# Rudeshiem Germany Christmas Markets



## london (May 19, 2009)

We are traveling to England in early December for ten days. 

While in England we are taking a 4 day bus tour to the Christmas Markets in Germany.

Will be staying in Rudeshiem, and visiting markets in Koblenz and Frankfurt.

Looking for any information from Tuggers who have been to the Christmas Markets.


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## swift (May 19, 2009)

I think you will get more of a responce on this in the Europe Forum so I am moving this there.


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## stmartinfan (May 19, 2009)

We've been to Christmas markets, but in the 70s(!) so our experience may not be valid.  But I do expect that much has probably stayed the same.  Usually, you'll find lots of small stands/booths set up in the streets in a walking area of the city.  The smells are wonderful - sausages on the grill (the small white pork ones - weisswurst - were our favorite), hot gluwein (red wine with spices), roasting chestnuts etc.,  plus stands of fancy gingerbreads and lots of cute decorations. You can stroll around the area, sampling food and browsing, then if it happens to be a cool day and you want to warm up, duck into a restaurant or coffee shop for a beer or coffee.   

We have been to the three cities you're visiting within the last couple of years.  Rudesheim is a fairly quaint tourist town, and Koblenz is nice, too.  Frankfurt was never our favorite city, simply because so much of it was damaged during WWII that doesn't have much character but I'd guess the market is in the center of the city which is OK.  

Nuremburg was always the most famous Christmas market, but I think it's just similar to the others but on a much bigger scale.  Back in the 70s all the cute wooden Christmas decorations were still made in Germany; the ones I see now in the US all come from China.  I wonder where the source the items for the Christmas markets?


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## Carolinian (May 20, 2009)

Christmas markets are common in all of what used to be Germanic Europe, including the old Austrian Empire.  Vienna has the best of those I have been to, but I have also been to them in Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, Freiburg, Berlin, and Thun (Switzerland).

The hot spiced wine is outstanding, although the cost has gone up a lot since the euro came in.  It was much more reasonable when purchased in deutsche marks or schillings.  But in Thun, they were giving it away free last year!


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## Kay H (May 20, 2009)

I went about 2 yrs ago.  A lot of the articles for sale are the same all over but each area seems to have their own special articles which are made in that specific area.  The hot spiced wine was a winner.  You paid an extra $2 for a cup from that area and if you didn't want to keep the cup, you could return it and get your $2 back.  I drank lots of hot spiced wine (I forget what it is called) and I didn't keep any cups.


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## Bwolf (May 20, 2009)

gluewhein


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