The Frankfurt Christmas Market is one of my favorite traditional Christmas markets in Germany—decked out for the season, kiosks line the streets with food, sweets, mulled wine and shopping.
Now that my family is back from our first “Christmas Markets in Germany” experience, I can honestly say it was everything I hoped for and more. In total, we visited six different Weihnachtsmarkts in five different cities from in and around Frankfurt down to Munich.
I really can’t pick a favorite because each has its own personality. For example, Tollwood in Munich was much more alternative, with food and vendors representing many different ethnic regions— while Frankfurt’s market on the Römerberg was very traditional, set among a historical backdrop that makes it hard not to get in the Christmas spirit.
Touring the Frankfurt Christmas Market
It was this more traditional market that I envisioned in my head before we set off on our German adventure. And Frankfurt really delivered. My family and I took a 1-1/2 hour guided Christmas market tour and learned that Frankfurt’s famous holiday market dates back to 1393!
The picturesque buildings that make up the Römerberg, Frankfurt’s old center square, were destroyed in WWII and had since been replicated. The area is still home to City Hall and Old St Nicholas Church.
I can’t imagine what this square looks like outside of the Christmas season because it blends so well with the giant Christmas tree, market kiosks and holiday decorations. The vintage merry-go-round is just icing on the cake… of course, we had to give it a spin!
Speaking of kiosks, the Christmas market had a great selection of vendors— some of my favorites were for food items, including bratwurst, pork steak sandwich, and pommes frites. We also imbibed in many cups of glühwein and Kinderpunsch (and have the collectible mugs to prove it!).
We also treated ourselves to many of the sweets. My daughter picked out one of the Lebkuchenherzen (Gingerbread Hearts) with a German phrase. We weren’t 100% sure what it said, but that made it even more fun!
The Frankfurt Christmas market was the only place where we saw Zwetschgenmännle, or prune people. I wish I would have purchased one now as I learned these figures last for years. Aren’t they adorable?
Another specialty of the Frankfurt Christmas market is Bethmännchen, a delicious marzipan cookie. These almond cookies were so good that we brought a few bags home with us!
According to our guide, the structure that makes up ‘Wagners Honey House’ is one of the only buildings to survive WWII. It is taken apart and rebuilt every year for the Christmas market season.
We also took home some beautiful Christmas ornaments. I loved all of the blown glass pieces, but only chose small ones to travel back with— they’re so delicate, and I was scared they would break.
As we traveled in and out of Germany via Frankfurt Airport on Lufthansa, the Frankfurt Christmas Market was an easy stop on our journey. In total, we spent three nights in Frankfurt at Grandhotel Hessischer Hof.
We utilized two days for the Frankfurt Christmas market, and the third for a day trip to Mainz and Wiesbaden to see their markets. The city is very accessible and easy to navigate with public transportation.
Since Frankfurt Airport is Lufthansa’s largest hub there were a ton of flight options, including the {awesome} nonstop that we took from Tampa to Frankfurt — you can read about that experience here.
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This post is in partnership with Lufthansa USA. All opinions are my own.
David
January 18, 2016 at 11:27 amThat whole area looks like something out of a fairy tale. It is hard to believe that there are towns that look like that.
Georgina Goodman
December 1, 2016 at 6:53 amI agree with David! It does look like a fairy tail – I’d love to visit one year
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