One of the best parts about the holidays in Germany is all the delicious Christmas Market food and drinks. We’ve been to dozens of markets now, and always find new and exciting things to try. While there are countless national and local food specialties at the German Christmas Markets, these are our absolute favorites!
Planning Your Germany Christmas Market Trip
Costs: We’ll get more into the specific costs of German Christmas Market food in this article. Still, know that you can always get a bratwurst or other street food items for just a few Euros. When sitting down at a traditional restaurant the plates will be more like 10-20 Euros.
Time of Year: Something you may not realize is that the Christmas Markets lead up to the actual holiday. Many begin in late November or early December and end a day or two before Christmas. Be sure to read our Germany Christmas Market outfit guide for packing tips to stay warm.
Mug Deposit: There’s one special thing about the Christmas Market drinks you should know. In Germany, you’ll need to pay a deposit for your mug or glass when buying a drink.
It’s typically between 3 and 4 Euros. After you’re done, you can either keep the mug as a souvenir or return it and get cash back.
Getting Around: Want to visit more than one German Christmas Market? You might as well take a few days and make an entire tour out of it!
Check out this website to compare prices for rental cars. You can also find deals on Omio and take trains or buses between the cities.
Christmas Cruise: Another fun way to get between the markets is by hopping on a cruise. We recently took this Christmas Markets River Cruise with VIVA, and can’t recommend it enough!
Best German Christmas Market Food
1. Sausages
Let’s start off with one of the most famous German Christmas Market foods! If there’s one thing you’ll see at every holiday market, it will be the sausages.
It honestly felt like we couldn’t walk more than a few steps before smelling the tasty bratwursts being grilled up. Just know that are literally hundreds of varieties of sausages to try.
In fact, the type available will usually depend on what region of Germany you’re visiting. In addition to bratwursts, you’ll find currywurst, bockwurst, and knockwurst.
Some of our favorite regional sausages we tried were the Nürnberger Rostbratwurst and Wildschweinwurst (wild boar) with a cranberry mustard.
→ Our Visit to the Magical Nuremberg Christmas Market
2. Herring Sandwich
Another essential Christmas Market food to try is the herring sandwich. Also known as the fischbrötchen in Germany, this bread filled roll is always a treat.
It’s traditionally served with onions, pickles, and sometimes a creamy sauce. Also, keep an eye out for variations like bismarckbrötchen and Matjesbrötchen on your Christmas market food adventures.
While it is most common in the north near the black sea we found them at almost all the markets in the larger cities.
If you find yourself at the Hamburg Christmas Markets, don’t miss out on the Krabbenbrötchen. This unique sandwich is filled with tiny north sea shrimp!
3. Massive Pretzels
What would a trip to Germany be without pretzels? You will see them hanging from stands at the Christmas Markets almost everywhere you look.
They’re best eaten piping hot out of the oven, so we wouldn’t blame you if you stopped at a bakery instead. We love eating the giant pretzels with mustard or cut in half with butter in between.
4. Kartoffelpuffer
Now we’re getting into the good stuff. Something we can’t resist on cold winter day is this crispy potato pancakes.
The Kartoffelpuffer is a staple of German Christmas Market food. They usually come in a set of two or three pancakes, with apple sauce or sour cream on the side.
It’s common to come across one stand that has a line much longer than the others. If you see a Kartoffelpuffer spot that’s slammed, don’t hesitate to jump right in.
5. Käsespätzle
Ready for a cheesy Christmas market treat that will keep you dreaming about it years later? Käsespätzle is something that we always crave when we see the big vats of it being made.
Typically, the egg dumplings are boiled and mixed with a crazy amount of local cheese. It’s then topped with caramelized or fried onions, herbs, and speck.
While it’s not technically a pasta, it tastes very similar to a dirty mac and cheese. Be warned, once you have it, any other cheesy dish will pale in comparison.
→ 12 Tips For the Cologne Christmas Markets in Germany
6. Salmon & Potatoes
Aside from the herring, we weren’t expecting to see so much salmon as part of the German Christmas Market food scene. Yet, at almost every market, we found salmon and potato dishes being served up.
The cool part about the salmon here is how they cook it. The special method has the fish pinned up on standing planks over an open fire. It goes perfectly with a side of boiling potatoes or cold potato salad.
7. Flammkuchen
Pizza at the German Christmas Markets? Well, it’s not what you might expect if you’ve been to its birthplace in Naples Italy.
Flammkuchen is Germany’s own version of wood-fired pizza to enjoy. It’s much thinner than pizza you’ll find elsewhere in Europe, but still just as a delicious.
This is particularly popular in the Alsace region on the French and Germany border. Some of our favorite toppings include onions, speck, and cheese.
8. Fondue Bread Bowl
By now you can tell cheese is a big theme of German Christmas Market food. Yet, you haven’t truly enjoyed it until you’ve had a fondue bread bowl!
Although it’s more of a thing you’ll see in Switzerland, it’s common to eat these at markets in the Bavaria and ski resorts. You’ll also see the giant cheese wheels being melted onto bread.
9. Mushrooms
Gebratene Champignons are one of the most delicious dishes to try at the markets. They’re usually white button mushrooms fried or grilled and smothered in a creamy garlic sauce.
You can also order them with herbed quack and top with fried onions or cheese if you’d prefer something different. These are perfect to carry around with you as you go from stand to stand in search of more amazing Christmas Market food.
10. Kartoffeltaschen
If you need a quick snack while strolling around, be on the lookout for the Kartoffeltaschen stands. Translating to “potato pocket,” this doughy pastry is usually filled with mashed potatoes, onions, speck, and cheese. On top, you’ll get some quark or sour cream to tie it all together.
11. Candy, Cookies & Chocolate Stands
There are no shortage of desserts to try after all the great Christmas Market foods. Everywhere you look, you’ll find chocolates, roasted nuts, and cookies.
Gingerbread cookies are always a hit, and we also love the various fruits dipped in chocolate. We recommend trying as many sweet treats as you can get your hands on during the holidays in Germany.
Our Favorite Christmas Market Drinks
12. Glühwein
This is the #1 drink you’ll find at every German Christmas Market! Gluhwein is a hot red wine mixed with spices like cinnamon and citrus peels. Many recipes include liquor such as brandy, rum, and amaretto, and you can add in more for additional euro or two.
Remember that you need to pay a deposit on your mug as we mentioned in the beginning of this article. We kept many of our cups as souvenirs, and now have quite the collection to remember our trip at home. There is also a non-alcoholic version which roughly translates to kids wine.
13. Feuerzangenbowle
On our recent visit to the Christmas Markets, we discovered a wild and exciting version of gluhwein! The Feuerzangenbowle is similar to the popular drink, but with a rum-soaked sugarloaf that’s set on fire on top.
It then drips into the drink as it melts, adding quite the liquor punch to your cup. At some places they had a massive sugarloaf dripping into a vat they were serving from. While at others like the Frankfurt Christmas Market, we got an individual cube set on top of our cup and lit on fire in front of us.
14. Hot Chocolate
This is the ultimate Christmas Markets drink to warm up with on a frigid winter night. Hot chocolate can be found on almost every corner, especially at the dessert stands we spoke about above.
Also, if you want to make it more of an adult beverage to warm you up, there is always the option to add a shot to it!
15. Beer
While the best Christmas Market drinks may be of the hot variety, you can’t skip out on the beer when in Germany! We loved trying all the different brands in whatever region we’re visiting.
Some of the most unique beers we’ve had were at the Altbier breweries of Dusseldorf. We also loved tasting Kolsch beer at famous restaurants in Cologne such as Fruh Am Dom.
Have any questions about this article or want to share more of your favorite German Christmas Market foods? 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!
