Celebrating Christmas the Finnish Way

Nope, unfortunately (or fortunately – not too fond of the cold!) I’m not in Finland at the moment, but my Finnish classmate, Krista, showed me what a Finnish Christmas would be like the evening before I left Heidelberg. I (almost) wish I could go there for Christmas this year but I figured it’d be freezing cold and…

Weihnachtsmarkt (5) – Esslingen am Neckar

Esslingen is a small city (though according to Wikipedia, it’s the largest city in the district of Esslingen) only 14km from Stuttgart, so we could go to both cities on the same day. However, if you’re really into Christmas markets, I recommend going there on a separate day because there is an interesting Medieval Market…

Weihnachtsmarkt (4) – Stuttgart

As the capital of Baden-Württemberg and the sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has one of the biggest, oldest and prettiest Christmas markets in Europe. Thanks to Uni-Heidelberg’s excursion program, we were able to go there (as well as the nearby Esslingen Christmas market) for only €17! Stuttgarter Weihnachtsmarkt Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ Size: ★★★★☆ Price: ★★★☆☆…

Weihnachtsmarkt (3) – Heidelberg Castle Market

The Heidelberg Castle Market, or Heidelberger Schlossweihnacht, is a special market held at the castle’s courtyard every year for just two weeks. It’s quite different from the main market in the Altstadt and offers mostly artisanal crafts. Heidelberger Schlossweihnacht Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ Size: ★★★☆☆ Price: ★★☆☆☆ Diversity of goods: ★★★★☆ *I’m giving it an overall 4…

Weihnachtsmarkt (2) – Heidelberg Main Market

According to my German friends, the Heidelberg Christmas market is quite a famous one. Since I’m living here, I have of course visited the market a dozen times already. The main market opens for a whole month, from Nov 21 to Dec 22; there is also a special Castle Market (Schlossweihnacht) that opens only for…

Weihnachtsmarkt (1) – Heidenheim an der Brenz

If you don’t know where Heidenheim an der Brenz is, it’s totally all right – I didn’t either. It’s a very small town in Baden-Württemberg, close to Aalen and Ulm. They don’t have a big Christmas market – in fact, it’s only a small area with a few stalls for food and drinks. So if…

Weihnachtsmarkt Reviews Coming!

A Weihnachtsmarkt or Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) is a traditional market held during the festive season (normally from late November to Christmas, depending on the city) in Germany and many other European countries. It’s definitely one of the most important and exciting events of the year – people started talking about it back in October! Almost all major cities have one…