Christmas Markets in Stuttgart

• The most obvious Christmas Market to visit for anybody living in Stuttgart is the big one in Stuttgart. It stretches from Schlossplatz via Karlsplatz all the way to Marktplatz. Stuttgart Christmas Market is not only one of the biggest Christmas Markets in the area, it’s also particularly pretty because all of the stands display an individual roof decoration. There is even a competition going on and one lucky stand wins a prize for the most beautiful decoration every year! Next to many food stands you also find some fun rides for kids at Stuttgarter Weihnachtsmarkt. Moreover you can enjoy a concert for free every evening as choirs are performing daily on the stairs in front of the city hall. Tip from a local: Take the public transport to get to Stuttgart Christmas Market! The U-Bahn stations Schlossplatz, Charlottenplatz and Rathaus are close by as well as the S-Bahn stations Hauptbahnhof and Stadtmitte. Stuttgart Christmas Market is open from November 27 until December 23.
  
• One special part of Stuttgarter Weihnachtsmarkt is the Finnish Christmas Village (Finnisches Weihnachtsdorf). Here you can enjoy smoked salmon, drink a glass of Glögi (the Finnish version of mulled wine) and shop for Scandinavian products. The Finnish Christmas Village is located at Karlsplatz, right next to the U-Bahn station Charlottenplatz and it is open from November 27. to December 22.
• Also part of the Christmas Market in Stuttgart but technically a market for itself is Wintertraum at Schlossplatz. If offers an ice rink as well as several food stands. Moreover, it is open even after Christmas, from November 20 until January 1.
• Not really a Christmas Market but a very special Christmas attraction is Christmas Garden at Wilhelma. When it is getting dark, the botanical and zoological gardens at Wilhelma light up brightly. More than 20 light installations await you along a 2 km loop and food stands invite you to take a break and enjoy the romantic atmosphere. Christmas Garden is open between November 14 and  January 6. Mind that you have to buy a ticket in advance in order to get inside. If you want to get an idea of what awaits you check out my post about my visit to Christmas Garden at Wilhelma from last year.
  
• There is an alternative Christmas market going on at Marienplatz between November 29 and December 15 called Wouahou Winterdorf / Wouahou Winter Village. Not only food stands and little shops await you but also information stands for sustainability and a big tipi.
• At Adventsmarkt im Hospitalhof you can shop for handmade products on December 3.
• A Beer Adventsmarkt will take place on December 6 and 7 at Cast Brauerei Stuttgart. There will be more than 50 different beer styles available to drink and purchase as christmas gifts for your special someone!
• A small and very cozy Christmas market is Adventszauber at Mozartplatz/Heusteigviertel on December 15. Local shops like present themselves with stands and next to yummy food and drinks, live music, a special fire show and attractions for the kids await you.
• On December 21 the first Vegan Christmas Market of Stuttgart will take place at Karl-Kloß-Jugendbildungsstätte. Next to vegan food you might find the one or other Christmas gift.
• Most  the quarters of Stuttgart have their own, small Christmas markets going on, mostly only for a weekend. For example in Vaihingen from November 30 to December 1, in Weilimdorf from November 30 to December 1 too and in Bad Cannstatt from November 26 to December 23.

Christmas Markets around Stuttgart

• The Esslingen Christmas Market is probably one of the most famous markets in the area because of its medieval part. At the Esslingen Medieval Market you can find merchants in historical garments offering their goods, craftsmen like pewterers, felt-makers, and glass-blowers demonstrating their craftsmanship and artists fascinating their audience with juggling, music and more. Definitely worth a visit! Tip from a local: Go early and during the week! It is always crowded there but it get’s worse on weekends and in the evening. The Esslingen Medieval Market and Christmas Market is open from November 26 until December 22.
• You find another historically themed Christmas Market in Ludwigsburg. With all the light installations the  Ludwigsburg Baroque Christmas Market is definitely a beauty. Nestled between two baroque churches and underneath the huge illuminated wings of angels you will feel enchanted right away. It is open from November 26 to December 22.
• Another very special Christmas market takes place between December 3 and 8 in Tübingen: chocolART! You might guess it already: it’s all about chocolate!! 😀
• In Fellbach a Christmas Market as well as an ice rink await you. Moreover a special program for kids is organized next to the town hall. Fellbach Christmas Market is open from November 30 until December 21.
• The beer garden Schwabengarten in Leinfelden has turned into a Winter Village. WinterdörfLE is not a real Christmas Market as the stands where you can buy gifts are missing. But you find four food stands and an open fire there. And if you’re into curling, you can go for it here, too.
• Castle Hohenzollern is worth a visit anyway but on when it turns into a medieval Christmas Market it is even more stunning. You can visit the Royal Christmas Market / Königlicher Weihnachtsmarkt from November 29 to December 2 and again from December 6 to 8. Please mind that you have to pay an entrance fee to get in the castle.
• Ever visited a Christmas Market in a stable? You can do so at Gärtringen-Rohrau on December 7 and 8 as well as 14 and 15. Rohrauer Stallweihnachtsmarkt awaits you in the stable of an organic farm. Here you find stands from local producers who are selling handmade goods and you can watch traditional craftsmen performing their work.
• At Waiblingen Christmas Market you will find something very special: Christmas cellars! In these cellars handmade goods as well as an exhibition of Christmas calendars await you. The Christmas Market in Waiblingen is open from November 29 to December 19.
• Shop for the perfect Christmas tree while enjoying a glass of Glühwein or browsing through locally produced artwork at Christbaummarkt Prevorst in Oberstenfeld-Prevorst on every weekend before Christmas starting on December 8.

These are just some of the many, many Christmas markets in the region. What are your favorite ones?

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I’ve visited the festival last weekend with friends and my baby girl and had a blast. It starts with the scenery: When you enter Kürbisausstellung Ludwigsburg you “have to” walk through the beautiful Ludwigsburg castle.

The festival itself is located in the stunning gardens of the castle.

Here you find pumpkins in every shapes, sizes and colors. I personally am a big fan of the gnome pumpkins! You can find them in the northern garden and they are just too funny.

But these funny, encraved pumpkins are not the only artwork at the festival. In the next part of the garden, huge pumpkin statues await you.

You might have guessed it by now. This year’s topic of the festival is “Magical Fairytale World” and next to the Phoenix, the Elfe, Gandalf the wizard and Medusa that you can see on the pictures many more characters from old and new fairytales await you.

When you get hungry, many pumpkin themed goodies await you. I tried the pumpkin burger and loved it.

But you can also take a lot of fun things home with you. There are several shops and stands where you can buy pumpkins, pumpkin secco, pumpkin sponges, pumpkin bread and much more.

Kürbisausstellung Ludwigsburg also offers special events: Germany’s biggest pumpkin soup will be cooked on September 28 and 29, Europe’s heaviest pumpkin will be celebrated on October 13, there will be an encraving festival on October 20 and on every weekend you can create your own Halloween-themed pumpkin.

Kürbisausstellung Ludwigsburg is going on until November 3. When you plan to visit the festival on the weekend I recommend you either take the public transport (S-Bahn station Ludwigsburg is close by) or arrive early as it will be crowded and thus hard to find a parking space.

More information about:

Kürbisausstellung Ludwigsburg

Transparency: As a blogger and journalist I was able to enter the festival with a free press ticket. The opinions stated in this post are my  own and were not influenced by the organizers of Kürbisausstellung Ludwigsburg. 

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They have put up this huge screen in the courtyard of the Karlskaserne, so the ambiance it quite nice by itself.

But I noticed three things, I want to point out you guys…

1.) Reservations

Better be at the Open Air Cinema early. Because as we are Germans, we are very territorial when it comes to reserving seats… Yes. We even reserve seats at the cinema (at least when it’s an open air one) and if we don’t have towels at hand, we don’t mind using pillows, bags or whatever is present…

😀

2.) Don’t be astonished when you have to order popcorn in liters.

At least when visiting the Open Air Cinema in Ludwigsburg, you can be faced with this…

I ordered 3 liters but actually, I was a bit disappointed. I thought, I’ll get a bigger bag… But they tasted extraordinary good, I have to say!

So let the film begin! I am ready!

3.) You should not mind that they show only movies in German…

We watched Die Kirche bleibt im Dorf, which is a German saying that translates literally into “The church will stay in the village”. The actors spoke with Swabian accent which was quite funny to watch as you don’t hear our accent in movies very often 🙂

I checked their program and unfortunately all of the movies they show until the 11th of August are in German. So if you want to go, you should either understand German or be interested in listening to it…

But I can definitely recommend going. I liked the atmosphere of watching a movie under the dark sky of a summer night…

More information about:

Sommernachts Open Air Cinema Ludwigsburg 2013 (only in German)

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Ludwigsburg is a lovely city for itself and definitely worth a visit. It’s right next to Stuttgart. I’ve been here last winter, visiting the Christmas Market, which is very special and beautiful. But to tell you the truth: Ludwigsburg is even more beautiful in summer. One of its main attractions is the Residential Palace.

But we were not here because of the castle (well, at least not because of this one ;-)) but to see Hänsel and Gretel and Rumpelstilzchen and Aladdin and much more at Märchengarten Ludwigsburg.

I got some last coaching in fairy tales by this story teller…

and then we were ready for witches, dwarfs and Co.

As we were quite early and it was not too crowded, we decided to start our day in the Märchengarten with a boat ride.

The boat ride is a very relaxing thing to do. You pass different houses where puppets tell you about several fairy tales. Very cute! The only scary thing (at least, when you’re three years old) is the mouth of the whale…

…but don’t worry, Pinocchio is waiting at the end, eager to show you the way out! 😉

After this adventure, we had to prove how brave we are, again: By visiting the witch!

Two courageous men debating whether it’s a good idea to knock on the house of the witch or not…

… and hiding behind the fence when she looks out of the window. But be assured: She didn’t put the two in the oven!

Our next stops where less nerve-racking: We saw Aladdin and the  genie of the lamp…

… the orphan girl collecting star money…

…and looked through grandma’s window only to find out the wolf was lying in her bed!

Well, what can I say, the houses with the different fairy tales are a delight for the young and for the old:

🙂 Cute, hum?

We also passed a giant in his castle…

…and Rumpelstilzchen…

… before we arrived at Rapunzel’s tower:

Can you see her braid dangling down from the tower? 🙂

When you walk around it, you’ve got a great view:

When you step inside, stairs lead you down…

…and down…

… and down…

… until you arrive at the very bottom of the rock on which the tower is standing.

Well, and if you were the only one of your group who was stupid enough to walk down all the stairs of the tower, you have to climb up again in order to meet the rest…

Now we were hungry! We left the Märchengarten early afternoon and went to a Café in the park… not without enjoying the first flowers of this spring…

We chose the “Cafeteria” for our lunch break…

… didn’t care about healthy eating principles…

…and had our first ice-cream in 2013!

Aaaah, what a beautiful day! And can you imagine a better end to it than swinging into the spring sky with an ice-cream in your hand…?

Well, I couldn’t… 🙂

More information about:

Märchengarten Ludwigsburg (only in German)

Ludwigsburg

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I was lucky when I went to the Christmas market in Stuttgart during my lunch break as it had just begun to snow. And of course Christmas markets always look amazing when it’s snowing…

A great thing to do for kids is ride the miniature steam-train on Schlossplatz:

The Christmas market in Stuttgart is one of the oldest of its kind in Europe. Its roots date back to the 16th century. And it is also a very large one, including parts of the Schlossplatz, the whole Schillerplatz, several streets between Schillerplatz and Marktplatz and the whole Marktplatz. Around 280 beautifully decorated stands offer food, drinks, Christmas decorations and much more. Especially the roofs of the stands are worth looking at.

Poet Friedrich Schiller looking down on what’s going on on “his” square, the Schillerplatz.

Because of all the lights, it is always a stunning experience to visit a Christmas Market at night. So here are some impressions of one of my visits:

Two angels in front of the city hall on the Marktplatz:

Of course, the steam-train runs when it’s dark, too.

When it gets too cold, it’s a good idea to step inside the Sporer Alm, between Marktplatz and Markthalle. It’s warm and cosy inside.

Some of the stands offer very cute Christmas decorations. I have to admit, I do get weak sometimes…

When visiting a Christmas Market, it’s a MUST to have a Glühwein (mulled wine). This year, I got a bit adventurous and tried Eierpunsch, which consists of egg-nog and white wine… well, I can’t recommend it… If you want to have something different from the traditional Glühwein, try a white Glühwein. That tastes very nice.

What I found very fascinating, but didn’t have the guts to try, were these chocolate-covered chillies…

One of my favourite places on the Christmas Market in Stuttgart is the Finnish Village (Finnisches Dorf), which is located on Karlsplatz, close to the U-Bahn sation Charlottenplatz. They don’t serve Glühwein there but Glögi, which is made of berries and tastes very nice. And they sell the best salmon I ever had – seriously! You can have it on the plate for 10 Euro or in a bread-roll for 5 Euro. But they also offer a lunch special for 7,50 Euro for the plate. If you’re lucky, you find a seat inside the tent, close to the fireplace. Very cosy!

The next Christmas market I went to this year was the medieval one in Esslingen.

Actually, only a part of the Christmas market in Esslingen is called “Mittelaltermarkt” (medieval market), there is also a “normal” Christmas market around it. When you enter the gate to the Mittelaltermarkt, you step into another world…

… and meet people you would not expect…

Actually, the Grim Reaper turned out to be very polite and didn’t mind me taking a picture of him. Who would have thought that?? But I still asked him to keep his distance for some more decades… And he promised to do so! 🙂

When it comes to food, I made one epic discovery: Waffles with Nutella and cherries taste fantastic! How could I have lived without them for so many years???

There is one more Christmas market I would love to introduce to you: The Barock-Weihnachtsmarkt in Ludwigsburg. It takes place on the Marktplatz and is surrounded by baroque buildings and churches.

What blends in very nicely with the baroque surrounding are the illuminated angel statues in the middle of the market square.

Don’t they just look beautiful?

Unfortunately, it was raining heavily when I visited Ludwigsburg, so I didn’t take a lot of pictures. But I hope you can still get an idea of how lovely the baroque Christmas market is.

These were the Christmas markets in and around Stuttgart that I have visited this year. But of course there are many more around Stuttgart. I hope I get the chance to go to some of them next year.

That leaves me with only one more thing: I want to wish all of you a very merry Christmas with your friends and families! Have a good one!

More information about:

Christmas market in Stuttgart

Medieval Christmas market in Esslingen

Baroque Christmas market in Ludwigsburg

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