As a Singaporean who will be stuck on this tropical rock for this year end holiday, I have already given up hopes of spending Christmas in a foreign country rich with Christmas spirit. Way before Nuremberg announced the halt of its Christmas Market, I was already reminiscing about the most memorable Christmas Markets I had visited.
Nuremberg, Germany
Visiting Nuremberg’s Christmas Market, Just Because…
Nuremberg just announced that they’ll be suspending this year’s Christmas Market. Ranked the world’s best Christmas Market, Nuremberg Christmas Market had been held at the old city’s Main Market Square since the 1500s.
Indeed, weaving through the wooden booths surrounded by Gothic buildings on a cold winter’s night was surreal.
Nuremberg’s Christmas market was slightly different from Munich’s, which was more commercial than the former (the irony!). There were stalls with rows of ceramic alpine houses, and stalls with gingerbread houses / men of all sizes. Even if they weren’t selling gingerbread products.
Most Memorable Food In Nuremberg Christmas Market
Food wise, there were many stalls selling the same stuff. It was somewhat like the night markets of Taiwan. It was up to us to try out different versions of churros to make the verdict. Or you can do a Singaporean onsite survey – which stall has the longest queues – to assess the food quality.
My best find was the currywurst at the kebab stall that had a long, but somewhat messy queue. The currywurst was served with a warm, crusty bun, which was great to tone down the burst of flavours when I bit into each currywurst. In fact, I ate it the Singaporean style – dipping the bread like I dipped my baguette into the Chilli Crab gravy!
The sauces were a blend of spice, saltiness and tang. But the food was so delicious, I didn’t care that I made a mess stuffing myself with the sauce covered currywurst.
Everybody huddled around the stall after paying to finish their food, which explained the messiness of the queue. But it was also for the convenience of returning the melamine ware. One could get a Euro back for returning the plate. And that was also self service.
I rounded off the visit with a walk across the bridge. The river was also bustling after dark. Houses that lined the banks were filled with people dining out. Their laughter spilled onto the river along with their excited chatter, dancing on the water surface with the glimmer from the moon.
Yep, admiring the river view is also a recommended part of the Christmas market experience!
Getting to Nuremberg
I got in to Nuremberg by train from the nearest major city, Munich. At just 1 hour’s ride away, it was possible to do a day trip. There were also many trains shuttling between both cities. Even during the Christmas peak holiday season, there was no need to pre-book the tickets. However, I chose to stay over at Nuremberg, so that I had the time to enjoy Germany’s oldest Christmas Market till late!
Read more about my exploration of Nuremberg’s Christmas Market and Castle and my stay at Hotel ibis Hauptbahnhof. Also, while you’re at Nuremberg, remember to try their sausages, which were unique from the rest of the German sausages found in the country!
Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg has a reputation for being “The Mozart Place”, though I doubt many expect that me to quote Salzburg as a city with memorable Christmas markets.
Indeed, the Christmas markets in Salzburg aren’t spectacular nor outstanding. What made its Christmas markets memorable was its surroundings.
Sprawling Christmas Market Set In An Enchanting Landscape
Salzburg, nestled on the bank of River Salzach, boasted great views on both sides of the river. Pop by any of the bridges at any time of the day and you’ll be treated to mesmerising views.
Additionally, Mozartplatz – the tourist destination in the old city – was surrounded by small market squares. The Christmas market of Salzburg sprawled across several of such plazas, interconnected by streets and building archways.
I didn’t expect that when I visited Salzburg. As such, I went straight for Mozartplatz. Each time I came across a “Christmas market” (more like a bunch of Christmas market stalls), I thought I had reached Mozartplatz.
Every time, I was wrong.
Exploring small Christmas markets one after another became a unique experience. That kind of deja vu was as though I was unwrapping endless presents.
I could only confirm I was at Mozartplatz when I saw its skating rink. Though it was famous, reality was that the queue was long and the “snow” around the perimeter was muddy and slippery. Quite an anti-climax, I would say. But as a guy, I was able to filter out the negativities and enjoyed the wonder that was Salzburg’s Christmas Market.
That being said, I was still able to find a statue of Mozart and took a wefie with it. No, it was not where Mozart was buried. But yes, it was a touristy been-there-done-that ritual. It somehow didn’t feel right not to do anything stereotypically touristy!
Getting to Salzburg
The stroll to Mozartplatz from Salzburg main train station took about 30 minutes. The plan was to take a day trip to Salzburg from our “base” at Munich. And since the train ride was about 2 hours, I had to make sure I set off early, so that I could make the most of the daylight. There were many trains running in between the 2 cities both ways. Therefore, even though we missed the train back, we only had to wait for another hour for the next one.
Read about my Salzburg day trip in my other post.
Colmar, France
I can’t leave out Colmar’s Christmas market when reminiscing about the festive fairs that left a deep impression on me. After all, it was the very first Christmas I had ever visited in my life.
Colmar is a town in the Alsace region northeast of France, near the border with Germany. As such, much of the town’s architecture was heavily influenced by German building styles.
My First Christmas Market Experience
Indeed, I felt like I was transported back to the medieval times when I walked down the cobblestone streets lined with timbre framed houses.
The sole Christmas Market in the town was a small, but bustling affair. We walked the entire fair within 30 minutes, but it was the crowd and atmosphere that made it such a dear.
People were huddling each other as they shuffled in between the crowds. Whenever I got my hands on the Churros (it was my first time eating Churros too) or crepe, I had to waltz to the back of the stalls to savour them.
Yup, amongst the trash cans and what nots.
But that did little to diminish my memories of the town’s Christmas Market. All we needed to do was to be there earlier the next day to beat the crowd.
I remembered we were there before Christmas (we had planned to spend Christmas in Paris). Yet there was no signs of snow in Colmar. Instead, the people put up fake exhibits of snowscape. It was ridiculous, but cute at the same time!
Towns In The Alsace Region
We also did a day tour to the towns around the Alsace region, some of which also had their own Christmas Markets. Theirs were smaller, and yet did not lose out in terms of the holiday ambience.
Although the Christmas markets of the smaller towns were like cookie cutters, there was still this rugged charm to those markets. One had a market square so small that its stalls spilled out into the surrounding streets and alleys. Most had uneven cobblestone paths. The buildings were markedly smaller than those found in Salzburg. However, the tenants did their best to decorate the exterior, creating a mosaic of Christmas decorations along the streets.
Getting to Colmar
Colmar is a 4 hours’ train ride from Paris. We had taken a red-eye flight on Air France into Charles de Gaulle airport, transferring to a late morning train out east. We reached Colmar just before dark (it was winter, so sunset was at about 3pm). But we were so tired by dinner time, we couldn’t even taste the food!
On hindsight, we should have bought some food at Paris. We could then have our fill on the train and get a good rest right after checking in to our hotel. Jetlag is the worst monster to encounter with on holidays!
Which Christmas Market(s) Do You Miss?
I recalled when I reviewed my trip to Bavaria back then, I said that we should seize the day and visit places with beautiful sights and sounds. We never know when the snowscapes would no longer appear, or whether the towns would be ruined by floods of tourists.
Indeed, when it was announced that the Nuremberg Christmas Market would stop this year, I was relieved that I had made the trip to Germany’s oldest Christkindlmarkt! Salzburg’s Christmas market was a surprise, as I didn’t realise it had left such a deep impression on me until when I start recalling the details. However, I think my love for finding Christmas Markets to visit started from my first encounter at Colmar, France.
Since then, I would pine for spending Christmas outside of Singapore, and immerse myself in the Christmas atmosphere of Christmas markets around the world.
For you, what Christmas market(s) do you miss?
Do check out my trip report to Bavaria, which I summarised in my recount as a train adventure between Germany and Austria.
Till the, stay wanderlust!
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