Germany
Koblenz sits at the Deutsches Eck, where the Moselle meets the Rhine, with a Christmas market and a cable car to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress.
Famous for
Deutsches Eck — the dramatic headland where the Moselle meets the Rhine, with a cable car to a fortress.
Koblenz is the meeting point of the Rhine and Moselle — the Deutsches Eck (German Corner), a dramatic headland with an enormous equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I. The Christmas market, in the old town's Jesuitenplatz and Münzplatz, is romantic and uncrowded. The headline is the cable car across the Rhine to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress, the second-largest preserved fortress in Europe. Koblenz appears on both Rhine and Moselle itineraries.
Dates: Late Nov – Dec 23
Vibe: Dramatic and confluential — two rivers, a fortress, and a market in between.
Local tip
Take the cable car to Ehrenbreitstein at sunset — you'll see the Deutsches Eck and both rivers lit up below.
Germany
Seven Christmas markets sit in the shadow of Cologne's UNESCO cathedral, anchored by the Cathedral Market (Dom) and the medieval Old Town market.
Late Nov – Dec 23
ExploreGermany
The Christkindlesmarkt is the world's most famous Christmas market, set in Nuremberg's medieval main square and dating back to the mid-1600s.
Late Nov – Dec 24
ExploreGermany
Regensburg's Romantic Christmas Market sits in the medieval Neupfarrplatz, in a UNESCO old town with the world's oldest sausage kitchen (since 1146).
Late Nov – Dec 23
ExploreGermany
Rüdesheim's Christmas Market of Nations lines the Drosselgasse with stalls from 25+ countries, in a Rhine-gorge wine town famous for Riesling.
Late Nov – Dec 23
Explore