We recently spent two weeks traveling through Germany during the holiday season. While we visited so many amazing Christmas Markets, Frankfurt turned out to be one of the best! Here’s all you need to know about the Frankfurt Christmas Market, from the main square in old town to the smaller markets, and plenty of helpful tips. As you’ll see in this article, you can even see the Christmas Market in Frankfurt Germany if you only have one day!
Planning Your Frankfurt Christmas Market Trip
Where to Stay in Frankfurt Germany
We recommend picking a hotel as close to old town as possible where the main Frankfurt Christmas Market is located. For our one night visit, we stayed at Motel One Frankfurt-Römer, which was the perfect spot to explore from.
The nice thing about Frankfurt Germany is it’s very large and has accommodations for every budget. Some of the most highly-rated hotels around old town include The Westin Grand Frankfurt, Residence Inn by Marriott Frankfurt City Center, and JW Marriott Hotel Frankfurt.
You can also check out budget options like Jugendherberge Frankfurt – Haus der Jugend since you likely won’t be spending much time in your room.
Dressing for Winter
Make no mistake about it, Frankfurt Germany is cold in the wintertime! You’ll want to dress accordingly and pack as much warm clothing as possible.
We wore boots, big socks, and multiple layers underneath our winter coats. You’ll also want to bring mittens and a warm hat to stay comfortable. Remember that you’ll be outside for multiple hours at a time.
One thing to remember is that the sun sets early this time of year. It was dark by 5pm when on our visit to Frankfurt Germany!
That means that the temperature would drop even more earlier in the day. If you plan to be out in the afternoon, take a small travel backpack with you for more layers or an extra scarf.
What to Eat
Honestly, where do we start?? Frankfurt Christmas Market is food lovers dream, with delicious stands as far as the eye can see.
We’ll detail our favorite things we ate later on, but know it’s a hearty mix of German specialties. These range from meat options to potato pancakes, and an abundance of amazing desserts.
There are literally hundreds of stands throughout the city. While some took credit cards, definitely make sure to have cash on you. There weren’t many ATM’s in the main area where the market was, so it’s best to grab some before you go.
Dealing With Crowds
Frankfurt Germany has one of the most popular Christmas Markets in the country. With that, comes hordes of crowds every December from all around the world.
Really, the best time to be out is at night when the lights are bright and shining. However, one way to avoid the crowds is to go out early on during the day. It also may be more enjoyable if you visit during a weekday as opposed to the busier weekends.
Most of the Frankfurt Christmas markets open around noon. Personally, we would plan to go out in the afternoon and stay until it gets dark and the lights come on.
Around 7-8pm it was just so busy that we didn’t find it as enjoyable. It was still beautiful to see, but we preferred being at the market before it got packed.
Gluhwein Rules
One thing you can’t miss at the Frankfurt Christmas Market is tasting the mulled wine. If you’ve never had it, know it’s basically a hot wine mixed with spices and liquor. If you want to add an extra kick you can even add another shot of amaretto or rum!
There is a specific way they do things that you may not be used to if it’s your first time in Germany. Basically, you pay a deposit (usually 3-5 Euros) on top of your drink. After you finish, you have the choice of keeping your cup or simply returning it to the stand to get your money back.
The cups are a unique design every year and make for a fun souvenir. Also, note that you can return your cup for a deposit back at a different stands than you received it at within the market.
Our First Visit to Frankfurt Germany
We’d passed through Frankfurt Airport many times before, as it’s one of the largest international hubs in Europe. However, we’d never had the chance to visit ourselves to fully experience it!
We originally chose to head to Frankfurt as it was the starting point for our Christmas Markets River Cruise the next day. Our schedule allowed us one day in between to have time to see the magical Frankfort Christmas Market.
Now, we only had one night in Frankfurt… and yes we felt panicked pulling into the train station! We were so ready to get into the city and start exploring all that the Christmas in Frankfurt had offer.
It can be overwhelming having limited time in such a big city. Yet, we figured we’d have just enough hours to see the main Frankfurt Christmas Market and those surrounding old town.
There are already so many guides on the different markets and general information. For tha reason, we’ll try to focus on what to see if you only have one day. Here’s all about our experience, what we ate, and more!
Where is the Christmas Market in Frankfurt?
The biggest Frankfurt Christmas Market is located around Weihnachtsmarkt am Römerberg, which is the historic main square. This is where all the action takes place and somewhere you’ll want to focus on if you only have one day.
Think of it as one big market around the square that then flows out further into the surrounding streets. There are also many other smaller Frankfurt Christmas Markets sprinkled throughout the city.
This is why you’ll want to stay as close to possible to the old town to be within walking distance. It’s also just a short stroll to the Main River where our cruise boat was taking off the following morning.
The main feature of the Christmas Market in Frankfurt is the colorful merry go round in the center. Circling that, you’ll find numerous food and drink stands, historic buildings, and the 13th century St Nicholas Church. There was an orchestra playing on top of the church during our night there, which only added to the experience!
We looked at the Visit Frankfort website for information on the exact location of the markets. Still, once we were in the mix, it was easy to keep following the stalls and make our way around the city.
Our 5 Favorite Frankfurt Christmas Market Foods
The best part of Christmas in Frankfurt for us was definitely the food! Not only will you find all the German winter specialties, but there was plenty of other European hits from countries like France, Italy, and Switzerland. Here’s a few of our favorites to try on your first visit.
1. Bratwurst: This is an obvious one and something you’ll see at every German Christmas Market. Be sure to try the tasty treats from Franconia such as the Frankfurter and Thuringer sausages. We also highly recommend tasting the wild boar bratwurst with cranberry mustard!
2. Pretzels: Nothing beats a good pretzel at the Frankfurt Christmas Markets. You won’t have to look far to find these, as they seem to be on virtually every corner. The pretzels are absolutely massive and you can get them covered in everything from cheese to chocolate.
3. Fischbrötchen: Many of the most popular things to eat in Frankfurt are meat-based, but don’t skip out on the fish sandwiches. Some of our favorites include smoked mackerel, pickled herring, fried herring, salmon and sardines.
4. Potato Pancakes: Known in German as the Kartoffelpuffer, these lovable fried potato pancakes are a true winter hit. We loved them served with apple sauce or sour cream, but you can also order them with a cheese or spicy mustard sauce. If you want to find the best stands, look for the ones with a line!
5. Fondue: We know it’s technically from Switzerland, but we just can’t resist a good fondue! This is something you’ll see at Christmas Markets all around Europe, and definitely everywhere in Germany.
The one we had was especially delicious, as the melted cheese was inside a sourdough bread bowl. Also, keep your eye out for the Handkäs mit Musik, which is a traditional sour milk cheese from the region.
3 Can’t Miss Drinks
1. Gluhwein & Kinderpunsch: This is the star of the show at every Christmas market in Germany. Just know if that you don’t drink (or are traveling with kids), you can order the non-alcoholic version called Kinderpunsch.
2. Hot Apple Wine: After you’ve tried some traditional gluhwein, make sure to get an apfelwein! This part of Germany is known for its apple production and this may have been our favorite version of the hot wine.
3. Feuerzangenbowle: Another one of the best gluhwein concoctions is the fire bowl. What makes it unique is they put a sugarloaf on top smothered in rum, and then light it on fire!
The sugar slowly drips into your drink as it melts, adding a little more pop to the gluhwein. At some Christmas Markets you may get to see this done in each individual cup. Yet, in Frankfurt it was so busy that they prepared it with a massive sugarloaf over the main vat.
Is 1 Day at the Frankfurt Christmas Markets Enough?
Yes! We obviously would’ve preferred two or even three days to enjoy it. Nevertheless, we found that having one full day and night was plenty of time. It made for the perfect stop in between the Hamburg Christmas Markets and our upcoming cruise.
After returning to Frankfurt, we visited Nuremberg Christmas Market, the Cologne Christmas Markets, and even went to the Budapest Christmas Market in Hungary!
Are you considering a visit to Frankfurt outside of the holiday season? Then you may want to plan for a longer trip! With that said, we found one night to be enough time if you just want to experience the markets.
Have any questions about this article or want to share your own Frankfurt Christmas Market tips? Leave us a comment below!
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
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We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!
