it’s beginning to look a lot like christmas, everywhere you go…

and especially in nuremberg, where the christkindlesmarkt takes over the main square starting each year on the friday before advent sunday. the christmas angel opens the market prior to the 200 stores open for trade. yes, that’s 200 stores selling everything from gingerbread, to wooden christmas decorations, fruit cake, candles, toys and crafts. and if christmas and wooden trinkets aren’t your thing, we dare you to a gluhwein challenge. every tenth store is a gluhwein hut, you do the math.


nuremberg old town is situated inside a fortress and for the best vantage point head north and ascend the short but slippery hill to the kaiserburg castle. you’ll be rewarded with a fantastic view prior to you plotting the remainder of your walking circle of the town. it’s such an easy town to navigate and walk around and during the lead up to christmas is lively until late.


if you survive both the christmas market and the gluhwein challenge, head south towards the river and before you head across the fleischbrucke bridge to the other side of town, turn right at the starbucks and you’ll see a large cauldron full of rum punch and gluhwein. this will be the kicker you need to really warm the cockles, and if you don’t feel the instant surge of warmth, the rum will be sufficient medicine to distract you from just how cold it really can get in the great outdoors.

ho ho ho…



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tips for new punters:
• cheapest flights are to munich, then simply hire a car from the airport (flughafen)
• sixt have provided us with the most consistent lowest prices for our car rental needs
• allow an easy 1.5hrs to get here from munich
• just over 1/3 of the route is unrestricted autobahn, but take note of the max speed limit for your winter tyres before opening it right up! (usually 210-215km/h)
• pack warm clothes, and then some.
• if you like traditional christmas decorations, you’ve come to the right place.
• you don’t need much more than a full day and night here, so it’s perfect for a weekend getaway.
• the specialty bratwurst of this area are tiny and not like the thick foot long sausages you might have experienced elsewhere in germany. tiny, but tasty!


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hotel: agneshof
situated in the heart of the old town near to the rathaus [townhall], hotel agneshof offers comfortable rooms and good proximity to the christmas markets and will give you a good jumping off point in which to start your walk around the fortress. we didn’t take the breakfast option and with plenty of good bakeries close by we didn’t miss the convenience this sometimes offers.