by Janis / 0 comments - Orginally published:18th December 2017

A delight in the Hesse region of Germany

Frankfurt, in the Hesse region of Germany, was the third stop on our 2017 Christmas Market road trip. We had enjoyed the delights of a couple of days at Strasbourg in the Alsace of France and three days in the Bavarian city of Munich.

After visiting Frankfurt, we were then heading north to Cologne, one of our favourite German Christmas markets.

Frankfurt has a rich history with its Christmas Market, as it can trace its heritage back to 1393. However, it wasn’t until the early 19th century that the adorable Christmas tree was introduced.

Today, the enormous yuletide fir tree takes pride of place in front of Frankfurt’s Rathaus (town hall). The tree on display in 2017 was sourced from a mountain range in Schmallenberg in Sauerland, north of Frankfurt.

The Pin image for our post - 'Frankfurt’s Christmas Festivities, Germany'
Why not Pin it for later?
A Christmas market stall selling sausages and nothing but sausages.
A selection of meats on the Christmas market

Where is Frankfurt?

How to get to Frankfurt

- By Air
The nearest airport is Frankfurt International (FRA), it is around 20 minutes (8mls/13km) from the centre of Frankfurt by taxi. There is also a rail connection that takes around 20 minutes to the city centre. Take a browse through ebookers.com for departures from your local airport.

- By Car
If you’re venturing from the UK, jump on Le Shuttle and tour Germany under your own steam.
Alternatively, it’s so easy to visit on a road trip. Rental Cars searches multiple well-known car hire brands and discover the best deals that suit you.

Exploring Frankfurt Christmas Market

An unexpected treat
When I did my initial research on the festive season in Frankfurt and its annual Christmas markets, I was under the impression that the Yuletide market was going to be reasonably small.
A food stall at night at the Christmas market in front of St. Catherine's Church. The food is cooked over an open wood-fired grill and you can see the sacks of logs stacked at the end of the cabin.
The Drexel grill
However, when we arrived and ventured off to explore Frankfurt’s Christmas markets, I was pleasantly surprised. The festive cabins effortlessly weaved their way through Frankfurt’s old town’s historic streets and squares. They were considerably more extensive than I had expected.
Looking up at the huge Christmas tree that dominated the market in Römerberg in front of the Römer.
The Christmas tree in Römerberg
A group of people queuing at a Glühwein hut at the Hauptwach Christmas Market.
Glühwein at Hauptwache
Germany never fails to produce a festive atmosphere when it comes to their bustling Christmas markets. Friends and families gather around the aromatic glühwein stalls full of cheer with smiles on their faces.
A group of people gathered around a glühwein stall on the Christmas market at night. The streel lamp has an additional advent candlelight attached, and the top of the booth has two illuminated reindeer either side of Santa and a glühwein sign.
All gather for Glühwein
One stall I can never resist when we stroll around the festive markets is the roasted nut stall. The enchanting fragrance of the roasted sticky nuts is exquisite; the scent is so sweet.
A stall on the Christmas markets selling roasted nuts that you literally can smell before you see. The wooden hut has a jolly Santa and his reindeer perched on the tiled roof.
The roasted nut stall
It isn’t just me getting tempted by the sweet treats; Gary loves the fruit dipped in chocolate. He is trying to make out it is one of five-a-day; I’m not fooled.
A brightly lit, candied fruit stall, on Frankfurt’s Christmas market. People gather to look at the selection of wares.
Sweet fruits

Stay informed

Why not subscribe to our monthly newsletter for some travel inspiration, some tips and find out what we've been up to?
Or alternatively, why not follow us on your favourite social media channel?

Frankfurt festivities awaken

When the sun goes down

No sooner had we arrived at our Frankfurt accommodation than we were heading out to discover what festive fun Frankfurt had in store for us.

We were staying in the west of the city near the Main River, so we strolled along the riverbank to Mainkai, where the Christmas market starts from the south.

A brightly lit Glühwein hut in Frankfurt's quayside Christmas market at night. People are coming and going, others are perched around wooden tables, shaped like Christmas trees enjoying their drinks.
The Glühweinhutte
We ambled into Frankfurt at our favourite time of day: dusk, when the sun begins to set, and the glistening Christmas cabins are awash with twinkling lights.
A stall in the based of an illuminated Christmas Pyramid
The Christmas Pyramid
So, there was no time to lose we were ready to sample the wares and looking forward to our first Frankfurter and a glühwein, in Frankfurt.
A grill stall on the quayside Christmas market at dusk, selling a variety of grilled sausages.
The Grill

Where to stay in Frankfurt

Adina Apartment Hotel Frankfurt Neue Oper

Our accommodation for the two nights in Frankfurt was at the Adina Apartment Hotel Frankfurt Neue Oper. Situated about 10 minutes’ walk from Frankfurt old town.

We chose an apartment as it allowed us the freedom of space and the use of the facilities. The easy onsite parking was in the basement and chargeable

Booking.com

Discovering the delights in Frankfurt

Go with the flow
You won’t need a map to discover the Christmas markets in Frankfurt. They effortlessly flow along; from the riverside, you saunter up towards the beautiful square of Römerberg.
The brightly lit carousel in Frankfurt's Römerberg Christmas market
One of the carousels

The historic square of Römerberg is delightful.

Intricate timber-framed buildings encircle the attractive square and stretch high above you.

It’s in Römerberg, where Frankfurt’s Gothic town hall resides and the city’s traditional Christmas tree stands.

The ornate roof of a Christmas market stall in Römerberg in front of a half-timber building.
Merry Christmas from Römerberg

Adding to the joyful atmosphere is the twinkling carousel. In my opinion, no German Christmas market is complete without one.

There are plenty of festive stalls in this square have different varieties of delicious food and a fantastic selection of sweet-smelling glühweins.

Looking down one of the rows, across the cobbles, of the Römerberg Christmas market at night to the vast, brightly lit, Christmas tee that dominates the view.
The main Christmas tree
Two drinks from the Frankfurt's Christmas markets. The first is a mug of Frankfurt's speciality apple gluhwein; the other is a glass Irish-Coffee style glass with a cherry gluhwein, topped with cream.
Local tipples
A local speciality in Frankfurt is an apfelwein (apple glühwein), which I had, and also a brombeerwein (blackberry glühwein), which Gary had with an extra topping of cream.
Two mugs of gluhwein in front of a fondue served with two rustic bread rolls served up on a Christmas market stall in Römerberg.
The Cheese fondue
Now, I know we are in Germany, but as soon as we caught sight of a cheese fondue, we couldn’t resist trying one; Gary loves them.

Similar to Munich

We were given tokens again when we bought a glühwein, so when you returned your mug for a refund, you also needed the token.
Dec / 2017

Magical Munich at Christmas

Featured image for “Magical Munich at Christmas”

Unique to Frankfurt

A Singing Moose
After relishing our time in Römerberg Square, we jostled with the revellers and headed onto St Paul's Square. This is a relatively large Christmas market and, once again, full of a wide range of irresistibly fascinating gifts.
The singing moose head on top of a stall in the Christmas market in front of St. Paul's Church.
That Singing Moose
One thing that we did notice about Frankfurt’s Christmas festivities, compared to other city markets, was that there was quite a lot of seating. So, you could take the weight off your feet and sit and hug your cup of warming hot chocolate.
The top of a food stall on one of the Christmas markets with an animated Moose head that performs by singing classic Christmas songs like you've never heard before.
The singing Moose
And another first for us was a singing moose, yes, you heard me correctly. In St Paul’s Square, we enjoyed the dulcet tones of a carol-singing moose; what could be better?

I love nothing more than planning a trip and so often I use the DK Eyewitness books.  I find them extremely informative, easy to follow and the pictures and maps tempt you into discovering more.

We used a previous version of this book to plan our Germany road trips, now you can grab the revised copy.

DK Germany Cover

The sugary touches at Frankfurt’s Christmas market

Something for the sweet tooth
As we continue to wander up the twinkling streets towards Hauptwache, passing through Liebfrauenberg, there are even more stalls. It was along here that Gary and I couldn’t resist a Schokoküsse (chocolate kiss).
A selection of chocolate kisses on a Christmas market stall. These little marshmallow chocolate domes come in a variety of different flavours, and we have selected two different ones to try.
Chocolate Kisses

A Schokoküsse is a marshmallow covered in chocolate with a thin biscuit base; the marshmallow filling is available in so many different flavours it isn’t easy to make a decision. They can be a bit messy, but they are adorable.

We’ve continued to find these chocolate kisses throughout Germany’s Christmas markets. In Hamburg, we bought a box to take home.

Visitor Information

If you’re tempted to explore Frankfurt at Christmas, browse through the official Frankfurt tourist information website. It will guide you with ease around their magnificent Christmas markets.

Frankfurt’s local market street food

Now the savoury touch
There are so many great things to eat at the Christmas markets you are spoilt for choice. I know the obvious snack is often a wurst; however, there is such a wide variety of sausages.
Gary holding a bread roll containing a German cheese sausage. The cheese sausage is the normal pork variety blended with cheese, so it oozes from the sausage.
A Cheese Sausage
In Frankfurt, Gary even sampled the Käsekrainer, a cheese sausage, which I thought had a really strange texture; the cheese just oozed out, and Gary loved it.
A bowl of steaming goulash soup and a crusty bread roll from Frankfurt’s Christmas markets
Gulaschsuppe
One of my favourite dishes that I often look out for, and one which you can get in restaurants around Germany, is a gulaschsuppe. It’s delicious and such a hearty dish for the cold winter days.

Admiring the Frankfurt Architecture

A blend of the old and the new
Frankfurt has quite an eclectic mix of architecture throughout the city, as you may expect.
Frankfurt's old opera house from behind the Lucae-Brunnen fountain in Opernplatz. The sandstone coloured neoclassical styled building was destroyed during the Second World War and completely rebuilt, reopening in 1981.
The Old Opera House
It is great to see around Frankfurt’s Altstadt that new buildings, which are being erected, are being sympathetically built to keep in line with the past. Intermingling effortlessly with their neighbours.
The Gutenberg Memorial in Frankfurt in front of a skyscraper. The memorial is to Johannes Gutenberg, credited as the inventor of the modern printing press.
The centrepiece of Roßmarkt
Equally, it is always a pleasure to see the modern blend of architecture in any city.
A yellow stone neoclassical building with a leaded roof in front of the glass skyscrapers of the modern Frankfurt.
Old and New
Visiting Frankfurt at Christmas was incredible.  A few other towns and cities we recommend for yuletide fun are Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Düsseldorf, Bremen, Münster and Aachen.

* This post may contain links to affiliated sites where we earn a small commission at no additional charge to you.

Share this post

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.