10 Facts About German Christmas Markets
As you all know, Stefanie is from Germany and grew up around Christmas Markets her whole life. Christmas Markets are an almost 600 year tradition established at around the same time when Gutenberg invented type writing. Christmas Markets were established to sell meats and home-made items to people. While German Christmas Markets are fascinating, beautiful and cozy, we wanted to share a couple facts and tips before traveling to a Christmas Market.
1. Bring enough Cash: While more and more huts allow Credit Cards, your favorite Glühwein stand may still only accept cash. Not only it is important to bring cash but it should be enough cash. You do not want to run out of money while shopping for traditional and local items.
2. You have to pay for Pfand (Deposit): When you buy a Glühwein mug, you have to pay up to 5 Euros for a mug in deposit. It’s called a Pfand, it guarantees the vendor that you will be bringing back the mug. Of course, you have the option to keep the mug but then you won’t get your money back.
4. Christmas Markets close early: Most Christmas Markets close at 9pm and it’s usually a very strict time. Most vendors have been in their hut for about 12 hours selling goods, food and drinks. They are tired at the end of the day, so when the market closes at a certain time, you usually do not have time for wiggle room, so make sure you get to the markets early to have enough time for exploring, shopping and trying new things. 
5. Glühwein: You may know about the traditional mulled red wine also known as Glühwein. It might be overwhelming that there are now all types of wines transformed into a Glühwein. Our favorite is a white Glühwein, it’s usually a local German white wine transformed into a spiked mulled wine. We also tried Blueberry Glühwein before, which was still good but very sweet. A lot of Glühwein is now offered with various shots. Just be careful since you can’t taste the rum due to the overwhelming taste of sweet wine. Be careful! Especially if it’s cold and icy out there.
6. Food: There is so much good food, we have some favorites but this year we tried new items. In Dresden, there is a ham and cheese stuffed bread called “Hand Brot” (hand bread) and it’s covered with cream. We also had a bowl of mushrooms called Champignons. The bowl comes with a piece of bread and it’s smothered in onions and garlic. Of course we still had traditional Bratwurst, Pancakes and Meatball (Frikadellen) burgers. You can’t go wrong with anything! All the food is delicious and not very pricey so you can try lots of different things.
9. Don’t be afraid to make friends: While people stand around the food and Glühwein huts, you may come across people from all over the world. Don’t be afraid to mingle, the holiday season is such a special time in Germany and people are just so friendly and you never know who you meet. We for example ran into students from South Korea and had one of the best nights getting to know them.
10. Language: While everyone in Germany speaks some level of English, we highly recommend to learn a couple German phrases such as “Ein Beer/Glühwein bitte” (one beer/mulled wine please), “Danke” (Thank you), “Frohe Weihnachten” (Merry Christmas).
2. You have to pay for Pfand (Deposit): When you buy a Glühwein mug, you have to pay up to 5 Euros for a mug in deposit. It’s called a Pfand, it guarantees the vendor that you will be bringing back the mug. Of course, you have the option to keep the mug but then you won’t get your money back.
3. The Morning of 12/24 is the last day of a traditional market: Germans start celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve and it lasts until December 26, which means by the time stores are back open on December 27, the Christmas Markets are over and usually all packed up. Of course, you may see some random stands and huts here and there but don’t count on it. Don’t procrastinate your Christmas Market shopping, it might be too late.
5. Glühwein: You may know about the traditional mulled red wine also known as Glühwein. It might be overwhelming that there are now all types of wines transformed into a Glühwein. Our favorite is a white Glühwein, it’s usually a local German white wine transformed into a spiked mulled wine. We also tried Blueberry Glühwein before, which was still good but very sweet. A lot of Glühwein is now offered with various shots. Just be careful since you can’t taste the rum due to the overwhelming taste of sweet wine. Be careful! Especially if it’s cold and icy out there.
6. Food: There is so much good food, we have some favorites but this year we tried new items. In Dresden, there is a ham and cheese stuffed bread called “Hand Brot” (hand bread) and it’s covered with cream. We also had a bowl of mushrooms called Champignons. The bowl comes with a piece of bread and it’s smothered in onions and garlic. Of course we still had traditional Bratwurst, Pancakes and Meatball (Frikadellen) burgers. You can’t go wrong with anything! All the food is delicious and not very pricey so you can try lots of different things.
7. Bundle Up: It will be cold, especially when the sun is down. It gets extremely cold in Germany and to ensure you are not freezing at night, make sure you have layers, gloves and a hat. Don't let the day-time temperatures trick you.
8. Huts: Small business owners sell handmade crafted stuff, pyramids and ornamentsa and can be found anywhere. Vendors sell all their items out of little huts, each Christmas Market in Germany is very similar, however some items are only sold in certain regions.
9. Don’t be afraid to make friends: While people stand around the food and Glühwein huts, you may come across people from all over the world. Don’t be afraid to mingle, the holiday season is such a special time in Germany and people are just so friendly and you never know who you meet. We for example ran into students from South Korea and had one of the best nights getting to know them.
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| Stefanie and her Classmates |
10. Language: While everyone in Germany speaks some level of English, we highly recommend to learn a couple German phrases such as “Ein Beer/Glühwein bitte” (one beer/mulled wine please), “Danke” (Thank you), “Frohe Weihnachten” (Merry Christmas).
Have we convinced you to book a trip to Germany for the next holiday season? It’s one of those bucket list items that everyone should experience once! You won’t regret visiting Europe during the winter, and with a little luck you may experience the Christmas Markets in a winter wonderland.
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