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Christmas market in Germany when it
launched 10 years ago with a three-day
festival; today it’s a vibrant four-week
party that attracts wall-to-wall people:
locals and visitors, young and old, gay
and straight. The boutique-size mar-
ket has a few very, very busy food and
glühwein vendors and only a dozen
or so shopping stalls. Don’t expect to
find anything risqué for sale. “We’re in
Bavaria, which is quite Catholic,” ex-
plained Bernd Muller, a market orga-
nizer. Nevertheless, most of the very
popular nightly holiday shows are drag
performances – and great fun.

The next morning, I was off to Gar-
misch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian
Alps. Garmisch and Partenkirchen were
separate towns until 1935, when Hitler
ordered them joined to stage the 1936
Winter Olympics. Twenty-eight na-
tions, including the United States, par-
ticipated in those games.

Today, the Garmisch Christkindlmarkt
has a cozy small-town feel. The 30
or so vendors who gather at Richard
Strauss Plaza all know each other. Local
musicians play Christmas tunes each
evening – townsfolk sometimes join
in. Along with yard-long sausages and
glühwein, visitors can sample regional
Alpine specialties such as Raclette and
cheese fondue. Gift shopping is simpli-
fied: fewer choices, better prices.

“I’d always heard Garmisch had a won-
derful Christmas market with old fash-
ioned flavor,” said Jonathan Uhrig, vis-
iting from Chicago.
“It's true. It’s festive here, but relaxed IF YOU GO
and cozy. Neighborly. By the end of the
evening, you’ll know all the vendors; Rates at Baden-Baden’s Hotel Der Kleine Prinz (www.derkleineprinz.de) start at
they’ll be your friends,” he said. about $180 a night. Learn more about Baden and its Christmas Market at www.
baden-baden.com/en.
“Isn’t that what holiday spirit is really
about? “ In Nuremberg, Hotel Agneshof, is a few steps from the Christmas market (www.
sorat-hotels.com/de/hotel/agneshof-nuernberg.html.) Rooms for two start at
about $110. Learn more about the Nuremberg Christmas market at www.christ-
Munich has 22 official Christmas Markets. At kindlesmarkt.de/en.
the Main Market, an enormous glittering tree In Munich I stayed at Arcona Living. (http://muenchen.arcona.de/en) where rooms
lights the night in front of the city’s historic start at about $110. Learn more about Munich Christmas Markets at: www.bavaria.
neo-gothic town hall. Two colorfully dressed by/christmas-market-in-munich-bavaria.
youngsters light the holidays in their own
festive way. Near Garmisch-Parrtenkirchen, I stayed at Schloss Elmau (www.schloss-elmau.de/
en/offers), the luxe 5-star castle/spa where the G-7 met last year. Rates start at
about $600 a night. Learn more about the Garmisch Christmas Market at www.
gapa.de/christmas_market.
Learn more about travel to Germany at www.germany.travel. Learn about travel to
Bavaria at www.bavaria.travel.

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