Franconia

Franconia

Franken49°36′ N 10°33′ EGermany7 markets5 towns5 events15 stays

Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt leads, and the city counted more than two million visits to it in 2024, so expect a full Hauptmarkt. Stay in Nuremberg and take day trips out to Bamberg for the nativity cribs and smoked beer, or spend a night inside Rothenburg's walls once the day visitors leave. Most of Franconia's markets close on 23 December, and Nuremberg's own shuts at 14:00 on Christmas Eve.

Photo Ermell · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery

7 in Franconia

Christmas markets

A shopper stands at a lit wooden stall under a gold star at the Bamberg Christmas market at dusk

A carousel spins in a blur of lights at the Bamberg Christmas market at night

Seasonal

Bamberg Christmas Market

Bamberg · Inselstadt

Bambergfrom Nov 24

Lit wooden stalls stand among old trees in the Spitalhof during the Dinkelsbühl Christmas market

A garlanded fountain stands among the stalls in the Spitalhof courtyard at the Dinkelsbühl Christmas market

Seasonal

Dinkelsbuhl Christmas Market

Dinkelsbuhl · Altstadt

Dinkelsbuhlfrom Nov 23

Shoppers crowd the striped stalls of the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt below the Frauenkirche at blue hour

Visitors hold warm drinks between the red and white stalls on Nuremberg's Hauptmarkt as the evening lights come on

Seasonal

Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt

Nuremberg · Altstadt

Nurembergfrom Nov 27

A lit arch spells out Nürnberger Kinderweihnacht above an evening crowd walking between the stalls

A long exposure turns the carousel at Nuremberg's Kinderweihnacht into rings of light on a December night

Seasonal

Nuremberg Kinderweihnacht

Nuremberg · Altstadt

Nurembergfrom Nov 27

Shoppers walk past the lit stalls of Nuremberg's Markt der Partnerstädte below a building hung with lights

Standing tables and garlanded stalls fill the square at Nuremberg's Markt der Partnerstädte on a December evening

Seasonal

Nuremberg Sister Cities Market

Nuremberg · Altstadt

Nurembergfrom Nov 27

A lit Christmas tree and the floodlit Rathaus face each other across Rothenburg's Marktplatz at night

A tall lit tree stands between the Rathaus and the Ratstrinkstube during Rothenburg's Reiterlesmarkt at night

Seasonal

Rothenburg Reiterlesmarkt

Rothenburg ob der Tauber · Altstadt

Rothenburg ob der Tauberfrom Nov 20

The floodlit Marienkapelle rises above the crowd and stalls of the Würzburg Christmas market at night

A crowd fills the Würzburg Christmas market below a lit tree and the facades of the Marktplatz

Seasonal

Wurzburg Christmas Market

Wurzburg · Altstadt

Wurzburgfrom Nov 27

5 in Franconia

Towns and neighbourhoods

Bamberg's Altes Rathaus sits on its bridge over the Regnitz at blue hour in December

Painted frescoes cover the side of Bamberg's Altes Rathaus above the Regnitz as the windows light up at dusk

Bamberg

Upper Franconia

CityPop. 77,218Franconia

Half-timbered houses and a church tower line Dr.-Martin-Luther-Straße in Dinkelsbühl at blue hour

The stepped gable of the Rothenburger Tor rises over a cobbled street in Dinkelsbühl at blue hour

Dinkelsbuhl

Middle Franconia

TownPop. 12,398Franconia

Snow falls on an evening crowd in Nuremberg's old town, with St. Sebald's choir and a lit tower above the street

Lights wind through the trees outside the Bratwursthäusle beside St. Sebald's Church in Nuremberg on a winter night

Nuremberg

Middle Franconia

CityPop. 531,159Franconia

Lights hang over Herrngasse in Rothenburg ob der Tauber at night, with the Rathaus tower at the end of the street

A Christmas tree stands in the arched passage under the Rathaus in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Middle Franconia

TownPop. 11,331Franconia

A lit Christmas tree stands beside the floodlit Marienkapelle on Würzburg's Marktplatz at night

The floodlit Marienberg Fortress shines above the Main in Würzburg at blue hour, with its lights on the river

Wurzburg

Lower Franconia

CityPop. 133,753Franconia

5 in Franconia

Events and seasons

Snow falls on an evening crowd in Nuremberg's old town, with St. Sebald's choir and a lit tower above the street

Photo of Nuremberg

Seasonal

Nuremberg Christkind Prolog

Nuremberg · Altstadt

Opening ceremonyNov 27, 2026

Lights wind through the trees outside the Bratwursthäusle beside St. Sebald's Church in Nuremberg on a winter night

Photo of Nuremberg

Dates projected

Christmas Eve Devotion on the Hauptmarkt

Nuremberg · Altstadt

Church serviceDec 24, 2026

Shoppers crowd the striped stalls of the Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt below the Frauenkirche at blue hour

Photo of Nuremberg

Seasonal

Nuremberg Lantern Procession

Nuremberg · Altstadt

ProcessionDec 10, 2026

Visitors hold warm drinks between the red and white stalls on Nuremberg's Hauptmarkt as the evening lights come on

Photo of Nuremberg

Dates projected

Christmette at St. Lorenz, Nuremberg

Nuremberg · Altstadt

Church serviceDec 24, 2026

Lights hang over Herrngasse in Rothenburg ob der Tauber at night, with the Rathaus tower at the end of the street

Photo of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Dates projected

Arrival of the Rothenburg Reiterle

Rothenburg ob der Tauber · Altstadt

Opening ceremonyNov 27, 2026

15 in Franconia

Places to stay

All stays

White stucco vaults and a gilded cross hang over the long nave of Würzburg Cathedral toward the choir

Photo of Wurzburg

Babelfish Hostel

Wurzburg · Innenstadt, Haugerring

Hostel€

Snow falls on an evening crowd in Nuremberg's old town, with St. Sebald's choir and a lit tower above the street

Photo of Nuremberg

Five Reasons Hotel & Hostel

Nuremberg · Altstadt, St. Lorenz, by the opera house

Hostel€

Lights hang over Herrngasse in Rothenburg ob der Tauber at night, with the Rathaus tower at the end of the street

Photo of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Hotel-Gasthof Goldener Greifen

Rothenburg ob der Tauber · Altstadt, Obere Schmiedgasse

Inn€€€134

A lit Christmas tree stands before the floodlit towers and rose window of Würzburg Cathedral at night

Photo of Wurzburg

Hotel Amberger

Wurzburg · Innenstadt, Ludwigstraße

Hotel€€€159

A lit Christmas tree and the floodlit Rathaus face each other across Rothenburg's Marktplatz at night

Photo of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Hotel Eisenhut

Rothenburg ob der Tauber · Altstadt, Herrngasse

Hotel

Lights wind through the trees outside the Bratwursthäusle beside St. Sebald's Church in Nuremberg on a winter night

Photo of Nuremberg

Hotel Elch

Nuremberg · Altstadt, castle quarter

Hotel

A tall lit tree stands between the Rathaus and the Ratstrinkstube during Rothenburg's Reiterlesmarkt at night

Photo of Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Hotel Gerberhaus

Rothenburg ob der Tauber · Altstadt, Spitalgasse

Hotel€€€147

The floodlit Marienberg Fortress shines above the Main in Würzburg at blue hour, with its lights on the river

Photo of Wurzburg

Hotel Rebstock

Wurzburg · Altstadt, Neubaustraße

Hotel

In the journal and guides

Read more about Franconia

Are German Christmas markets open on Sunday?
Every Advent Sunday is a market day in Germany. The two Sundays before Advent are different, and on 22 November 2026 most markets that have already opened stay shut.
What's open in Europe on Christmas Eve?
Seventy-nine markets open on 24 December 2026, and most of them close by 18:30, so do your last shopping before dark.
When do Christmas markets open in Germany in 2026?
Totensonntag falls on 22 November in 2026. Most German markets open in the week after it, and the date of a city's market comes from a rule you can read ahead.
When do Europe's Christmas markets open and close in 2026?
Vienna and Copenhagen open first, on 6 November 2026, and Cologne's Heumarkt keeps its stalls up until 10 January 2027. Every row below names who published the date.