Visiting Nuremberg Christmas Market: Getting There, Timing and Tips

The Hauptmarkt and its landmarks

Wooden stalls with red-and-white striped roofs fill the square, selling mostly handmade goods. Behind you stands the Frauenkirche, whose Männleinlaufen clock plays around noon every day, with seven electors processing past Emperor Charles IV in a show of about four minutes. The Schöner Brunnen fountain sits at one corner of the square.

Traders are vetted. Only stalls whose goods fit the tradition of the market and of Christmas gifts are admitted, especially local crafts. The market publishes six themed routes to help you find your way: Christmas traditions, creative crafts, local and regional products, stalls donating proceeds to charity, licensed Christkindlesmarkt products and vegan offerings.

Four markets within a few steps

The old town holds four Christmas markets: the main Christkindlesmarkt, the Sister Cities Market, the Original Regional Christmas Market and the Children's Market (Kinderweihnacht). All sit within a 2 to 3 minute walk of each other. Stalls at the Sister Cities Market donate proceeds to charities in Nuremberg's 14 twin towns.

How to picture the layout

Treat the Hauptmarkt as the hub and the three side markets as short detours. Enter from any corner, loop the outer rows first, then work inward. The Children's Market and the Sister Cities Market sit just off the main square, so a full circuit of all four takes a couple of hours at a stroll.

From the train station

The Hauptmarkt is about a 10 minute walk from the Deutsche Bahn station. Leave the station by the old town exit, cross the Königstraße and follow the crowds. Most sights are walkable, and public transport plus Uber work well if you need a ride.

The train from Munich takes barely over one hour. Prices start around $30.00-$35.00 if you buy tickets about five weeks ahead, according to the travel guide that published the figure. If you would rather have the day arranged for you, the Nuremberg Day Trip From Munich covers the journey and the market in one booking.

Should you drive?

Avoid driving in the city centre at Christmas. Parking is tight, the old town streets are narrow and the market crowds fill them. Arrive by train, then walk.

If you stay outside the centre, the U-Bahn and trams run close to the old town and cost a standard local fare, with single tickets and day tickets sold at the machines.

Hours for the season

Stalls open every day of the week from 10:00-21:00. On 24 December everything shuts at 2 pm, and there is no trading on 25 December because the market ends on Christmas Eve. Last season the opening day stayed open until 22:00 as part of the Lange Einkaufsnacht, when old town shops and the market were open late together.

Dates for early planners

This season the market runs from 27 November to 24 December, and the Opening Ceremony is on 27 November at 17:30. If you are planning further ahead, next season's market runs 26 November to 24 December. The rule of thumb is simple: the market starts on the Friday before the first Advent Sunday and always ends on Christmas Eve at 2 pm.

What happens at the opening

The Christkind opens the market with a prologue from the gallery of the Frauenkirche, watched free from the square below. A new young woman is voted every two years to play the Christkind. A local girl aged 16 to 19 is chosen for two years and delivers the opening prologue.

Over the season the Christkind keeps more than 170 appointments at the market and at charities.

A three-hour visit that works

Arrive mid-afternoon so you see the stalls in daylight and the lights after dark. Spend the first hour on the outer rows of the Hauptmarkt, the second on the side markets a few steps away, and the last on food, mulled wine and the Frauenkirche clock. On 24 December start in the morning, because the whole market shuts at 2 pm and late arrivals miss it entirely.

How many days for the city

Most travellers should plan three days in Nuremberg, or four for a relaxed pace with a day trip. That leaves room for the castle, the old town and the market evenings without rushing. Midweek visits are less crowded and cheaper than weekends, so if you can shift dates, go Tuesday to Thursday.

Weekends versus midweek

Midweek visits are less crowded and cheaper than weekends, which matters for both hotels and patience. The first week of the season is quieter than the final stretch before Christmas, and mornings before lunch are the calmest hours on the square. More than two million people visited last season, so expect queues for food at peak times regardless.

Weather to expect

In December Nuremberg averages 1.4 hours of sunshine a day. Dress for cold and damp rather than snow, and build in warm-up stops at the Bratwurstküchen or a heated café. The market lights are LED and run on 100 percent regional green electricity, and they look best after dusk whichever day you pick.

Sausages, Lebkuchen and Glühwein

Food highlights are Nuremberg sausages, Lebkuchen and Heidelbeere Glühwein, a blueberry mulled wine. Other things to look for include the Nuremberger sandwich, spekulatius cookies and feuerzangenbowle. Nuremberg Rostbratwurst has held EU protected geographical indication status since 2003 and genuine ones are 7 to 9 cm long. Nuremberg Lebkuchen has carried EU protection since 1996 and must be made in the city, with Elisenlebkuchen requiring at least 25 percent nuts and at most 10 percent flour.

Stall prices for food are not published, so check the boards at the counter. If you want the tastings arranged with the stories behind them, book the Christmas Market History & Culinary Delights Tour at $28 per person, or the Christmas City Culinary Tour with Tastings at $60 per person.

The mug and the deposit

Twenty Glühwein vendors share one mug through a joint pool, so the same mug works at every hot-drink stand. You get a new mug design each year, and you can keep it as a souvenir by forgoing the deposit. Nuremberg was the first market in Germany to introduce a reusable-mug deposit system.

The deposit amount is not published, so ask at the stall and keep the token or receipt if one is issued.

The Children's Market

Kinderweihnacht, the Children's Market, sits just off the Hauptmarkt alongside the Sister Cities Market and the Original Regional Christmas Market, all within 2 to 3 minutes of the main square. Beyond the markets, other family options in the old town include a yellow stagecoach at the market, a city mini-train and the Winter Village at Jakobsmarkt. A rock cellar tour ending with a Rotbier at Altstadthof suits adults more than children.

Getting around with a stroller

The Hauptmarkt is a flat open square, so pushchairs move easily between stalls. Crowds are the main obstacle, so the weekday morning slots are kindest. The 10 minute walk from the station is on paved streets, and public transport plus Uber work well if you need to cut a journey short.

Specific accessibility facilities at the stalls are not stated.

Money and essentials

Some market stalls are cash only, so carry euros and use official bank ATMs rather than machines in bars or shops. German plugs are type F, so pack an adapter for your chargers. Wear waterproof shoes with grip, since the square is cobbled and December averages only 1.4 hours of sunshine a day.

A small backpack worn at the front helps in the crowds.

Know what things cost before you go

Souvenirs felt more expensive here than at other markets, according to one guide that compared them. Set a budget before you arrive and decide early whether you are keeping your Glühwein mug, which means forgoing the deposit, as a souvenir.

From the 16th century to today

The market's first explicit mention is from 1678, and the pre-Christmas fair on the Hauptmarkt can be traced to the 17th century. One guide dates it to at least 1628, making it one of the oldest in Germany. More than two million people visited last season, so it has grown a long way from its medieval roots.

The Christkind

A new young woman is voted every two years to play the Christkind. A local girl aged 16 to 19 is chosen for a two-year term, which includes delivering the opening prologue from the Frauenkirche gallery. Over the Christmas season the Christkind keeps more than 170 appointments at the market and at charities.