World Travel with Bob

If you enjoy the Christmas season, the German and French Christmas Markets offer wonderful social gathering opportunities to enjoy holiday festivities, crafts, foods, drinks, lighting and displays. These markets are very popular with local residents as well as international travelers. Hence, the markets can be very crowded, particularly in the smaller villages and in mid-December.

Photos from our Christmas Market visits are shared in a separate post.

The Itinerary

In early December, we visited the Christmas Markets in Bamberg, Heidelberg, Nuremberg, Rothenburg, Speyer, Wurzburg, Frankfurt, Braunfels, Riquewihr and Strasbourg. The first six were part of a five-day river boat trip on the Amadeus Star as it traveled on the Main and Rhine Rivers. The Star itinerary was scheduled to embark in Nuremberg and disembark in Strasbourg. Our market visits to Frankfurt, Braunfels, Riquewihr and Strasbourg were with a smaller independent group.

Once the Amadeus Star reached Wurzburg, travel on the Main River became temporarily blocked by a cement barge. Thus, the Star could not proceed on the Main for two days. Bus trips from the boat were arranged to Heidelberg, Speyer, Wertheim and Miltenberg and we missed scheduled market stops at Mainz and Mannheim. The river delay resulted in the Star not reaching its final planned destination at Strasbourg. Instead, we traveled by bus from Nierstein on the Rhine River to Strasbourg with an en route day visit in Riquewihr, France.

What is the Best Way to See the Markets?

It really depends on your interests. As now a Christmas Market veteran, I could be happy just visiting the markets in Frankfurt and Strasbourg. These venues offer two of the larger markets and, for me, the most varied vendors. Each has additional historical and cultural sights to visit when you step away from the market festivities. Frankfurt markets seemed to have more market vendors focused on food and drinks, white Strasbourg offered more craft vendors in addition to food and drinks. The Strasbourg central city also had wonderful street, plaza and building light displays. We found Strasbourg's many holiday window displays, particularly in the upper floors of buildings, very imaginative and festive.

A river trip itinerary will typically provide you with the opportunity to visit many Christmas markets. Some visitors may find that after 2-3 markets, the experience is somewhat similar. Others enjoy visiting as many markets as possible, exploring the food, drinks, vendor products, viewing the festive lights and displays, and purchasing special items such as ornaments and gifts for those at home. If you fall into this group, a river trip is a great option. An additional consideration is that the many docking stops on a river cruise will provide you an opportunity to leave the markets and view other historical and cultural sights - without the constant need to pack and unpack at each stop. A river trip to see the Christmas Markets may be best for first-time Market visitors.

If you're considering a visit to the Christmas Markets, it is advisable to make your travel, hotel and restaurant arrangements as early as possible. The sheer number of market visitors can make these reservations very challenging to confirm.

Market Food and Drinks

Each market varies with their food and drink offerings. Here are a few items that I observed and/or tried with my personal ratings:

Potato Pancakes (Kartofelpuffer) 👍
Tornado Potatoes (Kartoffellanzen)
Fries (Pommes Frites)
Sausage Sandwiches 👍
Grilled Fish Sandwiches
Grilled Mushrooms
Flatbread Pizza (Flammkuchen) 👍
Pasta 👍
Chimney 'Spiral' Cake (Baumstriezel or Kutoskalacs) 👍
Langos (Fried Dough with Toppings)
Pretzels (Laugenbrezein)
Ginger/Spied Cookies (Lebkuchen) 👍
Roasted Nuts and Candies 👍
Fruit Skewers
Crepes and Waffles 👍
Sweet Rolls with Raisins and Apples (Schnecken) 👍
Snowballs (Schneeballen)
Stollen Cake
Mulled Red or White Wine (Gluhwein) 😐
Warmed Apple Cider with a Vodka Shot 👍
Hot Chocolate
Mulled Punch
Beer 👍

What to Pack

You need to pack for cold and, possibly, wet weather. The day temperatures during my visit were in the mid-30s F (0-2 C) range. Top and bottom base-layers, mid-layer fleece, warm gloves, warm and waterproof outerwear, warm socks, waterproof shoes, neck scarf and a knit cap are recommended. We also found ducking into a cafe for coffee and pastries provided a brief respite from the cold.

Flight Back to USA

Our return to the US was by train from Strasbourg to Paris, followed by a non-stop flight from Paris to San
Francisco. We departed Paris about 90 minutes late due to a "DataLink" malfunction in the cockpit.

My understanding is that this system permits an aircraft to electronically communicate to other aircraft, operations center and ground controllers, among other functions. After repeated attempts to correct the problem, a by-pass was found. A new flight plan was filed by the pilot that would alter the intended flight path (some airflight paths apparently require an active DataLink, such as over the North Atlantic Ocean).

The above image shows the original vs actual flight of BA287. The 777 aircraft would leave Paris but be limited to 28,000 feet over the North Atlantic (see below image). Once over land, the aircraft could resume normal altitudes (e.g. 37,000 feet). Regardless, we arrived safely in San Francisco, though a little late. An interesting ending to our travel.

My condolences to the families and friends of those who died or were injured at the Magdeburg Christmas Market. This was a tragic incident during the holidays. I wish a speedy recovery to those injured.