Most Christmas market coverage will tell you that every market is charming. I have been going for twenty years, and some are considerably more charming than others. That is the entire reason this show exists.
Ultimate Christmas Markets runs for ten episodes, one country at a time. In each one, I rank that country’s markets and say which are worth building a trip around, which are worth an afternoon if you happen to be nearby, and which are not worth the detour at all. Then I answer your questions in a quick Q&A.
The running order is Germany, Austria, France, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, the Baltic States, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands together, and Italy last. New episodes weekly.
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Episode 1: Germany
Germany is where all of this started, so it is where I started too. Dresden takes the top spot, and I do not think that is controversial, though I explain why the Green Vault and Münzgasse matter as much as the Striezelmarkt itself. Nuremberg gets the classic market experience but very little else, which is worth knowing before you book three nights there. Munich is the one I would send most people to first, because the markets are only part of the reason you are in the city.
I also cover Bamberg as the smaller alternative, including why it works if you are travelling with someone who cannot walk long distances, Hamburg for the snow, and Ravenna Gorge in the Black Forest, where tickets sell out within a day of release. The second half is a rapid Q&A on dates, the Pfand deposit that makes people think they have been overcharged, what glühwein actually costs this season, and whether the markets really are all selling the same things.
Read the full guide: Christmas markets in Germany
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