Bamberg
49°54′ N 10°54′ ECityPop. 77,218Franconia
Bamberg suits travellers who come for nativity cribs and smoked beer as much as for stalls; its Christmas market runs on the Maximiliansplatz and Grüner Markt from 24 November to 23 December 2026, according to the tourism service. The trade-off is a small market, with 45 stalls in 2024.
Photo Ermell · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay in Bamberg if you want the nativity cribs and the smoked beer as much as the market. The cribs open from late November into the new year, so Bamberg rewards a slow day after the market has closed.
Drink in Bamberg
SchlenkerlaTavern
The historic brewery tavern at Dominikanerstraße 6 pours Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier, Bamberg's smoked beer, from oak casks. It opens 09:30 to 23:30 year-round with hot food from 11:00 to 22:00; its Eiche Doppelbock returns from the first Sunday of Advent, and hours change at Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Things to do in Bamberg
Take the train from Bamberg
- Bamberg to Nurembergfastest 34 min, published by Deutsche Bahn (checked Oct 10, 2026) · timetable
Bamberg calls itself a Krippenstadt, and its tourism service traces the passion for crib-building back about 400 years to the Jesuits. From late November into February, cribs stand open in churches, museums and squares, and many church cribs change their scene through the season. The Großkrippe on the Schönleinsplatz puts life-size figures in a half-timbered house.
The Christmas market fills the Maxplatz and the Grüner Markt from 24 November 2026, opening at 09:30 from Monday to Saturday. Shops may stay open to midnight on all four Advent Saturdays in 2026. Finish the day at the Schlenkerla, where the smoked beer comes from oak casks and a stronger Doppelbock returns from the first Sunday of Advent.
Worth knowing
- Pick up the Winter im Welterbe brochure at the tourist information to plan a crib walk.
- Come on an Advent Saturday by bus if the free-bus offer runs again; in 2024 it covered the city's inner fare zones.
Quick answers about Bamberg
Why is Bamberg called a Krippenstadt?
Bamberg is called a Krippenstadt, a city of nativity cribs, because many of its churches, museums and squares put cribs on public view from late November into February. Bamberg's tourism service traces the tradition back about 400 years to the Jesuits.
When is the Bamberg Christmas market in 2026?
The Bamberg Christmas market runs from 24 November to 23 December 2026 on the Maximiliansplatz and Grüner Markt, as announced by Bamberg's tourism service.
Is Bamberg a good place to stay?
Stay in Bamberg if you want the nativity cribs and the smoked beer as much as the market. The cribs open from late November into the new year, so Bamberg rewards a slow day after the market has closed.
