Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

DISCOVER GERMANY

8 of the quirkiest Christmas markets in Germany

Want to try something different from the classic German Christmas market? Here are eight unique alternatives.

Published: 23 November 2022 12:06 CET
Updated: 26 November 2022 14:23 CET
Burlesque dancers from the team around drag queen Olivia Jones drink mulled wine at a stand at the St. Pauli Christmas Market at Spielbudenplatz in 2016.
Burlesque dancers from the team around drag queen Olivia Jones drink mulled wine at a stand at the St. Pauli Christmas Market at Spielbudenplatz in 2016. Photo: picture alliance / Christian Charisius/dpa | Christian Charisius

1. Erotic Christmas market – St. Pauli, Hamburg

If you want to spice up your advent this year, then head to “Hamburg’s hottest Christmas market” in the city’s Sankt Pauli district.

Alongside the typical festive offerings of Glühwein and traditional stands, this market also hosts regular strip shows and features numerous stands selling erotic gifts and sweets.

Visitors walk through the Santa Pauli Christmas Market on Spielbudenplatz. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Bockwoldt

The Spielbudenplatz stage in the market also plays host to live music almost every evening throughout the season.

On Mondays, a special Glühwein “pharmacy” offers unicorn mulled wine – a glittery pink beverage with a choice of special flavours. 

Open from November 14th to December 23rd

2. Underground Christmas Market – Traben-Trarbach, Rhineland-Palatinate

The town of Traben-Trarbach in Rhineland-Palatinate is home to a particularly special type of Christmas market.

The Mosel Wein Nachts Markt, as it’s officially called, takes place underground in a series of former wine cellars which date back to the 18th century.

A festively decorated wine cellar in Traben-Trarbach – at the Moselle Wine Night Market. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Weinkeller Traben-Trarbach | Jan-Gerrit Baumann

As the name suggests, this Christmas market has a lot to offer in terms of wine, as it is set in the heart of the Mosel region which is famous for its Riesling.

READ ALSO: 5 things you need to know about German Glühwein

There’s an emphasis on art, antiquity and culture in this market too. International and national artisans and exhibitors sell decorative items, antiques, clocks and creative fashion and jewellery.

Open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 18th to December 18th, 2022

3. Forest Christmas market – Velen, North Rhein-Westphalia

For a fairytale festive experience, visit the forest Christmas market in Velen, North Rhein-Westphalia.

The market has been running here on the land of the Krumme family in North-Western NRW since 1999 and is well-known throughout the region for its special brand of Christmassy magic.

Huts scattered throughout the forest serve up culinary delights and homemade goods and those wanting to warm up can visit the historic farmhouse café or nestle inside one of the winter huts.

Children can ride on the nostalgic train, bake stick bread at the crackling fire or meet Santa Claus.

Open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from November 25th to December 18th, 2022

4. 19th Century Christmas market – Werben, Saxony-Anhalt

The Biedermeier Christmas Market in Werben is one of the most beautiful and unusual markets in northern Germany.

The theme is the Biedermeier period from 1815 to 1848 and, accordingly, stall owners, local theatre groups, merchants and friends of the town, participate in creating this early 19th century themed market.  

The Biedermeier Christmas market in Werben an der Elbe takes visitors back in time. Photo: picture alliance / dpa-tmn | Jürgen Sturtzel

The market is always bustling with men in tailcoats and top hats, and ladies in long dresses and bonnets and is full of stalls selling contemporary knickknacks. There are theatrical and musical performances and, in the evening, candle lanterns and kerosene lamps bathe the hustle and bustle in atmospheric light.

Open on December 10th and 11th, 2022

5. Ecological Christmas Market – Berlin

For those feeling bad about the excesses of Christmas already, the Ökomarkt at Kollwitzplatz in Berlin is a good place for guilt-free shopping and celebrations.

The assortment of sustainable stalls ranges from Christmas decorations to textiles, toys and jewellery from all over the world that meet social and ecological standards.

READ ALSO: Seven unmissable Christmas markets that open this week in Germany

There is also a wide range of organic and fair trade food on offer, from sweet treats such as crêpes, vegan waffles and pastries to hearty dishes such as bratwurst and pizza.

Open on November 27th, December 4th, 11th, and 18th

6. Japanese Christmas Market – Berlin

Since 2014, the Japanese community in Berlin has been laying on a colourful celebration of Japanese culture with a Japanese Christmas market.

Stalls selling paintings, photography, ceramics, illustrations and fashion cover traditional and modern designs – from kimonos to kawaii, from kokeshi to kendama. A taste of Japanese cuisine is also on offer along with hot sake.

There are workshops for those wanting to deepen their knowledge of Japanese culture and the entertainment program includes Japanese music, karaoke, dance and sumo.

Opening in December – dates not yet released (check here for updates)

7. Pink Christmas Market – Munich

The pink star amongst Munich’s Christmas markets will be back again this year on Stephansplatz in the heart of the Glockenbach district in Munich. 

The Pink Christmas on the Stephansplatz in Munich. Photo: picture alliance / dpa-tmn | Pink Christmas

With its elegant white pagoda tents and atmospheric light design – and abundance of pink – this Christmas market is a special spot to enjoy the festive season. Organisers call it “the place to be” for the LGBTIQ* community, neighbours, friends and Christmas market fans from all over the world.

READ ALSO: How do Germans celebrate Christmas?

Stalls offer delicious food, drinks and gifts, while unique, nightly shows keep the bustling crowds entertained. 

Pink Christmas is open from November 21st – December 23rd. 

8. Christmas Market by boat – Spreewald, Brandenburg

Spreewald is a magical place to visit at any time of the year but at Christmas, it’s something truly special.

The Spreewald Weihnacht – zwei Märkte, eine Kahnfahrt (two markets, one boat ride) offers a very unique Christmas market experience.

Visitors wait at the port of Lübbenau (Brandenburg) to take a Spreewald barge to the Christmas market in the open-air museum of the Spreewald village Lehde. Photo: picture alliance / Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa | Patrick Pleul

The first port of call is the Great Spreewald Harbor, where – amongst the usual Christmas market offerings – stalls and booths sell smoked fish, Christmas plinse and hot grog. Then, market-goers are taken on a wintry boat trip to the open-air museum in Lehde through the tranquillity of the Spreewald nature in hibernation.

In the Open Air Museum Lehde visitors can taste regional delicacies at the market stalls, stroll along the craftsmen’s market and meet some ancient mythical figures who offer good wishes for the coming year.

Open on November 26th, 27th and December 3rd and 4th

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

DISCOVER GERMANY

‘It’s a lifestyle’: How you can learn to sail in Germany

Sailing or boating is a great way to experience Germany's lakes, rivers and seas to the north. The Local spoke with a German sailing instructor to find out his favourite things about sailing and how to earn a boating licence.

Published: 6 September 2024 17:01 CEST
'It's a lifestyle': How you can learn to sail in Germany

Since he began sailing, the hobby has pushed Wahid Ajouaou Saidi to seek broader horizons. 

Eventually his goal was to cross the Atlantic Ocean – something he achieved last year when he captained a boat on a journey from France to the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. But the Tübingen native has always enjoyed sailing at home in Germany’s lakes and waterways.

Ajouaou Saidi teaches sailing and boating as well as occasionally leading expeditions or delivering boats overseas through his business, Medlantic Watersports.

Through a partnership with another Berlin-based sailing school, he carves out a living by sharing his passion with eager students – some of whom want to eventually cross the Atlantic themselves, while plenty of others are content to just take a boat out on the Spree or a lake nearby.

The Local spoke with Ajouaou Saidi about the best places to sail in Germany, and how to get a German boating licence (with or without German speaking skills).

Where and when to sail in Germany

Wahid Ajouaou Saidi grew up in southern Germany and still treasures the region’s lakes.

“My most beloved place in Germany in general is Lake Constance, or Bodensee as we call it in German. It’s so huge and you have a view of the Alps from there – it’s really beautiful in the summertime,” he said.

But in recent years, Ajouaou Saidi has settled in Berlin, so he’s taken to navigating different waters.

“Wannsee and Müggelsee are really great for sailing,” Ajouaou Saidi told The Local. “And of course the Baltic Sea is also not that far away.”

There are also plenty of rivers in Germany – many of which are open for sailing.

When he’s teaching courses in Berlin, Ajouaou Saidi initially takes his students out on the River Spree.

“There are huge differences between sailing on rivers or lakes,” he said, adding that he generally prefers lakes for their wide open space and lack of current.

The sailing season in Germany is generally from April to October, give or take a few weeks depending on the weather.

Flux Ahoi

A view of the FluxAhoi sailing school on the Spree in Berlin. Photo by @Haenselbert

Do you need a licence?

Generally, boats with engines up to 15 horsepower can be freely operated by anyone–which is why anyone can rent small boats on the Spree, for example.

But for all boats with engines above 15 horsepower, including both sailboats and motorboats, you need a boating licence to legally operate the vessel in Germany.

If you’ve earned a boating licence in another country, your foreign licence also works in Deutschland–at least initially.

But similar to a driver’s license, eventually you’ll need to get the German equivalent to keep boating.

“If you live in Germany for more than one year, you need to have the German licence,” Ajouaou Saidi explained.

How to get a boating licence in Germany

Again, similar to driver’s licences, the path to earning a boating licence generally involves taking a course which includes both theory and practice hours, and then passing a test.

The tricky thing about earning a German boating licence for non-native speakers, however, can be the language barrier. 

Ajouaou Saidi said that he realised there was a market for English-speaking sailing courses because, living in Berlin, he met quite a few people who were interested in learning to sail but weren’t confident enough in their German-speaking skills to sign up for a standard course auf Deutsch. 

Eventually, he partnered with Stefan Grosenick, who runs the FluxAhoi sailing school in Berlin, and together they adapted the basic German sailing course for English speakers.

“For now we are offering the inland waters pleasure craft licence (Sportbootführerschein) in English,” Ajouaou Saidi said. This is the basic licence that anyone who wants to get into boating for the first time should start with. From there you can move on to other licences for bigger vessels or specific skills.

But you’ll still need to learn the basic terms in German to pass the theory test.

“The course is in English, but you’ll see the terms in German also,” he says, adding that the boating licence exam is multiple choice, so by learning the basic terms in German most students can pass, even without excellent German speaking skills.

“Of course, you need to have some basic to intermediate German skills,” Ajouaou Saidi said, “But you don’t need to be a native speaker. It’s completely fine if you have A2 level German or higher.”

While Ajouaou Saidi’s courses are primarily offered in Berlin, he also offers an online theory course. 

So if you’re seeking an English sailing course and living elsewhere in Germany, you could start with that.

The best thing about sailing

Asked to explain one of his favourite sailing experiences, Ajouaou Saidi spoke excitedly at length about his journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

“At night, if it’s a full moon the whole horizon was lit-up, or when it was dark you just see the stars like you never saw them before…You see whales or dolphins almost every day because they love to swim in the bow wave…and if you’re into seafood, you can have great seafood everyday that you just catch yourself, said Ajouaou Saidi.

“This is what I really love about sailing. It’s not only about navigating a boat – it’s a lifestyle.” 

For more information on courses and sailing excursion offers see the FluxAhoi website, or contact Ajouaou Saidi here.

SHOW COMMENTS