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Frohe Weihnachten

A Visit to Germany's Christmas Markets

Part 3: Cologne, Frankfurt and more

With its towering (516-foot) gothic cathedral, the Rhine metropolis of Cologne is home to one of the world's greatest man-made wonders. And with its 2000 year-old history as a Roman outpost and its annual carnival celebrations, Cologne is also one of Germany's culturally richest cities. Fittingly, it's also home to one of the country's best Christmas markets. Actually, much of the compact city center is transformed into a holiday market for the month of December. The most-popular is located right on the Domplatz, sprawling between the cathedral and the museums for modern art and Roman history. The others can be found by winding your way though the city's medieval shopping streets until you get to Altmarkt, Neumarkt and Rudolfplatz.

In terms of specialties, the Cologne market is well known for its Spekulatius, a popular cookie that originates from the region. Cookie cutters in the shape of the city's trademark twin spires are ubiquitous. If the Catholic Church isn't your thing, you can also find speculatius that depict the story of St. Nicholas and Christmas. If you're looking for something a bit more substantial than a cookie, you can also wrap your palate around any number of sausages, frikadellen (pork hamburgers) or even Rievkooche -- popular deep-fried potato pancakes served with apple sauce.

A short walk down the Rhine River and you can find two completely different experiences: Markets aboard Rhine cruise ships, like the MS Wappen von Mainz or the the Medieval Christmas market at the Chocolate Museum (Shockoladenmuseum), one of the city's most-popular attractions. There you'll find actors in period costume, acrobats, traveling entertainers and artisans peddling their wares. Our tip: Sip on a steaming mug of Meth (a honey wine that bears more than a passing resemblance to beer) while watching the barges pass by as they traverse Europe's busiest inland waterway. Cologne is known as one of Germany's friendliest and most-outgoing cities, and the famous Rhineland spirit that makes Karneval a destination for 2 million people each year, can also be felt at its Christmas markets.

-- Daryl Lindsey

With its skyscrapers and legions of bankers, Frankfurt isn't the most promising location for a Christmas market, but visitors tend to be pleasantly surprised.

Framed by historic half-timbered facades that reflect the warm lights coming from stalls, a giant Christmas tree and a vintage carousel, it exudes seasonal atmosphere and is far more attractive than many of the sprawling markets offered by Germany's other major cities.

Frankfurt has held Christmas markets in its central Römer square since 1393. Right up until the late 19th century most Frankfurt parents bought all their children's toys there.

Frankfurt doesn't have much in the way of regional food specialities that stand out, so it's best to stick to the Glühwein and eat a bratwurst as you stare at the carousel.

-- David Crossland

Straddling the border between Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands, Aachen, a Roman military spa town that would later become home to Emporer Charlemagne, is another city with a deep holiday tradition. It has its own upscale market that is one of the country's prettiest and its own Christmas specialty. So unique is the "Aachener Printe," a variety of Lebkuchen (gingerbread) baked in the city, that it has even been bestowed the distinction, like champagne or cognac, of being a brand that is given European Union protection. Anything that is marketed as "Aachener Printe" must be made in Aachen according to the original recipe.

Aachen's Christmas market is nestled between the city hall -- which was first built on the ruins of Charlegmagne's palace in the 14th century and later converted into its current magnificent baroque style -- and Aachen cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the final resting place of Charlemagne, who is regarded by many as the "father of Europe" for the role he played in defining Western Europe.

But Charlemagne isn't the only local hero. The city is also home to Lampertz, a company that specializes in Printen cookies that first began baking the rectangular holiday treats back in 1688. Today, it does about €400 million in revenue on worldwide sales of Printen and other baked goods. The company's shops in the city, including an outlet on the town square, keep the Christmas spirit alive in the hilly hamlet year round.

-- Daryl Lindsey

Quedlinburg in the Harz hills of eastern Germany about three hours by train southwest of Berlin is so full of medieval half-timbered houses that UNESCO has declared the whole town a World Heritage Site. Over 1,500 buildings have been placed under historical monument protection. It's a fairytale town of winding alleys lined by crooked little houses lovingly maintained -- the Hausfraus even scrub the facades in the mornings. A Christmas market in a place like this would have to put Polonium in its mulled wine and engage in public kitten drowning to lose its seasonal allure.

The stalls may not have that much to offer beyond toffee apples and Bratwurst and novelty mulled beer, and the range of cheap plastic gifts on offer serve as a reminder that this town isn't enjoying an economic boom. But its setting in Quedlinburg's beautiful market square more than makes up for that, as do the many gift shops offering local handicrafts that include accurate porcelain replicas of the town's best houses.

-- David Crossland

Schneeberg is a small town in the Erzgebirge mountains, a region famous for making wooden Christmas ornaments. If you're looking for rotating Christmas pyramids, Räuchermänner (traditional incense burners) or carved figures for your mantlepiece or Christmas tree, this is the place to get them relatively cheap. The market snakes its way up the town's hill past baroque buildings.

It retains a genuine local feel even though it has become so popular that the town has to offer a bus shuttle service from a giant parking area on the outskirts. The second Advent weekend (December 9 to 12 this year) is especially popular because Schneeberg hosts a light festival on those days.

-- David Crossland