Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Rhein-Main50°03′ N 8°39′ EGermany5 markets4 towns4 events5 stays

Frankfurt suits a first night off a long-haul flight, because the S-Bahn runs from the airport straight to a market spread across six squares of the Altstadt. The S8 carries on to Mainz and Wiesbaden for their own markets, and Michelstadt makes a half-timbered day out in the Odenwald from Wednesday to Sunday. Frankfurt's market ends on 22 December, so anyone arriving later finds the squares cleared.

Photo Kiefer. from Frankfurt, Germany · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery

5 in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Christmas markets

The round Paulskirche rises above the Christmas market roofs in Frankfurt, seen from the cathedral tower.

Market stalls stand on Paulsplatz in Frankfurt before the Paulskirche and the towers of the banking district.

Seasonal

Frankfurt Artists' Christmas Market

Frankfurt · Altstadt

Frankfurtfrom Nov 24

A two-storey carousel spins beside the Christmas tree on Frankfurt's Römerberg as crowds pass at night.

Crowds fill the Römerberg in Frankfurt at night below the stepped gables of the Römer and the Christmas tree.

Seasonal

Frankfurt Christmas Market

Frankfurt · Altstadt

Frankfurtfrom Nov 23

Mainz Cathedral glows at night above the strings of lights and stalls of the Christmas market.

A canopy of fairy lights spreads over the market stalls on the Markt in Mainz at blue hour.

Seasonal

Mainz Christmas Market

Mainz · Altstadt

Mainzfrom Nov 26

Crowds browse the stalls below snowy timber-framed gables during the Michelstadt Christmas market.

Snow lies on the stall roofs below Michelstadt's pointed Rathaus and church tower as market crowds gather at dusk.

Seasonal

Michelstadt Christmas Market

Michelstadt · Altstadt

Michelstadtfrom Nov 27

Golden lily lights rise over the stalls of the Sternschnuppenmarkt on Wiesbaden's Schlossplatz at dusk.

A sweets stall painted like a row of timber-framed houses glows on the wet cobbles of the Wiesbaden market.

Seasonal

Wiesbaden Sternschnuppenmarkt

Wiesbaden · Mitte

Wiesbadenfrom Nov 24

4 in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Towns and neighbourhoods

Frankfurt's towers glow at sunset above the Main as snow lines the riverbank.

Lights from the Eiserner Steg and the Saalhof shimmer on the Main in Frankfurt under a deep blue evening sky.

Frankfurt

Hesse

CityPop. 760,656Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Christmas lights trace the timber-framed houses around the Kirschgarten in Mainz's old town at night.

Garlands and stars hang on the timber-framed houses of the Kirschgarten in Mainz on a grey day.

Mainz

Rhineland-Palatinate

CityPop. 223,888Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Street lamps light the timber-framed houses and cobbles of Michelstadt's Marktplatz on a November evening.

Red geraniums ring the Marktbrunnen fountain in front of timber-framed houses in Michelstadt.

Michelstadt

Odenwald

TownPop. 15,197Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Lit fountains play in front of the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden as blue hour settles over the Bowling Green.

A tall red Christmas tree fills the domed foyer of the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden on its marble floor.

Wiesbaden

Hesse

CityPop. 288,584Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

4 in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Events and seasons

The red tower of the Alte Nikolaikirche rises over the Ostzeile houses and market stalls on the Römerberg at night.

Photo of Frankfurt

Dates projected

Christmas Eve at Frankfurt Cathedral

Frankfurt · Altstadt

Church serviceDec 24, 2026

Frankfurt Cathedral's tower stands above the old town roofs across the river Main.

Photo of Frankfurt

Seasonal

Frankfurt City Bell Ringing

Frankfurt · Altstadt

Folk customNov 28, 2026

The red sandstone tower and nave of Frankfurt Cathedral rise over the square on its south side.

Photo of Frankfurt

Seasonal

Frankfurt Tower Brass

Frankfurt · Altstadt

ConcertNov 23, 2026

From above, Frankfurt Cathedral rises among the rebuilt gabled houses of the New Old Town.

Photo of Frankfurt

Seasonal

Frankfurt Christmas Market opening

Frankfurt · Altstadt

Opening ceremonyNov 23, 2026

5 in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

Places to stay

The red tower of the Alte Nikolaikirche rises over the Ostzeile houses and market stalls on the Römerberg at night.

Photo of Frankfurt

Hotel Nizza

Frankfurt · Bahnhofsviertel

Hotel€€€140

Frankfurt Cathedral's tower stands above the old town roofs across the river Main.

Photo of Frankfurt

Motel One Frankfurt-Romer

Frankfurt · Altstadt, Berliner Straße

Hotel

The red sandstone tower and nave of Frankfurt Cathedral rise over the square on its south side.

Photo of Frankfurt

Roomers Frankfurt Central

Frankfurt · Gutleutviertel, near the Hauptbahnhof

Hotel

From above, Frankfurt Cathedral rises among the rebuilt gabled houses of the New Old Town.

Photo of Frankfurt

Steigenberger Icon Frankfurter Hof

Frankfurt · Kaiserplatz, Innenstadt

Hotel€€€€

Trees lit in pink, blue and green ring a lawn of the Palmengarten in Frankfurt under the night sky.

Photo of Frankfurt

The Pure

Frankfurt · Bahnhofsviertel

Hotel

In the journal and guides

Read more about Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main

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.