Christmas markets in Germany? Follow my journey and find your perfect Christmas market, I've been to Munich, Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg.
If you love i Christmas markets but for a year you want to try something different, do like me who this year went to Germany to see the Markets of Monaco of Bavaria of Stuttgart. I have to tell the truth, I had already been to Munich twice, but I had never seen it in winter and therefore it intrigued me a lot. I had never been to Stuttgart and I was even more enthusiastic about this new destination!
I arrived with the 7.40 am plane in Munich, yes I know quite early, but this allowed me to be at the station in Munich already at 9 am operational. From Munich airport to the city center there is a train that costs 10€ and employs 40 minutes to arrive.
The plane I took from Verona and with which I also returned, always departing from Munich, was that of the airline Air Dolomiti. The new route inaugurated on 8 December 2014 by Air Dolomiti is the Munich - Bologna route, which is very convenient if you are leaving from Romagna and don't want to get to Verona.
Since my hours were quite limited, I had to leave Verona and I missed, to my great regret, the inaugural route to Bologna. Too bad, it will mean that I will do it again next time. The flight went very well, I felt really in seventh heaven while reading my guide to Germany and having my breakfast kindly offered by Air Dolomiti. To move between Munich and Stuttgart instead I moved with the German railways, DBahn.
But let's get to the serious stuff, what were the Christmas Markets that I enjoyed in Germany?
Monaco of Bavaria
Arrived at Munich station and after leaving my hand luggage in the lockers - I immediately went to Marienplatz. Here the Markets open at 10 in the morning and in my opinion the central square of Munich is not the best place to see the Christmas markets of the city. Here there are many tourists and the wooden houses do not sell who knows what products of who knows what make. The central square of Munich didn't really impress me then. Instead I was definitely impressed by the other two Munich City Markets that I visited.
Su Brienner Strasse, near the Hofgarten I found a Medieval Christmas Market very beautifull. There were not many stalls, about twenty, but what they sold and how they sold it was wonderful! Medieval clothes, dishes and drinks were special and not "the usual". In short, a Christmas market that in my opinion is worth seeing and where it is worth eating something different from the usual German dishes with sausages and potatoes.
Another market that I really liked in Munich was that ofEnglisher Garten. First of all I must say that I love this place in any season, in summer and winter as well as in autumn. Even with wolf weather in December I found the surfers intent on riding the waves of the Eisbach!
Where is the Chinese Tower a wonderful Christmas market is set up in my opinion. Here Santa Claus meets the children, everyone drinks gulwein and there are small indoor workshops to do manual activities with Santa Claus and his helpers or to hear the fairy tales directly told by Santa Claus.
Stuttgart
Stuttgart really impressed and thrilled me! Beyond 200 wooden houses and 300 years of history for this Christmas so rich. This Christmas Market is dismantled a few days before December 25th, although the ice rink remains until Epiphany. Three squares and two main streets are entirely set up and festively decorated.
The beauty of these markets, strange to say, but are its roofs, all very decorated. The reason why? Because here every year a prize for the roof of the most beautiful Christmas market, and there are really wonderful ones!
Although Germany is the home of beer, you will only find mulled wine here at Christmas gluwein, as they call it in Germany. It will be served to you everywhere in a Christmas mug which costs to use. Basically, if a glass of gluwein is € 3.50, the deposit for the cup will be around € 2 or more depending on the areas and the Christmas market where you are getting the mulled wine, which will be returned to you when you bring the cup back.
The large Stuttgart Christmas Market is divided into several parts. Coming from the station you will immediately meet the Children's Christmas Market, decidedly colorful with its little train and the stands with candies and cotton candy, then most of the market is dedicated to adults.
Ludwigsburg
Only 20 minutes by train from Stuttgart, is located the Ludwigsburg Christmas Market, the baroque market of Germany. Here is also the Baroque Castle which is absolutely worth a visit, but which unfortunately I was unable to visit. The Mercatino is small but delightful with wooden houses that sell household items very different from those found in Stuttgart and which for this reason are worth a visit.
In the center of the large squares on which all the 175 Christmas houses there are refreshment points that are divided into points where only hot chocolate and coffee, gluwein and beers, soups and sandwiches with German sausages are sold. There hot chocolate with cream it's something very tasty, if you get tired of gluwein try this!
