Can you tell me about the Christkindlmarkt?

I know it’s not nearly the same as a trip to Germany, but if you’re anywhere near Chicago between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we have one.

It’s always crowded, people love it.

Photo

Christkindlmarket.com

I didn’t chime in before because I don’t consider myself an expert on those, but I recommend concentrating on the smaller ones and definitely catching one of the “middle-age” markets. I really don’t think it’s too late to plan for this year. The South probably does Christmas Markets best, but you won’t get a real feel of Germany by only visiting that part. Then again, you will get a real feel for Christmas Markets, which is what you’re interested in. If I were you, I’d check out smaller towns in the South. Check out this blog, if your German is good enough: http://bayern-reiseblog.de/die-schoensten-weihnachtsmaerkte-in-bayern-meine-top-5/. I’ll be happy to translate, if you have any questions.

Since someone mentioned Chicago, I thought I would mention Frankenmuth, MI, if by chance you are in America or Canada, which has Christmas stores all year. The city is known for being a little Bavaria and it’s Famous Christmas store. There is other things to do there besides Christmas shop, and MI is beautiful in the summertime. The Great Lakes are gorgeous. I’m not suggesting this to replace your Germany trip, just as another trip that you can do even in the summer when it’s not Christmas.

Here is one list of Christmas markets in Europe.. It includes countries, cities, dates (note that the article is from 2015, but it provides the general date range to expect) and what to check out.

There are a couple ways to arrange for the trip:

1. Book it with a leisure travel agency that sells European Christmas packages. The advantage is they pretty much hold your hand most of the time. The downside is the lack of flexibility and it can cost more than making the arrangements yourself.

2. Book it yourself. It’s more work, but you’ll learn by doing the research. It can be cheaper as well.

3. Do a combination of both. A travel agency might be able to offer a flight and hotel as a package at a discounted rate. Just be sure to check out the hotel on a site like Trip Advisor first. Some have bad ratings.

If you want to keep it on the cheaper side, skip Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. Germany and Austria will probably your best bet. Both countries speak German and English, are more reasonably priced, and are steeped in culture that shouldn’t be missed.

Going along with @Pied_Pfeffer options, one way I’ve planned trips is look at tours available and then pick and choose what interests me. Tours give you a good idea what tourist spots to hit. I also use Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor negative reviews I find very useful. If three people complain about the same thing you can pretty much be sure it’s true. Certain negative things matter to me a lot, other don’t.

Thanks to all who’ve replied.
GA, @Pied_Pfeffer, and thanks for the link, @longgone. And, yes, @JLeslie, I also think that negative reviews are more useful than positive ones.