Christmas Markets - Rhine River must-sees?

Any recommendations for must-sees/must-buys at the Christmas markets on the Rhine River? I'm trying to get an idea of food, souvenirs, etc., that I don't want to miss while I'm there this December.

Christmas ornaments made of wood and glass in Germany. Mugs, glasses.

Lebkuchen, traditional Christmas cookies, all sorts of finger food, Bratwurst, crepes, waffles, etc. mulled wine (Gluehwein), mulled beer, mulled berry wine, mulled without alcohol (Kinderpunsch).

When you see it, you will know what you want. ;-)

Try this website: Germany-christmas-markets.org.uk

It has a lot of info. Also google the name of the town you will visit and add christmas market.

Only you can decide what is appealing to you.

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You will stop in some of a variety of cities, if you give a list I'd be happy to make suggestions.

You will certainly stop in Cologne. My favorite Christmas market there (out of the 7 or more - I've been to only 6) is the Heimat der Heinzel (Home of the Elves) in the Alter Markt. (Can find easily on Google map.) It is close to the Rhine and a few blocks from the cathedral. (This is not the market next to the Cathedral, which is good but usually very crowded.) The Gluwein mugs in the Elves market are a delightful, squat, pot design. You can buy the mugs without the alcohol if that is better for you. This market is also the traditional crafts market where there are woodcarvings, paper decorations, ceramics, etc. Sometimes there are also antique dealers, some with antique Christmas ornaments. The stall architecture is charming, in the manner of mountain cabins - what else would elves live in? I think this has the most 'Christmasy' ambience on the Rhine.

If you are a devoted Christmas market collector, there is a 'train' in Cologne that will take you to most of them. But you should have a full day if you want to take advantage of this.

If you are adventurous, the local beer is good. Try it with sausage, potatoes, and 'grun kohl' (endive). It is like eating sausage with creamed spinach. Worth a try. You can get this in the markets or better in one of the brewery restaurants (Sion is one of them) in the central area.

If you are stopping in Nurnberg, be sure to see the "prune" people. My St. Nick is 10 years old and still good. They are made of prunes and walnuts and dressed by the locals. They do need to be kept in a climate controlled space, otherwise they mold. This is the on;y market that sells them. Also the sausages are sooooo good there. Wish we were going back there, but this year it is France. Enjoy, Pat:)

As you have not given any stops I would say sample in each place whatever takes your fancy. For Cologne I cannot add anything, I also presume your are going there, great suggestions already from xmaser. Nothing for me sticks out as a must-see apart from Cologne Cathedral. Perhaps try some Gewürzkuchen if you come across it. Spongy spiced cake baked in a baking tray, that is why it is square in format when you buy it. Baked by some local bakers, and bakers often also have nice own-baked Christmas biscuits.

Rüdesheim is an easy place to plan your stay, if you are stopping there, as the Christmas market stalls are listed online: http://w-d-n.de/en/aussteller/ I hope this is the 2017 list already.

In Koblenz I like the Jesuitenplatz square better than the Am Plan square. In previous years near the Jesuitenplatz passage way there used to be a stall selling Moravian stars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_star I like those, you need a bit of skill for assembly but they come in many sizes and several colours. There is no community there, but nearby in Neuwied.

Do make sure you go inside a church, perhaps Breisach is good for a smaller one. They are decorated very nicely in general (not garish or very ornate) and put up nativity scenes. I find this peaceful at a hectic time of year.

Some museums have special Christmassy exhibitions that are worth checking out.

Other than that I would say wrap up warm and just enjoy the atmosphere.

notamermaid

Thanks for the Gewurzkuchen (sorry no umlaut on my keyboard) I don't remember seeing it in the Christmas markets.

It goes without saying that the Cathedral is THE star of Cologne.

Thanks everyone! These are great tips.

Notamermaid and xmaser: The places we'll be stopping are Basel, Breisach, Strasbourg, Speyer, Rüdesheim, Koblenz, Cologne, and Amsterdam.

I love Lebkuchen, but my favourite is the Elisen Kuchen from Nuremberg.... which you can find on the Rhine, but you have to look (ask at a stall that sells lebkuchen). One thing we discovered late in our trip was the Reibekuchen - a deep friend potato pancake. SOOOO good... we had them at the market in Mainz. Hot from the fryer - with apple sauce.

I wanted some straw ornaments but had some trouble finding them. We eventually found some in a Christmas store in the the Old Town section of Strasbourg France (the Christmas store is open all year - we found the prices better than at Kathe Wohlfahrt's stores...) The shop was touristy - but it did have what I wanted.

We found that there was a pretty nice variety of Christmas stalls in Rudesheim. There was a courtyard in the back of the Rudesheimer Schloss restuarant that had some nice stalls with nice hand made items. You do have to make sure that you are getting "real" German items (not off shore knock offs).

We didn't drink that much gluhwein - but discovered some nice hot chocolate, and some hot apple cider - and kept those mugs. One market had hot white chocolate....Mmmmmmm. You pay a deposit - and then either get the deposit back when you return the mug, or keep the mug. The mugs are different at each market.

Enjoy!!

Fran

Thanks everyone! These are great tips.

 

Notamermaid and xmaser: The places we'll be stopping are Basel, Breisach, Strasbourg, Speyer, Rüdesheim, Koblenz, Cologne, and Amsterdam.

In Speyer, the included excursion was a trip to Heidelberg. My DH had been so patient as I shopped the markets along the way that I suggested we bypass the trip to Heidelberg and go to the Technology Museum instead. He had a great day... and, I did enjoy it as well. We did wander the market in Speyer after - and did go into the cathedral as well. Of course, this wouldn't work if you didn't have at least 4 hours in town.

I think that there were a number of husbands that were jealous.... One gentleman offered to go to the Technology museum with my husband if I wanted to do the market in Heidelberg (his wife didn't want to go to Heidelberg on her own...) I thanked him for his kind offer, but opted for the museum instead. Don't think he really enjoyed the market that much... especially when he knew what he was missing in Speyer!! lol

Fran

In Rudesheim, go to Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum -- it's full of things that revolve and play music; really fun and IMO fits the Christmas market theme.

In Speyer, the included excursion was a trip to Heidelberg. My DH had been so patient as I shopped the markets along the way that I suggested we bypass the trip to Heidelberg and go to the Technology Museum instead. He had a great day... and, I did enjoy it as well. We did wander the market in Speyer after - and did go into the cathedral as well. Of course, this wouldn't work if you didn't have at least 4 hours in town.

 

I think that there were a number of husbands that were jealous.... One gentleman offered to go to the Technology museum with my husband if I wanted to do the market in Heidelberg (his wife didn't want to go to Heidelberg on her own...) I thanked him for his kind offer, but opted for the museum instead. Don't think he really enjoyed the market that much... especially when he knew what he was missing in Speyer!! lol

 

Fran

YES! Worth the visit.

Also look on the web for other Christmas activities. We attended a choir performance in Speyer and an organ performance in Mainz. We had great program directors that directed us to those activities.

Speyer, yes, I also recommend the technical museum. I have been to the "other half" of it in Sindelfingen and expect the one in Speyer to be similar. In short, fascinating for a fan, very interesting if you have a mild interest in technical stuff.

I love the Reibekuchen mit Apfelmus, potato cakes with apple compote, cannot imagine a Christmas market without them.

I have bumped up an older thread with some tips for Christmas market cruises in general.

notamermaid

I'm amazed by the number of people who avoid Heidelberg! It is a grand highly decorated castle, partly ruined, with a large terrace that has a magnificent overview of the town and Neckar River valley. Technology is amusing, but Heidelberg is one of the great centers of German culture. The Christmas Markets are not the best, but Gundel (212 Hauptstrasse on the Marktplatz) has the finest of the Heidelberg cookies/biscuits - zimmsterne (cinnamon stars with anise). Give yourself time to buy because the staff is SLOW. Note that these are HARD and must be dunked. This is one of the few places on the Rhine where I have seen stalls selling the hand painted pewter tree ornaments that are actually made in Germany. They are more common along the Main and Danube. There is a weekend 'fine arts and crafts' market at the entry to the castle. The town is worth seeing and the crèche in the Jesuit church is extensive. Of course, if you hate to ride in a bus arrange to not go.

The cathedral in Speyer is magnificent but largely rebuilt. The Christmas market is small, but you can buy the original Dresden Stollen (blue and gold label) that is fresh and will travel well back to the US. The Historical Museum of the Palatinate has in its deep basement display the crowns of the Salic emperors who ruled there in the 11th & 12th centuries. (I discovered too late that there is an elevator.) The town is nice and a pleasant walk, especially if the ship is docked by the town. It was largely rebuilt in the 17th century but has whiffs of antiquity.

I confess that I pursue German/local history and culture above all else on my trips. For me, technology is readily available on the internet. To each, their own.

Given my prejudice, I highly recommend Heidelberg.

More on Cologne . . .

The Cathedral houses the reliquary of the Three Kings/Three Wise Men, a magnificent piece of early Medieval gold and jeweled 'bling'. What could be more appropriate for a stop on a Christmas Market shopping tour? :)

Fortunately cruising with GCT we were able to tour both Heidelberg and Speyer. We overnighted or stayed late at most stops from Basel to Amsterdam, exceptions being Nijmegen and Amsterdam. Well, actually Amsterdam was a late arrival the early departure for airport.

Strasbourg has the best gingerbread. Soft and hard.

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Avalon also offers both, an ideal solution.

Heidelberg correction !!

Gundel is known for 'springerle' - the hard anise cookies for dunking. Zimmsterner are softer, star shaped cinnamon cookies, available at the Christmas market stalls. Try both! :)

Sorry for the mistake.

As regards Heidelberg versus Speyer technical museum: On balance for a first-timer to the Rhine and especially on a Christmas market cruise I would say Heidelberg is the natural choice, but as a sort "Nikolaus" (6th of December tradition in Germany) or early Christmas treat for a partner who has been a good boy the technical museum could be a nice choice. :D

And believe it or not the sale of Christmas biscuits has started in supermarkets in Germany this weekend. An online article reported that the German centre for "letters to Father Christmas" in Himmelpfort near Berlin had already received 2000 letters from children by the end of August.

If you happen to be travelling in November anyone and think you cannot get biscuits - Lebkuchen, Springerle, etc. - you are mistaken. Just go to the nearest supermarket. But in general apart from stollen which has to mature anyway I prefer the fresher biscuits from bakers. Yet the quality of shop-bought springerle can be good.

notamermaid

Notamermaid, amazing that the supermarkets are already selling Christmas baked goods. And I thought American retailers pushed holiday merchandising to absurdity. These must be from the same batches that are shipped overseas to sit in warehouses for months. Not only are biscuits/cookies fresher from the baker, buying at the bakery or market stalls has a priceless ambience for travelers. If you carry anything home to the US it has time to mature before eating. Freshness is especially true for the Dutch Spekulaas, though they are still very good even when bought in an airport store.

In Strasbourg -

The medieval mechanical clock in the Cathedral is quite worth seeing, but now is requiring waiting in a long line. A visit to the Cathedral interior is now a separate line.

The market in the Place de la Cathedrale (in front of the Cathedral) specializes in Alsatian foods and crafts. It's very crowed and packed with pickpockets but worth a look.

If you walk away from the front of the Cathedral on the Rue Mercière you will quickly get to the Place Gutenberg where the Christmas market is from a different EU country each year. I've experienced food and crafts from Slovenia and Portugal (delicious mini egg tarts). No matter what country, should be interesting.

Half way down the Rue Mercière is the Pâtisserie, Salon de Thé & Restaurant Christian where I've bought delicious goodies. I particularly like the large round chocolate covered cookies (especially the ones with a half walnut on the top) that are displayed in the window and the shop cases. They speak French and German, but their English is weak.

On your walking tour, you will pass several tempting markets all with good quality products.

Depending on how intense your Christmas Market interest is and have the time you might want to visit the Christkindelsmärik Strasbourg - Place Broglie in front of the Opera House. It is mostly food with some Christmas decorations and greenery that is mainly local people - few tourists.

Security is high so don't be surprised by seeing soldiers carrying semiautomatic weapons.

Bumped up for folks who are asking about the Rhine at Christmas.

Hello again everyone, I am back from my Rhine River cruise and wanted to thank you again for your suggestions! My favorite by far was the cathedral in Cologne, closely followed by the Heidelberg castle. I'll post more details on the ship/etc in another thread.

And xmaser - re: the security guards with semi-automatic weapons still caught me off guard, even though I knew to expect them! I found it ... a little odd ... to see them in real life!