Nuremberg Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Hotels and Weekend Guide

Last updated 15.10.2026

The Nuremberg Christmas market is the one every other market in Germany gets measured against. The Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt square is a little town of wooden stalls under red and white cloth roofs, with its own Christkind, a young woman in a white and gold gown who opens the market from the balcony of a Gothic church, plus the gingerbread and finger-sized sausages that made Nuremberg famous far beyond Bavaria. The city is easy to reach for an international visitor: Nuremberg Airport (NUE) is about 13 minutes from the main station by U-Bahn, Munich and Frankfurt are on fast ICE lines, and Prague is roughly three and a half hours away by coach. In 2026 the Christkindlesmarkt is open from Friday 27 November until Christmas Eve, 24 December. Squeezing it into a day trip is hard work, so we would plan a long weekend. Below you will find our tips, hotels within walking distance of the stalls, a three-day itinerary, dates and opening hours for every market, how to get there from the airport and from Prague, where to park, and ten ideas for what to do in Nuremberg once you have had your fill of mulled wine.

Nuremberg Christmas market at a glance

• Dates 2026: Christkindlesmarkt 27 November to 24 December 2026, the Kinderweihnacht children’s market until 30 December, and the Winterdorf with its Ferris wheel from 12 November 2026 to 6 January 2027.
• Location: the Hauptmarkt square in the historic old town, the Sister Cities Market on the neighbouring Rathausplatz and the children’s market on Hans-Sachs-Platz. You can walk between all of them.
• Opening hours: daily 10am to 9pm, on Christmas Eve only 10am to 2pm.
• Opening ceremony: Friday 27 November 2026 at 5.30pm, when the Christkind recites the prologue from the balcony of the Frauenkirche.
• Entry: free.
• Ice rink: not at the market itself. Instead there is the Ferris wheel in the Winterdorf and carousels for children at the Kinderweihnacht.
• Best for: a long weekend from Friday to Sunday. As a day trip from Prague or Munich it is a long day (itinerary below).
• Where to stay: in the old town below the castle or along Königstraße, cheaper around the main station (our hotel picks).

Where to stay for the Nuremberg Christmas market

Can you do Nuremberg in a day? Technically yes, but it is a slog: from Prague it is three hours or more each way, and the market only really comes alive after dark, which is exactly when a day-tripper has to head back to the coach. We recommend turning the markets into a long weekend and staying at least one night. That way you see the Hauptmarkt lit up in the evening and quiet in the morning before the crowds arrive, and after a mulled wine and a Feuerzangenbowle you do not have to worry about the last train or about driving. You also dodge the worst of the crush: on Saturday afternoons you shuffle between the stalls at walking pace, whereas on Friday evening and Sunday morning there is far more room.

We have picked six places to stay at different price points, all within walking distance of the markets:

• Le Méridien Grand Hotel Nürnberg (opposite the main station): a large, elegant hotel a few steps from the ZOB coach station where buses from Prague arrive, and right by the U-Bahn from the airport. The Hauptmarkt is about twenty minutes on foot along Königstraße. For those who want Advent in comfort. Bonus: a hotel sauna and an Art Deco bar in 1920s style.
• Sorat Hotel Saxx Nürnberg (Hauptmarkt 17): right on the market square, so you cannot get any closer. For those who want the Christkindlesmarkt beneath their window and only a few steps to bed at night. Guests on Booking.com rate it 8.8.
• Hotel Drei Raben (Königstraße 63): a design hotel on the main pedestrian street between the station and St Lorenz, about ten minutes’ walk from the Hauptmarkt. For couples who want something with more character than a chain. Rated 9.2.
• Hotel Elch (by the Weinmarkt): a small family-run hotel in a half-timbered house dating from 1342 in the quarter below the castle, close to St Sebaldus Church and a few minutes from the market. For those who want to sleep in medieval Nuremberg. Bonus: a historic building with modern rooms and a buffet breakfast.
• Dürer-Hotel (Neutormauer 32): mid-range, in the northern part of the old town below the castle, close to Albrecht Dürer’s House and about ten minutes from the market. A good base if you want to be up at the castle first thing. Rated 8.5.
• Five Reasons Hostel & Hotel (Frauentormauer 42): the cheapest option, with private rooms as well as dorm beds, about 450 m from the main station and the coaches. For groups of friends or students. Rated 8.9.

Which area is best? The Sebald side of the old town, north of the river Pegnitz around the Hauptmarkt and below the castle, is the prettiest and puts everything within walking distance, but it is also the most expensive. The Lorenz side around Königstraße is busier and more about shopping, and the market is ten minutes away. You will sleep for less near the main station or in the Gostenhof district on U-Bahn line U1, from where you are at the markets in a few minutes. For more options and live prices for your dates, see our selection of places to stay in Nuremberg.

Tip: book early. Advent weekends in Nuremberg fill up, and hotels in the centre cost more at weekends than midweek. The rooms that go fastest are those for the opening weekend (27 to 29 November).

Nuremberg Christmas market as a long weekend

This is how we would spread Advent in Nuremberg over three days. We save the Hauptmarkt for Friday evening and Sunday morning, when there is the most space, and keep Saturday, the market’s busiest day, for the castle, the museums and the smaller markets.

• Friday: fly into Nuremberg Airport or arrive by train or coach in the morning, drop your bags at the hotel and spend the afternoon at the Christkindlesmarkt before the Saturday crowds. At dusk, head to the Sister Cities Market, then the Feuerzangenbowle by the Fleischbrücke and dinner at one of the traditional taverns around the market.
• Saturday: in the morning the Imperial Castle, calling at Albrecht Dürer’s House on the way down, and at midday the rock-cut cellars (book a place in advance). In the afternoon, when the Hauptmarkt is at its fullest, the Germanic National Museum, or with children the Toy Museum and the Kinderweihnacht. In the evening, the Ferris wheel at the Winterdorf and a red beer below the castle.
• Sunday: a quiet Hauptmarkt in the morning and gingerbread to take home (shops are closed on Sundays, the market is not). Then either a trip to Bamberg for its market and nativity scenes, or the Palm Beach thermal baths, and in the afternoon the U-Bahn to the airport or the train or coach home.

Got four days? Arrive on Thursday. Ideally Thursday 10 December, when the children’s lantern procession winds through the city, and on Friday morning add the nativity scene exhibition at St Egidien or Courtroom 600.

Why the Nuremberg Christmas market is worth visiting

Nuremberg takes its traditions seriously, and it shows. Every year the city checks what may be sold at the market: no plastic pine needles and no cheap mass-produced goods from anywhere and everywhere, but gingerbread, decorations, nativity figures, golden tinsel angels, candles and wooden toys. Its official nickname is “Städtlein aus Holz und Tuch”, the little town of wood and cloth, and that is exactly how it feels: the lanes between the stalls are narrow, the roofs almost touch, and the Gothic Frauenkirche rises above it all. According to the city, more than two million people come here over Advent.

What we like about Nuremberg is that the market is not just a backdrop for mulled wine. It has rituals of its own that you will not find anywhere else: the Christkind, the children’s lantern procession up to the castle, and a horse-drawn mail coach that rolls through the old town.

How to get to the Nuremberg Christmas market

By plane. Nuremberg Airport (NUE) lies about 5 km north of the city centre and is linked to it by U-Bahn line U2, which runs roughly every ten minutes and reaches the main station (Hauptbahnhof) in about 13 minutes. From there it is a 15 to 20 minute walk along Königstraße to the Hauptmarkt. Which airlines fly to Nuremberg in winter, and from where, changes from season to season, so check the current schedule before you book. Munich and Frankfurt airports are bigger alternatives with onward ICE trains to Nuremberg; journey times and fares are on bahn.com.

By coach from Prague. If you are combining Nuremberg with a trip to Prague, the coach is the easiest way without a car. FlixBus runs from Prague to Nuremberg several times a day and RegioJet roughly once a day; the journey takes about three and a half hours and some services also stop in Plzeň. Coaches terminate at the ZOB bus station next to the main railway station, from where you can walk to the Hauptmarkt along Königstraße in about 15 to 20 minutes. Tickets bought early tend to be the cheapest, and services on Advent weekends fill up fast.

By train from Prague. There is no direct train from Prague to Nuremberg. The connections take around four and a half hours and come in two versions: the West Express via Plzeň with a change in Schwandorf, or via Cheb with a change onto a train running through Marktredwitz. Times and tickets for both are on bahn.com.

By car. From Prague it is roughly 300 km and about three hours’ drive, on the Czech D5 motorway via the Rozvadov border crossing and then on the German A6 all the way to Nuremberg. If you hire a car in Prague, the D5 requires a Czech electronic motorway vignette (rental cars usually have one, but check), while German motorways are free for cars. Nuremberg has no low-emission zone (Umweltzone), so you do not need a green sticker for the city. From Plzeň the drive takes about two hours, from Cheb even less.

On an organised day trip. Coach day trips to the Nuremberg market are offered from Prague and other cities, usually leaving early in the morning and giving you around five hours of free time. It is convenient, but there is rarely time left for the market after dark or the opening ceremony with the Christkind, and after a day on your feet you still face a long ride back on the coach.

Parking near the Nuremberg Christmas market

Car parks in the old town are often full by mid-morning on Advent Saturdays, and the streets around the market are closed to traffic. The least stressful option is to leave the car at a Park and Ride on the edge of the city and take the U-Bahn into the centre. According to the transport operator VAG, parking at its P+R sites is free for up to 48 hours with a valid public transport ticket. If you are coming in on the A6 from the Prague direction, the most practical is P+R Langwasser Süd (around 300 spaces) at the end of U-Bahn line U1, from where you ride without changing to Lorenzkirche station, a few hundred metres from the Hauptmarkt.

In the centre, the paid car parks closest to the market are Parkhaus Hauptmarkt on Augustinerstraße, Augustinerhof and Findelgasse. A single public transport ticket in Nuremberg costs €3.90 (about £3.30) and is valid for 90 minutes, while the TagesTicket Plus day ticket for up to six people costs €15.50 (about £13), so for a family or a group it works out much better than single tickets.

Nuremberg Christmas market 2026: dates and location

The Christkindlesmarkt always opens on the Friday before the first Sunday of Advent and closes at 2pm on Christmas Eve. In 2026 that means Friday 27 November to Thursday 24 December, dates confirmed by the official market website. The organisers have already published 2027 too: 26 November to 24 December. The main market stands on the Hauptmarkt square, the Sister Cities Market is a few steps north on Rathausplatz, and the children’s market is about a hundred metres east on Hans-Sachs-Platz.

Nuremberg Christmas market opening hours

The stalls on the Hauptmarkt are open every day from 10am to 9pm, at weekends just as on weekdays. On Christmas Eve they close at 2pm. On opening day, trading pauses briefly during the ceremony. The organisers have not yet published the 2026 opening hours of the Sister Cities Market or any extension of the first evening. As soon as they do, we will add them here.

The Sister Cities Market on Rathausplatz closes a day earlier, with 23 December as its last day. If you only arrive on the morning of Christmas Eve, you will see just the main market and the Kinderweihnacht for children.

The opening ceremony with the Christkind

The official opening is on Friday 27 November 2026 at 5.30pm. The lights around the Hauptmarkt go out and, from the gallery on the front of the Frauenkirche, the Christkind recites her prologue, a short poem that begins “Ihr Herrn und Fraun, die Ihr einst Kinder wart” (“You gentlemen and ladies, who once were children”). In Nuremberg the Christkind is not a baby in a manger but a young woman in a white and gold gown with a golden crown, chosen by a jury for two years at a time. In 2026 it is Nora Falk, for whom this is the second and final year in the role.

Thousands of people pack the square for the opening, and unless you are near the front you will not see much. We would rather skip the first evening; you can watch the prologue as a recording on the market’s website.

Nuremberg Christmas market 2026: what’s on

The detailed programme for 2026, meaning who plays on the stage and the prices of the side events, has not been published by the organisers yet. As soon as it is out, we will add it here. The highlights repeat every year, though, and the dates of the biggest ones are already known.

The Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt

More than a hundred stalls stand on the Hauptmarkt, with more by the town hall. Most of them sell decorations, glass, woodwork and jewellery, followed by gingerbread and biscuits, golden tinsel angels (Rauschgoldengel), nativity figures and candles. In the middle of the market, in front of the Frauenkirche, there is a large nativity scene with a thatched roof and a star. Throughout Advent, brass bands and choirs traditionally take turns on the stage in front of the church.

Since 1981 a jury has picked the most beautiful stalls at the market every year. As you wander between them, try guessing which ones won. It is harder than it looks.

The Sister Cities Market on Rathausplatz (with a stall from Prague)

The Markt der Partnerstädte is a small “Christmas village of the world”, where Nuremberg’s twin and partner cities from across Europe and further afield run stalls, each with its own food, drink and gifts. Among them you will usually find Prague, which comes with Christmas decorations. What we like about this market is that it is calmer than the Hauptmarkt and you can find presents that do not look as if they came from a souvenir shop.

Kinderweihnacht and Sternenhaus for children

Since 1999 Hans-Sachs-Platz has hosted the Kinderweihnacht, a market just for children. At its centre spins a two-storey carousel modelled on the old steam-driven ones, next to a small Ferris wheel and a little train. In the workshops children can make a candle, bake biscuits or write a letter to the Christkind at the children’s post office. From 1 December 2026 the Christkind visits every Tuesday to Friday at 2.30pm and invites children for a free ride on the carousel, before moving on to the main market at around 3pm.

Across the square, in the Heilig-Geist-Haus, the Sternenhaus runs from 28 November to 23 December 2026 with theatre, puppets, magicians and music for children. The shows are in German, so for young children who do not speak it the puppet and music performances work best. Tickets are sold online at sternenhaus.nuernberg.de.

The children’s lantern procession on 10 December 2026

The Lichterzug is a tradition dating back to 1948, when Nuremberg lay in ruins. On Thursday 10 December 2026 it takes place for the 76th time. Around a thousand children from Nuremberg schools follow the Christkind with lanterns they have made themselves, from the Fleischbrücke bridge across the Hauptmarkt, past the town hall and St Sebaldus Church and up to the castle, where older pupils perform a living nativity scene by the rocks below the walls. The procession sets off after dark; we will add the exact start time as soon as the city publishes it. If you can only make it to Nuremberg once during Advent, this Thursday is, in our view, the best choice.

The mail coach, the Feuerzangenbowle and the Winterdorf

The mail coach from the Museum for Communication runs every day during the market through the decorated old town. It is a replica of an express mail coach from 1874, built in 1939, and it is pulled by horses that just about everyone at the market stops to photograph.

The Feuerzangenbowle by the Fleischbrücke over the Pegnitz prides itself on being the largest Feuerzangenbowle in the world. The cauldron is 2.5 metres across and holds up to 9,000 litres. Above the spiced wine, a rum-soaked sugar loaf is set alight on metal tongs. Unlike the main market, it stays open over the holidays until New Year’s Eve (opening hours are in the table above).

The Winterdorf on Jakobsplatz, by the Weißer Turm U-Bahn station, is a winter village of wooden huts with mulled wine, Tucher beer and a 38-metre Ferris wheel with enclosed gondolas. In 2026 it is due to run from 12 November to 6 January 2027, so for another two weeks after Christmas. Unlike the Christkindlesmarkt it is a private event rather than a traditional market, but the view over the old town roofs from the wheel is worth it.

More Advent events in the centre

• Kunst & Handwerk at the Stadtmuseum im Fembo-Haus (Burgstraße 15): a market of contemporary craftspeople from 4 to 13 December 2026.
• Original Regional: four stalls in the niches of St Sebaldus Church opposite the Old Town Hall, selling honey, regional mulled wine from local wineries, Franconian schnapps and smoked meats.
• The nativity scene exhibition at St Egidien, organised by the Krippenfreunde association for more than 30 years, is about five minutes’ walk from the market.

Best food at the Nuremberg Christmas market and what it costs

Nürnberger Rostbratwurst. Small sausages roughly the length of a finger, seasoned with marjoram and grilled over beechwood. At the market they are sold as “Drei im Weggla”, three in a bread roll with mustard. They have protected geographical status, so the real thing may only be made in Nuremberg. The sausage stalls change places every year: a rotation system has been in place since the 1990s so that vendors do not fight over the best spots.

Nürnberger Lebkuchen. Nuremberg gingerbread baked on a thin wafer base, which according to the organisers has been made here for more than 600 years. The top grade is called Elisenlebkuchen and must contain at least 25% nuts and no more than 10% flour. It makes a good present to take home and keeps for weeks.

Glühwein, including blueberry. Nuremberg mulled wine has had protected status since the early 1990s. As well as the classic red and white, try the blueberry version (Heidelbeerglühwein), a local speciality. It is served in a ceramic mug decorated with a Nuremberg motif and the year, for which you pay a deposit. According to the organisers, the Christkindlesmarkt was the first market in Germany to introduce a uniform mug deposit system. You can return your mug at any stall or keep it as a souvenir; plenty of people collect them.

Each stall sets its own prices, and those for 2026 have not been published yet. As soon as they are known, we will add the prices of mulled wine and sausages and the amount of the mug deposit here, in euros and pounds.

Sweet treats and souvenirs. Roasted almonds, stollen, fruit bread (Früchtebrot) and roast chestnuts. Among the things you do not eat, look out for Zwetschgenmännle, little figures made of dried plums and figs, which according to the organisers come in more than 350 varieties, and the golden Rauschgoldengel angels.

A little history: the Christkindlesmarkt since 1678

According to the organisers, the market’s roots go back to the 16th century, with the first mentions dating from 1530. The oldest tangible evidence is a painted spruce box with an inscription saying that Regina Susanna Harsdörffer received it from Miss Susanna Eleonora Erb “zum Kindles marck”, in other words at the children’s market. The Germanic National Museum, which looks after it, reads the date on it as 1678 (with a question mark), and the organisers give the same year. You will sometimes see 1628 quoted elsewhere, but the official sources do not use it. The name “Christkindlesmarkt” took hold later, and by the 18th century more than a hundred Nuremberg craftsmen were selling here.

The market has not always stood on the Hauptmarkt, though. Around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries it moved to the island of Schütt and to the Fleischbrücke, and it only returned to the main square in 1933. That year the Nazi city leadership used it as a propaganda showcase for “German” Nuremberg and had the Christkind appear for the first time. During the war the market did not take place. It was revived in 1948 with a new prologue written by Friedrich Bröger, which the Christkind still recites today, and that same year the children’s lantern procession made its way through the city for the first time. Since 1973 the market has opened on the Friday before Advent, because the old start date of 4 December could no longer cope with the crowds. Covid halted it in 2020 and 2021.

Where to warm up after the markets

After the market, Nuremberg heads mainly for sausages and beer, in taverns that have been standing here for centuries. All of these are a short walk from the Hauptmarkt, and on Advent evenings you are more likely to get a table without a reservation if you come early or late.

• Historische Bratwurstküche Zum Gulden Stern (Zirkelschmiedsgasse 26): an old sausage kitchen where the bratwurst are grilled over beechwood, open daily 11am to 10pm. If you only have time for one sit-down sausage stop, this is where we would go.
• Bratwursthäusle (Rathausplatz 1): right next to the Sister Cities Market by St Sebaldus Church, Mon–Sat 11am to 10pm, Sun 11am to 8pm.
• Bratwurstglöcklein im Handwerkerhof (Handwerkerhof 11): in the craftsmen’s courtyard by the Königstor gate, directly opposite the station, a good last stop before your train, coach or the U-Bahn to the airport. Mon–Sat 11am to 10pm.
• Hausbrauerei Altstadthof (Bergstraße 19): a small brewery below the castle that brews Nuremberg’s red beer, Rotbier. Open daily 11am to midnight, and the tours of the rock-cut cellars start right below it (see the tips below).
• Tucher Mautkeller (Hallplatz 2): a large vaulted cellar beneath the historic Mauthalle customs house, once home to the Barfüßer brewery. Mon–Sat noon to 11pm, and even with a group you will find room here without a long search.

Nuremberg Christmas market tips: what to watch out for

• Saturdays are the worst. On Advent Saturday afternoons you move between the stalls at a snail’s pace, and with a pushchair you barely move at all. It is quietest on weekday mornings, when you can also shop in peace.
• Pickpockets. In dense crowds keep your wallet and phone in a front pocket or in a closed bag in front of you, especially around the mulled wine stalls and at the opening ceremony.
• Cash. Many stalls now take cards, but not all of them, and smaller gingerbread and decoration sellers still mostly want cash. Carry a few tens of euros in small notes and coins.
• The mug deposit. A deposit for the mug is added to the price of your mulled wine. If you do not want to keep the mug, hand it back and you will get your money back at any mulled wine stall.
• Christmas Eve and public holidays. On 24 December the market closes at 2pm, and 25 and 26 December are public holidays in Germany with the shops closed. Shops are also closed on Advent Sundays, but the market runs as normal.
• Toilets. There are paid toilets in the town hall at Hauptmarkt 18, entered from Rathausplatz, and a toilet trailer stands on the Obstmarkt behind the Frauenkirche.

10 things to do in Nuremberg in winter

If you are in Nuremberg for a long weekend, the markets will fill your afternoons and evenings. For the mornings, and for the moments when it rains or freezes, here are our tips. Prices are indicative, based on the operators’ current price lists.

1. The Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg)

The castle above the old town is a ten-minute uphill walk from the Hauptmarkt, and its courtyard offers the best view over Nuremberg’s rooftops. From October to March it is open daily from 10am to 4pm and closed on 24, 25 and 31 December. The full ticket covering the palace, the Deep Well and the Sinwell Tower costs €10 (about £8.50) in 2026, and children and young people under 18 get in free. Tickets are sold only at the castle ticket office, and an audio guide is available. We would go up in the morning while it is light, to leave the evening for the market.

2. The Historic Rock-Cut Cellars (Historische Felsengänge)

Beneath the old town lies a maze of passages carved into the sandstone, where beer was once fermented and stored. You can only go in on a guided tour, which starts at Bergstraße 19 below the Altstadthof brewery. The tours last about an hour, start on the hour (Mon–Fri 11am to 5pm, Sat–Sun 11am to 5.30pm) and cost €13 (about £11). Each tour takes only twenty people, so at weekends we would book a place in advance. Close by, at Obere Schmiedgasse 52, is the Historischer Kunstbunker, where Nuremberg’s art treasures sat out the wartime bombing.

3. The Germanic National Museum

The largest museum of cultural history in the German-speaking world, covering everything from prehistory to design. It is a good choice in Advent, because you can easily spend a whole rainy afternoon here. It is open Tue–Sun 10am to 6pm, on Wednesdays until 8.30pm, and admission costs €10 (about £8.50). On Wednesdays from 5.30pm entry is free, so if you visit the market on a weekday you can combine the museum with an evening mulled wine. Some of the permanent galleries are closed for renovation.

4. The Toy Museum (Spielzeugmuseum)

Nuremberg has been a city of toys since the Middle Ages, and the museum at Karlstraße 13–15 is full of tin toys, dolls, toy shops and model trains. Nothing fits Christmas better. It is open Tue–Fri 10am to 5pm, Sat–Sun 10am to 6pm and, while the Christkindlesmarkt is on, on Mondays too. Admission is €7.50 (about £6.40); it is closed on 24 and 25 December.

5. Albrecht Dürer’s House

The townhouse below the castle where Nuremberg’s most famous painter lived and worked. From 16 October 2026 to 14 February 2027 it hosts an exhibition of Dürer’s etchings on iron, “Original Dürer! Die Eisenradierungen”. It is open Tue–Sun 10am to 6pm, and on Mondays too during the market; admission is €7.50. For a supplement you can join a tour with “Agnes”, Dürer’s wife, played by a guide in costume.

6. Courtroom 600 and the Nazi Party Rally Grounds Documentation Centre

Nuremberg also has a dark side, and winter is a good time to learn about it. At the Memorium Nuremberg Trials you can see Courtroom 600, where the leading Nazis were tried after the war. From November to March it is open Wed–Mon 10am to 6pm (closed on Tuesdays), and the courtroom may be closed when a court is sitting in it. The Documentation Centre on the former rally grounds has had a new permanent exhibition since May 2026 and is fully open for the first time since 2020, Mon–Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat–Sun 10am to 6pm. It is not recommended for children under 14. Admission to the city museums is €7.50.

7. The nativity scene exhibition at St Egidien

Five minutes’ walk from the market, at Egidienplatz 12, the Krippenfreunde Nürnberg/Fürth association displays nativity scenes from many periods and in many styles. In the 2026/27 season it is open from 27 November to 6 January, daily 11am to 5pm (closed 24, 25 and 31 December); admission is €4, and children under 14 go free. A lovely quiet half hour between two mulled wines.

8. Ice skating at the PSD Bank Nürnberg Arena

Nuremberg has no ice rink right by the markets, but the ice hockey arena (formerly the Arena Nürnberger Versicherung) offers public skating. Admission costs €8 (about £6.80), a family ticket €19 and skate hire €5, and on Saturdays there is often an ice disco. The arena publishes public skating times for December on a rolling basis, so check the website before you go. According to the arena’s website, card payment at the ticket desk is currently not working, but you can also buy tickets online.

9. Kristall Palm Beach thermal baths in Stein

When your feet ache after a day in the cold, there is a large water park with thermal pools and saunas just outside the city. It is open daily from 9am to 10pm, on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight, and on 25 and 26 December also until midnight. The pools, slides and thermal area cost from €23.50 for two hours (about £20), and a full day including the saunas €39.50 (about £34). We would save it for Sunday morning before heading home.

10. A day trip to Bamberg for its market and nativity scenes

Bamberg is about 35 minutes from Nuremberg by ICE or around 45 minutes by regional train, and its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Christmas market on Maxplatz runs from 24 November to 23 December 2026, and in Advent the whole town is known for its nativity trail (Krippenweg), when dozens of nativity scenes go on display in churches and museums, most of them from the end of November. If you have two days for Franconia, give one of them to Bamberg and try the local smoked beer (Rauchbier).

What we would do differently

You can go to the Christkindlesmarkt with a checklist: opening ceremony, Christkind, procession, sausages, gingerbread, castle, museums. And then spend your one day shuffling from one queue to the next before running for the coach in the evening. That is what we would not do next time: give Nuremberg at least two nights.

The best moments in Nuremberg happen away from the Hauptmarkt. A lane below the castle, a bridge over the Pegnitz looking at lit-up houses, a small tavern where nobody is in a hurry. Try getting lost in the streets around Weißgerbergasse with its half-timbered houses.

Taste what you do not know. Blueberry mulled wine, Rotbier, the plum figures (those just with your eyes), something from the stall of a sister city you had never heard of. One slow evening at the market, with your phone switched off, simply watching dusk fall over the Frauenkirche, gives you more than three ticked-off sights.

Nuremberg Christmas market FAQ

Where to next

Nuremberg is the biggest of the German Christmas markets in this part of Central Europe. Smaller and closer to Prague are the Christmas markets in Dresden with the Striezelmarkt, for a Polish atmosphere head to the Christmas market in Wrocław or in Kraków, and to the south there are the Christmas markets in Vienna.

If you are travelling between Nuremberg and Prague through western Bohemia, you can stop off on the way at the Christmas market in Plzeň or in Karlovy Vary. And if you want to see more of the Czech Republic, pick from our round-up of the best Christmas markets in the Czech Republic, including the markets in Prague, Brno and Olomouc.