In 2021, our annual Christmas Market Trip took us to Hamburg – a city I had visited many times before since I grew up just an hour or two away. Never had I visited Hamburg during Christmas season though and it was the most magical thing to witness! From the moment we entered the city, the Christmas magic was unfolding in front of our eyes. Buildings were bathed in Christmas lights and everywhere we looked, lights were glistening and brightening up the dark. In a city the size of Hamburg, the numbers of Christmas Markets are many and I gathered only the best markets for you below.
Town Hall - During Christmas time the town hall is surrounded by Christmas lights and the scent of mulled wine from the booths scattered around the large square with the impressively imposing building in the background. What makes this Christmas market so special are the particularities like the historical sales cars or a carousel from the 1920’s - this truly is THE historical Christmas Market in town. The feeling of being transported back in time where sales cars with beautiful handmade goods and homemade delicacies invite you to dive into a magical Christmas spirit is unlike any other Christmas market in Hamburg. The offers are numerous: plenty treats, gift items and handicrafts to bring home as a souvenir.
Spitalerstrasse – The stalls of the Hanseatic Christmas Market are lined up one next to each other along one of Hamburg’s best known shopping streets, Spitalerstrasse. Surrounded by glistening Christmas lights and glittering decorations, this Christmas market transforms the pedestrian zone into a magical shopping mile with stalls selling everything from gift items to Christmas specialties with lots and lots of Christmas delicacies to dive into. Hopping from one stall to the next, the vast selection of creative items and varying food are big enough to make you linger for a while.
Gerhard-Hauptmann-Platz – After strolling down the Christmas market on the shopping mile, we arrived at the nostalgic Winter Village – a Christmas market located in the midst of a square, surrounded by historical buildings. Throughout the maze of numerous Christmas huts where handicrafts are on display and the gastronomic selection demands your divided attention lies a little hidden gem – an atmospheric little square inside the Christmas market surrounded by trees and cozy Christmas vibes with a stage for daily live entertainment. The Christmas trees spread around the market and a real imitation of a forest floor create a cozy atmosphere, perfectly isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.
Jungfernstieg – The iconic white tents, crowned with illuminated, sparkling stars are hard to miss when you’re moving around the city centre – this is the Christmas Market at “Jungfernstieg”. This Christmas Market is a great contrast to the otherwise very traditional, rustic markets found in Hamburg and perfectly combines tradition and modernity. With one of the best locations in town, this Christmas market is located right at the waterfront overlooking the lake where lights are glistening after the sun has set. Around 80 booths offer all sorts of culinary, handicraft and decorative goods, enough to dive into and linger for a while.
Gänsemarkt - No Christmas Market in Hamburg is alike the other. At “Gänsemarkt”, surrounding the Lessing Memorial of the historical German poet, lies a fairytale Christmas Market resembling an idyllic village of gingerbread houses – Hansel and Gretel would feel very much at home here. The sales stands are designed with great attention to detail and the large entrance gate is a real eye-catcher, beautifully decorated in a gingerbread style. This fairytale village is cozy and small yet offers a great variety of culinary delicacies with classics such as suckling pig, tarte flambee, bratwurst, pastries, roasted almonds and of course gingerbread combined with Feuerzangbowle, punch and mulled wine.
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