It goes without saying that I’ve been sorting through these photos and writing this post while playing cheerful Christmas music in the background. I like Christmas! I like the decorations, the music, the atmosphere, the movies (Die Hard is my favourite Christmas movie) and the food. I don’t have a big family, so when it comes to the actual Christmas celebration my family and I keep it small. I mainly like the period running up to Christmas. This is my first Christmas back in Europe after being away for two years, so my mum and I decided to celebrate that in style by going to the Christmas market in Düsseldorf.

Christmas Market Düsseldorf

It’s a 2.5 hour drive from Rotterdam to Düsseldorf, so we decided to make it a one day trip which is easily do-able. This article will be a summing up of facts rather than a comparison of Christmas markets, because I’d be the worst advice-giver: I’ve only been to two Christmas markets in my life!

The market in Düsseldorf runs from the end of November until the day before Christmas. We went on a weekday, so I can’t judge busyness in the weekend but on a Tuesday it was quiet, during the day even more so. In the evening, around 5pm it started to get more crowded.

I will dedicate a future post on what to do in Düsseldorf during a one-day trip, so this post will solely focus on the seven different Christmas markets in the city which host over 200 huts showcasing all kinds of Christmas delights.

Burgplatz

The first Christmas market we stumbled upon (because we parked in the vicinity) is one which doesn’t feature in the guide as part of the seven Christmas Market in the Düsseldorf Christmas Guide. It’s on Burgplatz, right next to the huge Ferris wheel.

Heinrich-Heine-Platz

The second Christmas market we visited is in the Christmas guide. This “Angel Market” has a beautifully golden colour scheme and is gorgeously lit, which indeed gives it a heavenly atmosphere. In the middle of all the little huts there’s a brightly lit music pavilion where you can enjoy some mulled wine.

It’s only fitting that my mum bought a little angel ornament to hang in the Christmas tree from this market.

Stadtbrückchen

The third Christmas market is located in the inner courtyard of the Wilhelm-Marx-Haus (one alleyway away from the previous market). The huts in this courtyard are covered with snow, countless crystals and glittering stars. The lighting design of this courtyard is impressive and whereas the previous market was a bit golden, this one is wintry white.

Schadowplatz

The fourth Christmas market had a bit of a Scandinavian feel. The huts are grouped around a carousel for children, which give this market a bit of a traditional, village-like structure.

Jan-Wellem-Platz

The fifth Christmas market we visited was the one on Jan-Wellem-Platz, right next to the Hofgarten. These huts are located in a row next to each other and when you’re walking towards the Old Town the last hut is an ice rink.

Marktplatz

The sixth market we visited, actually the most famous one due to its location, is the one on Marktplatz. The city hall serves as a backdrop for this impressive market and there’s a huge beautifully decorated and lit Christmas tree. There are craftsmen and women who are creating wooden and glass structures from scratch and they’re happy to demonstrate their skills to visitors.

Flinger Strasse/Marktstrasse

We walked past this Christmas market but I didn’t take any pictures. It’s located in the heart of the shopping district of Old Town and it provides a link between Marktplatz and Heinrich-Heine-Platz (the 2nd market we visited).

Schadowstrasse

This is one of the seven official Christmas markets – I still don’t understand why the one on Burgplatz is not an official market – which we didn’t visit. We thought it was a bit out of the way and by the time we visited the other six (seven because we are counting Burgplatz) we were all Christmassed out for the day.

Food and Drink

It’s a German Christmas market so that means that apart from decorations and gift items there’s a lot of food and drink. We had dinner in a restaurant (which I will describe in the upcoming post about Düsseldorf) so our food only consisted of small bites. Germany is the land of “bratwurst”, so it was impossible to pass by this beauty without at least trying one.

My mum also tried to show me how tasty chestnuts are. She even told me that she used to snack on them as a substitute for candy. I’m not buying that… They’re dry and chewy. It wasn’t love at first sight between me and the chestnuts.

The last staple is mulled wine. I was the designated driver so I had a non-alcoholic version of the drink. I’m not a full-fledged fan of the flavour of mulled wine – it tastes a bit too much like cinnamon sometimes – but it’s a must-drink on a Christmas market. I’m not an expert on Christmas markets, but that much I know.

Next time I’ll try the “Reibenkuchen”, there were so many different stands offering this South German dish that I feel sorry I missed out.

Conclusion

What’s not to love about a Christmas market? It was such a fun day out with my mum. I’m lucky to be living in The Netherlands again, so close to the German border that this commute is easy to do within a day. If I don’t plan any big travels next Christmas I’ll be sure to try out more markets, maybe even in different countries to compare. My next post will be about the Christmas market I visited the week later in Maastricht.

Have you visited any Christmas markets this year? And if so, which one was your favourite?