Experiencing Christmas Markets along the Rhine River

One of the most iconic images of the Christmas season is the Christmas-time, outdoor markets common in many parts of Europe. In this post, I will share both how I experienced Christmas markets in three countries and my tips for a most enjoyable visit!

I have always wanted to visit these markets out of curiosity and also as a way to enjoy the Advent season in full spirit ahead of Christmas (technically, it is not Christmas until December 25th!). The opportunity came to do this with a Rhine River cruise friends of mine were doing. Doing a river cruise has been on my Mom’s travel “wish list” so I could knock out an item from each of our lists!

During your visit, in case you see street signs, know that Christmas in German is “Weihnachten” and “Noël” in French!

Place #1 – Aachen, Germany

We only got to spend a brief 1.5 hours in Aachen, mainly spent at its cathedral. But we had time to venture into the Christmas market next to it. Though we got distracted by a bakery across the street from it, we still had time to venture into the Christmas market next to the cathedral. By the way, it may seem I am kind of cheating mentioning this one as it is not on the Rhine but it was on our way to reaching the river coming from Brussels!

Christmas market in Aachen, Germany

Tip #1 – Prepare for any weather

Tip 1a: Bundle up!

Clearly I am stating the obvious but… being outdoors 2-4 hours is different than a 15-minute walk in cold weather. While there are hot beverages available, that will not suffice! Depending on the day and the town, it could be quite cold. Then add the potential for wind and/or rain and it becomes even more a challenge to enjoying the markets!

Tip 1b: Wear shoes that can handle rain or snow

At a couple of places we had rain or a drizzle. It could be miserable – if you are not prepared or if you let it affect your spirits! While I cannot help much with the latter, for the former I recommend waterproof and “slip-proof” shoes.

Tip 1c: Avoid the hassle of an umbrella

Also, I would recommend a rain jacket/coat/poncho with a hood than using an umbrella for a couple of reasons. One, it leaves your hands free to check out the goods in the markets, or to hold your cup or drink while still allowing a free hand. Two, some of the streets or aisles are narrow and at times crowded. An umbrella creates for navigation issues as you walk around!

Place #2 – Cologne, Germany

It will not be a surprise that Cologne (Köln) has several Christmas markets as it is one of the largest towns on the list here. They are spread out enough so that you get to explore the streets of the town and happen by important places like the historic and imposing cathedral (as with many of the places mentioned here, more on them in future posts!), other churches, museums, town hall, etc. These interesting places can become a distraction from the Christmas markets – and rightly so! My advice: plan for more time in Cologne if you can so you can see more than the Christmas markets!

Main Christmas market in Cologne by the cathedral - Germany
Main Christmas market in Cologne by the cathedral

Tip #2 – Don’t judge markets by the first one

As in everything (or most everything) in life, don’t assume all Christmas markets will be like the first one you visit. Though many things will feel the same, markets can vary in terms of the types of goods offered. Also, a town may have just one or two markets whereas another may have several. And perhaps hours of operation differ (in Basel, for example, the market by the cathedral opened at 11 AM on the weekday I visited).

Place #3 – Rüdesheim, Germany

This small town certainly packed a punch when it came to the Christmas market scene! The stands were everywhere in the heart of the town and by the river. And the pedestrian streets were jammed pack with people! It felt like a fun place to be.

Christmas market and streets of Rudesheim, Germany by the Rhine River

Tip #3 – Partake in the glühwein and food

The Christmas markets are well-known for offering visitors hot beverages to help with staying warm. While hot chocolate and hot juices are available, the typical drink is spiced, watered-down wine called glühwein normally available with white or red wine. It certainly is a unique beverage and, being diluted, it is not as strong as a real glass of wine. Normally not a fan of spices like cinnamon and others but I can tolerate this spiced wine as it feels good to hold the hot cup in my cold hands!

Gluhwein stand in Colmar, France
In France, ask for “vin chaud”!

Also worth noting is all the good food around the kiosks (besides the regular cafes or restaurants available)! Many local specialties like baked goods, flammkuchen, sausages, pretzels, etc. Don’t miss out!

Sausage stand at Christmas market in Cologne, Germany by the cathedral
You can ALMOST smell the sausages!

Oh, and how could I forget! When you order the glühwein, keep in mind that if you return the mug, you get a refund. Or, if you want the mug as a souvenir, you don’t have to return it. What they charged you up front, assumes you will not return it. You can walk around the market or out of it while you sip your drink! In some towns like Strasbourg, we noticed that many stands only offer a cheap plastic cup whereas other stands have the real mugs. Also, in Rüdesheim we got some mugs from 2016. You may or may not care, just want you to be aware!

Gluhwein stand at a Christmas market in Heidelberg, Germany
Plenty of mugs in this Heidelberg stand!

Place #4 – Heidelberg, Germany

Again, we have a place technically not on the Rhine River but typically part of the itinerary of many cruises courtesy of a bus ride! Of course, the most important thing to do in Heidelberg is to visit its imposing castle above town. Not only is it an impressive set of structures and ruins, it also offers great views of the town and the Neckar River that goes through it.

Christmas market in Heidelberg. Germany

I have to say the Christmas markets I got to visit there were the least impressive of the ones I visited (Aachen’s was smaller but felt nicer). Thankfully, Heidelberg has a lot of things going for it.

Tip #4 – Check them out at day and at night

Daytime is short this time of year in these latitudes so this will not be hard to do. The Christmas markets felt different at night than in the daytime. It may be that they seemed to become more festive but that could be related to increased alcohol consumption perhaps? In any case, I’d suggest checking them out at these different times. This could also give you the opportunity perhaps to sit down somewhere for a proper meal intown or enjoy the local kiosk food.

Christmas market in Rudesheim, Germany along the Rhine River
Rüdesheim fun-filled streets at night

Place #5 – Strasbourg, France

This important seat of the European Union’s Parliament is quite a city. Its cathedral is fairly magnificent and its streets are lined with beautiful shops. Of course, this is one of the best places for Alsatian cuisine so I recommend not only walking to all the Christmas markets and side streets but also investing in a good lunch or dinner! Read more about how I experienced Strasbourg at Christmas here.

Chrismas market by the Strasbourg Cathedral in the Alsace region of France
Stands in front of the Strasbourg Cathedral

Tip #5 – Don’t buy everything in the first market

As you may expect, some of the goods (souvenirs or regular Christmas decorations) available in the markets are similar. But, since the towns along the river don’t share fully the same culture or history, there will be some variation in the items available. Even markets in one town may have different focus so the goods can vary there too. So don’t spend all your money in the first market or town!

Goods at a Christmas market in Germany
Not just Christmas goods but local and practical crafts!
Goods at a Christmas market in Germany

Place #6 – Colmar, France

As Aachen and Heidelberg, Colmar is not along the Rhine River. The main “port” on the river near it would be Breisach, Germany. This French town close to the border with Germany is a real gem, Christmas markets or not! It is breathtaking to meander its streets and see all the beautiful buildings all around (this town is definitely worth a separate blog post!). In Christmas, as in other towns, many establishments decorate part of their facade which adds to charm of Colmar.

Street in Strasbourg, France decorated for Christmas (Noël)
One of the best decorations (this store in Strasbourg)

Navigating the streets is easiest with a map as the streets twist and turn but maps also make it seem that it takes longer to reach a given location. I can’t recall actually how many markets we visited but we enjoyed at least half of the six that were pointed out to us in the map. The tourist info office offers maps especially marked with the Christmas markets.

Tip #6 – Buy it if you like it

While tip #5 is true (don’t rush to buy everything in the first town), the flipside is also important. If you find something that catches your fancy, buy it then and there. You are not guaranteed you will find it in a later town!

Place #7 – Basel, Switzerland

If I understood correctly, there should be three Christmas markets in Basel, Switzerland. I visited two and did not run into the third. The ones I visited were in the city center. One was right by the cathedral on the hill and the other was below near the Basel Historical Museum (on Barfüsser Platz). I found the latter to have a good variety of items. I bought not only a glass of glühwein there but also marzipan goodies (delicious!).

Traditional German Nativity Carousel/Pyramid - Christmas Market in Basel Switzerland
Traditional German Nativity Carousel/Pyramid

Tip #7 – Take time to soak it all in

Looking at all the goods, eating and sipping a hot glühwein is all well and good. However, standing for a few minutes (or more) is rewarding too. Though there certainly will be tourists, locals enjoy these markets too! For example, we stood by a small counter in Aachen sipping our drink and watching the atmosphere around us. We also found a spot to sit outdoors and chat with friends in a hole-in-the-wall in Rüdesheim. We got to watch tourists and locals enjoy this special time of the year when many people may think it best to sit in the warmth of the indoors at home!

Also, walking through the streets of these towns and looking at regular stores is a must. As mentioned earlier, many places decorate and the spirit is festive in the city centers!

Christmas market in Cologne, Germany
Christmas market in Cologne

In the end, however you want to “do” the markets, do them! It is certainly different than how I have experienced Christmas before and maybe it will be so for you too!

Save this pin to your travel planning board!

Christmas markets, Cologne, weihnachten, mercados de Navidad, Germany

Great Drive Series – A Switzerland Sampler

When I worked in Paris many moons ago for 6 months, one of the neat weekend trips I took was a rather rushed visit to Switzerland.  More than anything, we just wanted to leave France.  Having visited Heidelberg and worked in The Netherlands during that period, we opted to go south:  Switzerland (or Schweiz or Suisse, depending on which language you prefer).

We left work, grabbed our backpacks, and rode to the car rental offices in Paris to get our car.  We decided all this within i a day or two from leaving so had no big plans nor hotel reservations anywhere.  All we had identified was some target cities based on the easiest drive-around route.  This was when the Internet was not yet matured so even if we had had the time we would  not have gotten too much info on what to see and do.  So drive we did.

That Friday night, we overnighted in a French town named Besançon, a town of about 200,000+ residents, somewhat east of Dijon, and not far from the Swiss border for all practical purposes.  The town had an old casino which we thought we’d check out except it was all very smoky and we pretty  much just walked right back out, opting for dinner at some non-descript café before going to our small hotel to rest for the night.

The next morning we crossed the Swiss border where we had to buy a permit to drive in Switzerland.  I am not sure if that is still needed but make sure you find out before driving into the country.  We felt that to aim for Geneva would put us to far west and that we would have to backtrack on the same road to head eastward so we opted for passing on Geneva (much as it is definitely worth the visit).  We drove straight into Lausanne as our first stop though we made it a quick one to get info on the roads (i.e., get maps).  We spied the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee facing Lake Geneva, no doubt paid for by money the sponsors of the Olympics pay the IOC for their monopoly.  It looked like quite a pleasant city to live in, I must say.

Lausanne, switzerland, city, lake Geneva, travel, photo, Canon EOS Rebel

Sitting on the northern shores of Lake Geneva is Lausanne

Since we learned that Bern (Berne) and Interlaken were really the must-sees in the western half of Switzerland (we were not going to have enough time to explore the other half in one weekend AND return to Paris on time to show up at work Monday AM), we decided to not spend more time in Lausanne. The map below highlights in yellow the route we decided out which would take us close to Zurich but with no time to spend there, and would have us exit Switzerland at Basel, thereby minimizing backtracking in our route.

Switzerland, map, route, driving, Bern, Lausanne, Interlaken, travel, tourism

Instead we took off and decided the best route was along Lake Geneva (instead of heading back north of Lausanne and along Lake Neuchatel) where we were rewarded with views of the lake on one side and views of vineyards on the other (who knew!) before turning inland to head to Switzerland’s capital, Bern.  The weather, as you may notice, was not the best for awe-inspiring photography (as you can tell) but the sights were still beautiful.

Swiss, vineyards, Switzerland, Alps, drive, driving, travel, tourism, Canon EOS Rebel

Some of the many vineyards we drove by along Lake Geneva

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THE narrowest steps I have seen, right by the road and NO handrail!

clock tower, Switzerland, Swiss architecture, drive, driving, travel, tourism, Canon EOS Rebel

Clock tower

Swiss architecture, Switzerland, Alps, drive, driving, travel, tourism, Canon EOS Rebel

Typical Swiss home along the shores of Lake Geneva

We arrived in Bern and sought the tourist information office – which you could count to be well-organized being a Swiss operation.  And it was!  The young woman helped us find a place to stay in the center of town – nothing fancy needed, just a clean bed and bathroom.  We checked in but immediately took off to our main target:  Interlaken.

The drive to Interlaken (“between lakes”), as the name alludes, requires you to drive along a lake.  The road was curvy and fun to drive.  We arrived at Interlaken and walked around, admiring the beautiful town and setting, with the ice blue waters flowing between Lake Thun (Thunersee) and Lake Brienz (Brienxersee) going right through town.  We found a neat spot to eat at and enjoyed a great late lunch admiring the view.

Interlaken, Switzerland, travel, tourism, Alps, ice cold blue, Canon EOS Rebel

Beautiful part of Interlaken

After some more walking, we headed back to Bern (wishing we had not found a hotel yet in Bern so we could stay at Interlaken instead… ) to have dinner and see some of the town.

Bern, Berne, Switzerland, view, vista, photo, travel, tourism, Canon EOS Rebel

Looking back towards Bern on the road towards Interlaken

The next morning we continued our drive (which took us back past Interlaken; the dreaded re-tracing of a route…) on our way to Lucerne, another Swiss town on the shores of the same-named lake.  We parked, walked around town, had lunch and started the long drive back to Paris.

One thing about driving in Switzerland is that there are never ending things to admire whether they be structures, lake, our mountains. You could say we barely scratched the surface on this beautiful country – clearly there are other great driving routes awaiting but for one weekend’s worth of sampling, I am pretty pleased!

 

Great Drives Series – Around Bordeaux

I have done a couple of trips into Bordeaux where I have explored the region by car.  There really is no better way to explore the diversity of the region (and its wines!), which may seem at first to be more homogenous than it actually is.  To venture inland, near where Bordeaux runs into the Dordogne is to see a totally different Bordeaux than you may see in the Médoc.  To drive around Sauternes is definitely different than going to Saint-Émilion.

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Beautiful countryside in Bordeaux

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Fields of sunflowers dot the landscape in parts of Bordeaux

Both times I went were in the pre-GPS era but that did not make it difficult to drive around.  A good map (and a good map reader somewhere in the vehicle) is all you need to be able to explore this area without too much trouble.

Bordeaux, chateau, signs, driving, France, wine, travel

Plenty of markers/signs help the visitor find their way around!

St. Julien, Bordeaux, large wine bottle, wine, bottle, photo, travel, Canon EOS Rebel

With helpful markers like this one, you know you are in wine country!

One of our stops was the Château Ducru-Beaucaillou where we were taken on a private tour of this grand winemaker (through which I would run the next day when I ran in the Bordeaux marathon!).

Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou, Bordeaux, Medoc, France, winery, vineyard, chateaux, wine, photo, Canon EOS Rebel

Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou (I would run right past this spot the next day!)

If you are somewhat interested in wine, there will be plenty for you to do and explore. The town of Saint-Émilion is one of the gems of the region.  Walk around but climb up to the top of the town.  There are cafés up there too and nowhere better to be when the sun sets, glass of wine in hand – of course!

St. Emilion, Bordeaux, French town, France, sign, vines, photo,Saint-Émilion, Canon EOS Rebel

The way to Saint-Émilion!

St. Emilion, Bordeaux, French town, France, sign, photo, Canon EOS Rebel

Always remember where you parked in a new town! In this case, a nice map at the town entrance helped!

St. Emilion, Bordeaux, French town, France, view , photo, Canon EOS Rebel

View from the upper part of Saint-Émilion down to its main square

We enjoyed some of the big (and seemingly more commercial) chateaux but we also loved to more “rural” areas on roads less traveled and discovering the smaller vineyards and winemakers.  Some of the information offices and hotels had displays full of cards of the many chateaux in the area such as the one below.

wine, Bordeaux, France, card, chateau, travel

It was one of these cards that led us to discover a gem of a château in SauternesChâteau Sahuc Les Tours.

Chateau, Sahuc Les Tours, Sauternes, Graves, Bordeaux, France, travel, wine, vin, countryside, travel, photo, Canon EOS Rebel

The beautiful Château Sahuc Les Tours

The owners even sat down with us to share a bottle of their Sauternes and spent a good hour chatting with us about every topic that could concern French and American alike (they spoke excellent English).  Sauternes (in the Graves area), if you are not familiar, produces a sweet white wine bearing the same name made from sémillon, sauvignon blanc, and muscadelle grapes that have Botrytis cinerea (or “noble rot”) which concentrates the sugars.  We got to see the grapes up front as they began to look like raisins.  But don’t let the thought of rot keep you from drinking this wine!

Sauternes,  Botrytis cinerea, noble rot, wine, grapes, Bordeaux, Graves, Semillon, photo, travel, Canon EOS Rebel

Before and after…

That was such a good experience that I returned 7 years later to that chateau – and to my delight, one of the owners was there and, though she clearly could not remember me, realized I really had been there before as I recounted some of the things they had told us the first visit.  Connecting with locals in a real way is one of the rewards of venturing out and exploring this world!

sauternes, grave, Bordeaux, France, winemaker, photo, travel

The friendly owner of Sahuc Les Tours with a delicious bottle in hand

So while this post is about great drives, let’s not forget that this drive is about wine!  Cheers!

wine, Bordeaux, France, travel, photo, Canon EOS Rebel

A beautiful wine in Bordeaux

 

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