Stuttgart and the Neckar

Stuttgart and the Neckar

Stuttgart und Neckar48°57′ N 9°12′ EGermany6 markets5 towns4 events12 stays

Stuttgart's market of about 250 stalls leads, and from one hotel there the S-Bahn takes you out to Esslingen's medieval market or Ludwigsburg's baroque square. Tübingen and Heidelberg make longer day trips by regional train. Weekend evenings get crowded, and Esslingen's organizer asks wheelchair users and parents with prams to come on a weekday.

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

6 in Stuttgart and the Neckar

Christmas markets

Lit gables and a Christmas tree frame the Altes Rathaus above the market tents in Esslingen at dusk.

Bakers in white turn Stockbrot over the coals at a wooden stall at the Esslingen medieval market.

Seasonal

Esslingen Medieval and Christmas Market

Esslingen · Altstadt

Esslingenfrom Nov 24

Arches of lights lead across the Karlsplatz market toward Heidelberg Castle as night falls.

A lit Christmas pyramid turns above the stalls and wet cobbles of the Heidelberg Christmas Market at dusk.

Seasonal

Heidelberg Christmas Market

Heidelberg · Altstadt

Heidelbergfrom Nov 23

Light angels rise over the stalls on Ludwigsburg's Marktplatz at night in front of the twin-towered Stadtkirche.

Coloured paper stars glow on a stall roof below the Stadtkirche at the Ludwigsburg Christmas market.

Seasonal

Ludwigsburg Baroque Christmas Market

Ludwigsburg · Ludwigsburg-Mitte

Ludwigsburgfrom Nov 24

A stall at the Stuttgart Christmas Market hangs wreaths, dried flowers and Father Christmas figures under its lights.

Shoppers walk between market stalls toward the Stiftskirche in Stuttgart as the December sky fades.

Seasonal

Stuttgart Christmas Market

Stuttgart · Stuttgart-Mitte

Stuttgartfrom Nov 25

Visitors stream down a cobbled lane of Tübingen's old town toward the chocolART tents at dusk.

White chocolART tents line the lane toward the painted Rathaus on Tübingen's Marktplatz.

Seasonal

chocolART Tubingen

Tubingen · Altstadt

Tubingenfrom Dec 1

Snow covers the market stalls on Tübingen's Marktplatz in front of a row of timber-framed gables.

A snow-covered fir and white stall roofs line the lane by the Stiftskirche during Tübingen's Christmas market.

Seasonal

Tubingen Christmas Market

Tubingen · Altstadt

Tubingenfrom Dec 11

5 in Stuttgart and the Neckar

Towns and neighbourhoods

Red roofs of Esslingen's old town gather around the towers of St. Dionys and St. Paul on a winter morning.

The Renaissance gable of Esslingen's Altes Rathaus carries two clocks and painted figures under a blue sky.

Esslingen

Altstadt

CityPop. 95,419Stuttgart and the Neckar

Snow dusts the roofs below Heidelberg Castle seen across the Neckar on a winter afternoon.

Evening sun warms the Old Bridge in Heidelberg as snow lies on the castle hill behind it.

Heidelberg

Altstadt

CityPop. 156,092Stuttgart and the Neckar

The long south front of Ludwigsburg Palace faces its trimmed garden lawns under a December sky.

Wire angels and closed market kiosks stand on Ludwigsburg's Marktplatz before the Stadtkirche on a grey day.

Ludwigsburg

Ludwigsburg-Mitte

CityPop. 93,002Stuttgart and the Neckar

A lit Christmas tree and carousel stand beside the Königsbau colonnade in Stuttgart at blue hour.

Stuttgart's Rathaus tower rises over the lit Marktplatz stalls and Christmas tree on a December night.

Stuttgart

Stuttgart-Mitte

CityPop. 609,365Stuttgart and the Neckar

A lit Christmas tree stands before the painted Rathaus on Tübingen's empty Marktplatz on a December night.

Lit windows of Tübingen's Neckarfront and the Hölderlinturm shine on the still river at blue hour.

Tubingen

Altstadt

CityPop. 92,607Stuttgart and the Neckar

4 in Stuttgart and the Neckar

Events and seasons

Snow dusts the roofs below Heidelberg Castle seen across the Neckar on a winter afternoon.

Photo of Heidelberg

Seasonal

Heidelberg Ice Rink on Karlsplatz

Heidelberg · Altstadt

Ice rinkNov 23, 2026

Lit trees and glowing lotus lights shine on the pond before the Moorish villa at the Wilhelma in Stuttgart.

Photo of Stuttgart

Seasonal

Advent organ music at the Stiftskirche

Stuttgart · Stuttgart-Mitte

ConcertNov 30, 2026

A lit Christmas tree and carousel stand beside the Königsbau colonnade in Stuttgart at blue hour.

Photo of Stuttgart

Seasonal

Stuttgart Christmas Market opening

Stuttgart · Stuttgart-Mitte

Opening ceremonyNov 25, 2026

Shoppers walk between market stalls toward the Stiftskirche in Stuttgart as the December sky fades.

Photo of Stuttgart

Seasonal

Tower brass at the Stiftskirche

Stuttgart · Stuttgart-Mitte

ConcertNov 25, 2026

12 in Stuttgart and the Neckar

Places to stay

All stays

The Renaissance gable of Esslingen's Altes Rathaus carries two clocks and painted figures under a blue sky.

Photo of Esslingen

Hotel am Schelztor

Esslingen · Schelztor, between the station and the Marktplatz

Hotel

A tall wooden Christmas pyramid stands before timber-framed houses on the Marktplatz in Esslingen.

Photo of Esslingen

Leonardo Hotel Esslingen

Esslingen · Grabbrunnenstraße, by the Neckar Forum

Hotel

Snow dusts the roofs below Heidelberg Castle seen across the Neckar on a winter afternoon.

Photo of Heidelberg

Arthotel Heidelberg

Heidelberg · Altstadt, Grabengasse

Hotel€€€139

The tower of the Heiliggeistkirche rises above the lit lanes of Heidelberg's old town at night.

Photo of Heidelberg

Hotel Europaischer Hof Heidelberg

Heidelberg · Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage, edge of the Altstadt

Hotel€€€€

Arches of lights lead across the Karlsplatz market toward Heidelberg Castle as night falls.

Photo of Heidelberg

Hotel Goldener Hecht

Heidelberg · Altstadt, Steingasse at the Old Bridge

Hotel

Lit fir trees ring the Madonna column on Heidelberg's Kornmarkt below the castle ruins at dusk.

Photo of Heidelberg

Hotel Hollander Hof

Heidelberg · Altstadt, by the Old Bridge

Hotel€€109

Market stalls glow at blue hour on Heidelberg's Marktplatz between the Hercules fountain and the Rathaus.

Photo of Heidelberg

Hotel Villa Marstall

Heidelberg · Altstadt, on the Neckar

Hotel

Lit trees and glowing lotus lights shine on the pond before the Moorish villa at the Wilhelma in Stuttgart.

Photo of Stuttgart

Der Zauberlehrling

Stuttgart · Rosenstraße, Stuttgart-Mitte

Hotel

In the journal and guides

Read more about Stuttgart and the Neckar

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.