You definitely know Christmas is here when you visit the Christmas market in Nürnberg (or Nuremberg for us English speaking folks). Although its origins are unknown, it’s one of the oldest in Germany and dates back to 1610! It’s also one of the biggest, with around 200 stalls set up in their Medieval old part of town, you really begin to feel like you’re in some sort of winter wonderland!
It’s definitely an attraction as over 2 million people visit the Nürnberg Christmas market every year….isn’t that crazy? In an attempt to avoid the hype, I visited on an early afternoon on a Monday…and the place was already packed with people excited to begin their day with mulled wine, roasted almonds, and those really yummy Nürnberg sausages!
Even if you weren’t hungry before, you’re going to be hungry after walking around and smelling all the delicious foods the stalls have to offer…
There’s one thing you can’t leave Nürnberg without trying, and that’s their special Nürnberg sausages (Nürnberger Bratwürste).
They’re renown for it all over Germany, and they’re definitely unique! Rather than a big sausage (or those 1/2 metre ones that I love!), they’re these tiny ones which are served in a bun with 3.
Some other honourable food mentions are:
Gebrannte Mandeln (Burnt sugar almonds)
Elisen Lebkuchen (similar to gingerbread)
Another thing I loved about the Nürnberg Christmas market was the international section where they had stalls from all over the world… like France, Poland, China, Turkey, the USA and my favourite, this Scotland booth!
There’s an abundance of tartan, glüh-whiskey (can’t get more Scottish than that!) and even a very cute middle-aged Scottish vendor who looked confused and worried whenever someone spoke to him in German (which happened often).
Rather than staying in Nürnberg for the whole day, we also went to a little town nearby called Fürth, where they have a very old-fashioned/Medieval looking Christmas market.
At first glance, it looked a lot like a hippie commune (which reminded me a bit of Nimbin in Australia). What really sold me over was the cute donkey!
Don’t worry, I saved the best for last…
When we returned to Nürnberg at night, I was surprised to see how the atmosphere looked completely different under the starry night sky!
The lights everywhere gave the whole place a romantic feel… (couples looking for a Christmas getaway look no further!)
And that ends this post on my Christmas adventure in Nürnberg. At the moment, my classes are finally finished, and Christmas break has begun! This year, I’m celebrating it with the bf and his family in their hometown in a village in Rheinland-Pfalz.
I’ll also be celebrating NYE this year in Vienna with some friends I haven’t seen in a while, so I’m super excited! And then it’s off to Bratislava and Budapest for a mini Eastern-European adventure!
How are you guys celebrating the holidays this year?
And with that, I leave you with this…
I love this post, Michelle! I’m a huge fan of bratwurst with mustard or sauerkraut (I like mine tart) or both of the former on a nice big roll! You have me licking my chops again ha, ha. And you are absolutely right on the what appears to be a romantic atmosphere there from your pictures! Oh, Nuremberg is on my bucket list within my bucket list of going to Germany. Wayyyy up high on the list. I’m so glad you included the pictures of the goats and miniature donkey. Huge animal lover here. Great to read after work tonight and thank you for this! Merry Christmas to you and your’s! 🙂
Yes you should def go to Nürnberg for the Christmas market!! Very worth it 🙂 And the Christmas markets with animals are def one of the most exciting things! 🙂
Hope you had a Merry Christmas!!!
oooh, I LOVE gebrannte Mandeln! They make them here too and sell them at some Marroni (roasted chestnuts) stands and during some of the festivals. Best thing ever? My teen learned to make them at school so now I could technically ask her to whip up a batch any time! Except then we’d inhale them in no time, which is opening a can of worms 😉
The markets look great! I hope you had a great time in Vienna. Happy New Year!
Lucky you! That’s awesome…you can have them anytime you like now! 🙂 And thanks! Happy New Year to you too!!
Although Christmas is gone already, looking at these photos and reading your post makes me wanna turn back the hands of time and experience it once again! German Christmas markets are definitely my favourite, love the mulled wine and local food!
Yea Christmas is definitely a fun experience in Germany!! 🙂
I just love the European Christmas markets – so much fun!
Yea they are! Almost something to look forward to every year!