Christkind and Gingerbread in Nuremberg
Germany's best-known Christmas market, opened by the Christkind herself.
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The Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt is one of the best-known Christmas markets in Germany, with around 160 stalls under red and white roofs. It is opened by Nuremberg's Christkind, a young woman who reads a prologue from the gallery of the Frauenkirche. The city is also famous for Lebkuchen, its spiced gingerbread, and for toys, which you can see in the Toy Museum. The walk goes from the craftsmen's courtyard by the station through the old town and up to the Imperial Castle, with a view over the rooftops and the market.
The stops
- 1
Craftmen's Courtyard
A small craftsmen's courtyard inside the city wall, with workshops and taverns.
- 2
St. Lawrence Church
A Gothic church where Veit Stoss's great wooden Annunciation hangs freely in the choir.
- 3
Frauenkirche
From the gallery here the Christkind reads the prologue that opens the market on the Hauptmarkt in front.
- Tip
Bratwursthäusle Nürnberg
A grill house for Nuremberg's small sausages, a short walk from the Hauptmarkt.
- 4
Toy Museum Nuremberg
The city's toy museum, from tin figures and dolls' houses to tin toys. Closed on Mondays.
- 5
Imperial Castle
The Imperial Castle on its sandstone rock, with a view over the rooftops and market stalls.
About the trip
- Where
- Nuremberg
- Getting around
- On foot
- Time
- 2 h 4 min
- Distance
- 2 km
- Stops
- 5
- Season
- November–December
- Themes
- History, Food, Family
Practical
- Start
- Handwerkerhof, across the street from Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof.
- Finish
- The Imperial Castle. Walk back down through the old town to the U-Bahn at Lorenzkirche or to the station.
- Toilets
- At the station, in the Toy Museum, at the Imperial Castle (with a ticket) and in cafés around the Hauptmarkt.
- Accessibility
- Cobblestones in the old town, and the last climb up Burgstraße to the castle is steep. The Hauptmarkt is very crowded on Saturdays in Advent.