are held in 11 German cities.  You can sample up to 1,000 different types of beer, including those from 75 countries.  What’s more, this is a free event and you only pay for the beer.  Bierbörse 2012 can be found in Bonn, Dorsten, Dusssldorf-Benrath, Frankfurt, Huckeswagen, Karlsruhe, Koln, Leipzig, Leverkusen-Opladen, Mainz, Schwerin and Viersen-Dulken.
Website:  www.bierboerse.com

Wine tavern in Rudesheim

Stuttgart Wine Festival 2012 – Hamburg
July 21 – August 6, 2012:  Just prior to the big Wine Village in Stuttgart, Stuttgart Wineries bring their wares to Hamburg for 2 weeks at the beginning of August. A wine village is set up in the Hamburg Rathaus Marktplace, complete with wine and beer gardens, regional Stuttgart fare and arts and crafts from the Stuttgart region.

Annafest Forchheim 2012
July 21 – 30, 2012:  Forchheim Annafest is an annual fair which takes place in July.  Forcheim is on the “cellar-hill” close to Bamberg and Nuremberg and each year up to 500,000 visitors decend upon its beer gardens (over 20 beer gardens and no tents here).
Website:  www.forchheim-annafest.de

Kulmbacher Beer 2012
July 28 – August 5, 2012 (tbc):  Kulmbacher is a traditional beer festival in the north of Bavaria.  Just for one week in the year, master brewers of Kulmbacher brew their secret formula beer.
Website:  www.kulmbacher.de/de/biwo

Berlin Beer Festival 2012 – Berlin
August 3 – 5, 2012: Usually held on the first weekend of August annually, this festival boasts the longest beer garden in the world – one mile long! One million people come to this festival each year. Stalls offer 2,000 types of beer from over 300 breweries from 86 countries with a focus on smaller, private breweries. However long it might take to sample 2,000 varieties of beer, the Berlin Beer Festival sounds like a great way to quench your thirst on a hot summer day. Live music and shows also keep the crowd entertained.
Website: www.bierfestival-berlin.de

Rotweinfest – Oberwesel am Rhein – Rhine River Red Wine Festival
August 4, 2012 – A very popular one-day Middle Rhine red wine festival in the market square of Oberwesel.

Ruedesheimer-Weinfest 2012 – Rüdesheim Wine Festival 2012
August 17 – 20, 2012: Always charming and picturesque, the small Rhine wine village of Rüdesheim hosts a Wine Festival that features the wineries of the region as well as food. The festival takes place on the main street and you can enjoy the beautiful views to the Rhine and the vineyards above as you sip your wine. If you feel intimidated about going into the small wine tasting rooms, this is a perfect way to get to know Rüdesheim and its wines.
Website:  www.ruedesheimer-weinfest.de

Stuttgarter Weindorf 2012 – Stuttgart Wine Village – Stuttgart
August 22 – September 2, 2012:  The Stuttgart Wine Village is one of the largest and most beautiful wine festivals in Germany. From the end of August to the beginning of September, the Stuttgart city center is transformed into a festive wine village. 120 wine alcoves with traditional decor offer up over 250 wines from the region, including Trollinger, Riesling, Kerner, Müller-Thurgau, Schwarzriesling, Ruländer, Schillerwein, Lemberger and Weißherbst. With so much wine flowing, the atmosphere is bound to be jolly. Great music and food complement the warm and friendly atmosphere.
Website: www.stuttgart-tourist.de/ENG/leisure/weindorf.htm

Aachen Wine Festival 2012
August 23 – 26, 2012: Located in North Rhine Westphalia, Aachen is an attractive Roman spa town, famous for its therapeutic waters, hot springs and 1000-year-old remains. This lovely town hosts a summer wine festival in the town center each year with over 400 wines on offer from 20 or more wineries in Rhineland Palatine. Featured wines include Riesling, Mueller-Thurgau, Kerner, Dornfelder and Spaetburgunder. Good food and wine, music and a generally great atmosphere make this Wine Festival a favorite among locals and tourists alike.
Website:  www.aachen.de

Baskets of wine for sale

Mainzer Weinmarkt – Mainz Wine Festival 2012
August 23 – 26, 2012 and August 20 – Septembr 2, 2012:  The Mainz Wine Market (Mainzer Weinmarkt) plays host to over half a million visitors each year. You’ll enjoy wandering through the parks and rose gardens of the town as you go about tasting wines, eating the local fare and checking out the arts and crafts stalls. There is plenty of music to suit every taste and the city is known to be particularly beautiful at this time of year.
Website:  www.mainzer-weinmarkt.de/

Weinfest der Mittelmosel 2012 – Bernkastel-Kues
From August 30 – September 3, 2012:  Bernkastel-Kues Middle Mosel Wine Festival is  the largest and most well-known of the Mosel wine festivals.  Visitors will enjoy the brilliant fireworks display from Landshut Castle and the colourful  winemaker’s procession and the crowning of the Wine Queen.
Website:  www.bernkastel.de

Frankfurt Rheingau Wine Festival 2012
August 29 – Sep 7, 2012: The Rheingau Wine Festival (Rheingauer Weinmarkt) is Frankfurt’s only wine festival with vintners from the Rheingau offering over 600 types of wines in Fressgasse, one of Frankfurt’s charming restaurant and fine food areas. Rieslings are the specialty wines here, reflecting the unique terroir of the Rheingau wine region.
Location of festival is “Freßgass´”, Große Bockenheimer Straße / Opernplatz.
Open Times: Daily from 11:00 – 23:00
Frankfurt Hotels in the Old Town Centre (Zentrum-Alstadt)
All Frankfurt am Main Hotels
Website:  www.frankfurt-tourismus.de

Oktoberfest 2012 – Munich
September 22 – October 7,  2012: Oktoberfest gets bigger and better each year.  With 14 huge tents (maybe more) to choose from, how do you decide? You’ll need to check the website of each of the tents to see which ones you fancy.
Here’s some traditional Oktoberfest beer tents. >
See our Oktoberfest photos >
Website:  www.oktoberfest.de

Stuttgart Beer Festival  2012 – Canstatter Volkfest – Stuttgart
Sep 28 – Oct 14, 2012:  This Stuttgart Beer Festival is second only to the Oktoberfest in Munich in terms of size. It began in 1818 as a harvest festival following a famine and has since been taking  place at the end of September every year.  These days, it provides two weeks of fun with oompah bands in traditional costume, lots of beer inside the marquees and entertainment
Website:  www.cannstatter-volksfest.de

Mendiger-Gambrinusfest 2013 – Mendig
June 2013 (tbc):  Gambrinusfest takes place every 2 years and is the biggest beer festival in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Website: www.mendiger-gambrinusfest.de/

A visit to Germany is not complete without going to a Wine or a Beer Festival. There is plenty on offer so it’s necessary to plan well in order to get maximum coverage.

Did you find the wine and beer festival you were looking for?  Please leave me a comment.  If there are any other festivals you would like to see on this list, please also let me know.

Search, read hotel reviews and book Germany hotels here.>

Food and wine tour
Bavarian Beer and Food tour

Munich Residenz Festive Concerts

Christmas is a special time Munich and like the rest of Germany, music is very much a part of the Munich Christmas celebrations.

If you are spending Christmas in Munich, you too can enjoy one of the many Christmas concerts in the city.

Popular Munich Attractions

Most of the concerts are held in venues which are themselves very popular Munich attractions such as the Munich Residenz. With ten courtyards and 130 rooms, the Munich Residenz is the largest city palace in

Germany.  This Munich royal palace was once the seat of government and the royal residence of Bavarian monarchs.  Many of the great halls in the Munich Residenz are now used for functions, including classical concerts. One such venue is the Cuvilliés-Theatre, considered to be Europe’s finest surviving Rococco theatre.

Another palatial venue is the historical Schloss Nymphenburg, said to be one of Europe’s most beautiful palaces.

If you prefer to enjoy your Christmas music in a more intimate setting, these Christmas events in Munich can also be enjoyed in churches like the Allerheiligen Hofkirche.

Below is the list of special Christmas concerts in Munich.  To make a booking, just click on the link:

For the list of all Classictic concerts in Munich, see HERE.

Hamburg Weihnachtsmarkt - Travelsignposts

Hamburg stakes its claim as the Christmas capital of the north.  This is because nowhere else in the north of Germany are there so many Christmas markets within such close proximity of each other. From the main train station to its Neo-Renaissance town hall alone there are no less than five different Hamburg Weihnachtsmarkt  to be enjoyed.

Hamburg Christmas Markets

During the festive season, visitors to Hamburg can discover history, tradition and the city’s Hanseatic heritage at one of the many wonderful Hamburg Christmas markets. From the delightful to the unusual, there is a range of Christmas markets to experience.

Visitors can choose from the traditional Weihnachtsmarkt to the Romantic Christmas Market in Niendorf, the maritime flavour of the Christmas market on Fleetinsel or the somewhat risqué Christmas Market in the Reeperbahn, just to mention a few. But the prettiest of Hamburg’s Christmas markets is the one that is set up outside Hamburg’s impressive town hall.

Rathausmarkt Christmas Market

Hosted by Roncalli’s Circus, its lovingly decorated stalls are laden with confectionery, toys, crafts and the punch is even served by clowns and circus artistes. And its old-fashioned carousels never fail to bring a gleam to everyone’s eyes, not just the children’s.

Christmas isn’t Christmas without Santa Claus and every day at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm Santa Claus will fly his reindeer sleigh up to the sky, high over the roofs of the Christmas Market stalls, telling the story of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.

Other Hamburg Christmas Attractions

Hamburg Weihnachtsmarkt - Travelsignposts

Hamburg has so much to offer in the festive season: you can enjoy a mug of glühwein on a boat trip on the Alster, for example, or visit a Christmas exhibition in one of the city’s museums. Every Saturday during Advent there is a Christmas parade through the festively decorated city centre.

Hamburg is a city that is famous for its musicals and Hamburg’s theatres are a magical space for young and old alike as well as  the ‘fairytale ship’ anchored along the Jungfernstieg promenade. A visit to Hamburg’s Christmas markets is indeed an unforgettable experience.

Below are some of the Hamburg Weihnachtsmarkt to choose from:

Historical Christmas Market (21 Nov – 23 Dec 2011)
Rathausmarkt Square

Maritime Christmas Market (21 Nov – 23 Dec 2011)
Fleetinsel

Traditional Christmas Market (21 Nov – 30 Dec 2011)
St. Peter’s Church
Gerhard-Hauptmann-Platz, Spitalerstrasse:

Hanseatic Christmas Market (21 Nov – 23 Dec 2011)
Gänsemarkt Square

Christmas Market on the Jungfernstieg (21 Nov – 31 Dec 2011)
Closed on 24-25 Dec 2011

Santa Pauli on the Reeperbahn (24 Nov-23 Dec 2011)
5pm-11pm, Fri-Sat until 1am

Hamburg Winter Dom Fair (4 Nov – 4 Dec 2011)
Heiligengeistfeld

Where to Stay in Hamburg

There are no less than 260 hotels in Hamburg for visitors to choose from. Just within Hamburg Mitte (Central Hamburg), there are over 130 hotels so careful planning is required for your Christmas Market stay.

Luxury hotels like the Park Hyatt Hamburg, Sofitel Hamburg and the Steigenberg Hotel Hamburg are in the Altstadt (Old Town) which is convenient for the Rathausmarkt Historical Christmas Market. In the Neustadt (New Town), hotels range from the 5-star Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten on the beautiful Lake Alster to the very popular 2-star Motel One Hamburg am Michel. For those who want to enjoy Santa Pauli on the Reeperbahn, then the hotels in St. Pauli may be convenient. For the complete list of Hamburg hotels, see HERE.

© Uli Kowatsch/Nurnberg Tourism

With over two million visitors every year, the Nürnberg Christkindlesmarkt is one of the more popular Christmas markets in Germany.  Each year at 5:30 pm, on the Friday before the first Advent Sunday, the Christmas Angel declares open the Nuremberg Christmas Market in a ceremony that takes place on the Hauptmarkt (market square) in the old quarter.

Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt

In the medieval setting of the old town of Nuremberg, the 180 wooden Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt stalls are all decorated with red and white cloth.  This has earned Nuremberg’s Christmas Market the nickname “Little Town from Wood and Cloth”.

Visitors to Nuremberg’s Christmas market can enjoy traditional Christmas fare like the famous Nuremberg spicy gingerbread, fruit loaves, bakery goods and sweets. This is also a good place to shop for handcrafted Christmas decorations like Christmas tree angels, cribs, Christmas tree ornaments and candles, toys as well as handicraft products. You won’t find any plastic decorations at the Nuremberg Christmas Market as the stalls are monitored to ensure that the market is kept beautiful and tastefully decorated.

A favourite souvenir is the Zwetschgenmännle or “Nuremberg Plum People” which are little figures made from prunes. And to fend off the cold, there are always the special Nürnberger bratwurst on rolls and mugs of mulled wine.

Christmas in Nuremberg

Nuremberg’s old quarter is beautiful at any time of the year but at Christmas this delightful medieval city puts on its Christmas magic. There is a lot to see, do and experience during the Christmas season including enjoying Christmas concerts in the churches, traditional Nativity scenes in the baroque St. Egidien church, and in Spitalgasse, an exhibition of historical market stalls in the town hall, the Christmas market for children on Hans-Sachs-Platz and the ‘star’ theatre at St. Katharine’s Abbey.

Other highlights include:

• the international market on Rathausplatz featuring Nuremberg’s twin towns, arts and crafts in the Handwerkerhof, a torchlight procession to the castle, the ‘Christmas cinemas’ and rides in a horse-drawn mail coach.
• the famous Windsbacher Knabenchor Choir will perform Christmas music for choir, trumpet and organ at the Meistersingerhalle Nuremberg. This is a one-off Christmas concert on December 13th.
• the Christmas Angel appears daily at 3 pm from Tuesday to Friday and at the Christmas market for children at 2.30 pm.

Nuremberg Hotels

Visitors to Nuremberg have a wide range of hotels to choose from.  In central Nuremberg many of the hotels such as the NH Nürnberg City, Le Meridien Grand Hotel and the Holiday Inn Nurnberg are all close to the Nuremberg Central Station, which is within walking distance of the Old Town.  For the complete list of Nuremberg hotels, see HERE.

Christmas Market Information

Address:
Christkindlesmarkt Nürnberg (Christmas Market)
Hauptmarkt
90403 Nuremberg

Christkindlesmarkt Opening Times: 25 Nov 2011 – 24 Dec 2011

Mon – Thu 09:30 – 20:00 | Fri & Sat 09:30 – 22:00 | Sun 10:30 – 20:00

Opening day: 25 Nov 2011 from 09.30 – 22:00
Opening ceremony at 5.30pm
Christmas Eve: 24 Dec 2011 from 09.30 – 14:00

If you’re flying into Nuremberg, here is some information on airport transfers at Nürnberg Airport.

Map of Nuremberg Hauptmarkt