Heidelberg, Germany's Holiday Magic
I can’t wait for you to join me in this charming German city that gives you Hallmark Christmas vibes.
Ever since I can remember, I have loved the magic of Christmas. So when someone mentioned to me the existence of the Christmas Markets in Europe, I began to dream of an enchanting, Christmassy adventure abroad.
The real challenge with planning a Christmas Market adventure isn’t the going itself, it’s the planning. If you’re opting to create your own adventure instead of booking tours or going on a cruise, the planning can consist of hours of figuring out where to go, stay, eat, transportation, etc. When my family first started discussing this adventure, we went through all the motions and eventually landed on creating our own itinerary.
This method involved a lot of planning, a lot of booking, and a lot of moving around suitcases, but ultimately it allowed us to see everything we wanted to see on our first trip. While I might do things a bit differently next time, the create your own method allowed us to get a feel for what we truly liked about this trip AND the things we’d change. And that’s where this blog series comes in to help you!
To help you plan your own trips, I’ve put together mini guides on everywhere we stopped, the Christmas markets we wandered through, everything we did, where we stayed, restaurants, a few of our favorite things about each stop, and I’ve even included some of the things we didn’t get to, just in case you find yourself with more time.
Our Christmas adventures around Europe included stops in:
Heidelberg, Germany
Cologne, Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Nuremberg, Germany
Munich, Germany
Today, we’re headed to Heidelberg, Germany. I can’t wait for you to join me in this charming German city that gives you those Hallmark Christmas vibes (if Hallmark movies were based in Germany).
Auf geht's nach Heidelberg!
P.S. If you'd rather watch our adventures in Heidelberg, enjoy a video recap of our trip here.
Stay
Regrettably, since this was our first time in Germany we had no idea how cute Heidelberg would be and only planned a few hours in this adorable city. Because we were only in Heidelberg for the morning, we did not stay anywhere. It truly was one of my most favorite stops and I hope to one day make it back to explore more of what Heidelberg has to offer.
Christmas Markets
I’ve always been drawn to small towns, and that’s why I was drawn to the markets in Heidelberg so much. Although Heidelberg is *technically* a city, the Old Town where the markets were held very much gave it the small town vibe I love.
From being able to walk along the cobbled streets to smelling the treats wafting through the air as we walked, we were in our own little world of Christmas magic. Heidelberg wasn’t the only village-esque place on our itinerary, however it gave me the most (and my favorite) small town feelings. It just felt home-y. It is definitely a spot I’d love to spend more time getting acquainted with either at Christmas or any other time of year.
Karlsplatz
Our first stop on our Heidelberg Christmas Market Tour was Karlsplatz. There is a nice parking garage right near this market which makes it a convenient spot to start at if you’re driving. Besides our luck with parking, starting with this market meant we got to start with the magic of the Heidelberg Castle.We didn’t make it to the castle itself on this trip, but the Karlsplatz Market sits in the shadow of the castle and gives this market a medieval feel. Not only does this market have the magic of the castle but it contains an ice rink where visitors can go skating during their market perusing. Although the rink wasn’t open in the early hours that we were there, it only added to the magic.
Besides the enchantment provided by the castle and the rink, the stalls at this market were mostly selling food and drinks. This made it another perfect spot to start the morning as we grabbed warm beverages for our hands.
Universitätsplatz
Universitätsplatz is the biggest market in Heidelberg and one of the most popular. The Universitätsplatz was my favorite market in Heidelberg. I loved the brightly colored nostalgic Christmas decorations, the beautiful carousel, and the many stalls that we were able to wander through offering everything from food to handcrafted goods. Though I loved stopping in each vendor's tent to look at their wares, even more so I loved enjoying the moment, the crisp cold air, the smells of the market, and the decor that made me feel like I was in Santa’s Village.
It was the smells of the market that drew us to the food. Everywhere we went, Barbie couldn’t help but find a new snack to try. At this particular market, he came up with a steaming handbrot filled with ham and cheese. Although I am not big on ham, I have to admit that anything we tried at the Christmas markets with melty cheese or (käse) was to die for. While Barbie snacked on his handbrot, my mom and sister picked up hot chocolate that was thick, rich, and chocolatey. They found it too sweet, but I thought it tasted like warm pudding. It was very rich, but it was delicious and warmed me up nicely.
Kornmarkt
This market wasn’t big (though many of the ones in Heidelberg weren’t big), but what it lacked in size it made up for in character. I don’t know what it is about the decor in Heidelberg but every one of the markets we went to, the decor spoke to me. It just screamed classic Christmas to me with bright reds, greens, Santas, and I just couldn’t get enough. And this one really added to its decor with the cute little train ride that wound through the Christmas trees in the square. Oh, and did I mention that this market is also in the shadow of the castle? Magic.
The decor of this market was adorable and the stalls were fun, but my favorite aspect of this particular market was the liquid apple pie. Made with apple juice, raisins, almonds, and cream (+ I know there also had to be some yummy spices in there), this warm beverage was one of my favorites of our entire Christmas market adventure. I am not a big alcohol drinker, so most of the glühwein didn’t do much for me, but it was really fun to try other NA drinks offered at the markets. By far this liquid apple pie was a definite winner to my taste buds - this is my tip to try everything that sounds good and unique!
Marktplatz
The market at Marktplatz is known for its giant wooden wine barrel and its yummy food. This market was located near the beautiful Peterskirche Church. Since we had gotten there so early in the morning, this market had just been opening up as we first wandered through, but the kind ladies running the crepe booth were ready to make Barbie a breakfast crepe. While I generally considered crepes a French thing, I have to say that Germany has some dang good crepes too.
Although this market is known for its giant wooden wine barrel and for allowing people to climb up and pose with the barrel, both times we passed this market we were unable to get a picture or even really see the barrel up close. This was disappointing as this market was known for this barrel and there was no explanation as to why we couldn’t see it.
But this market did have mini barrel-like looking spots where you could sit and eat your food in an enclosed, warmer space - that was pretty cool.
Bismarckplatz
Sadly, we were already over the time limit we had given ourselves and we did not make it all the way to the Bismarckplatz market. I am sure it was just as adorable & lovely as the other markets we got to enjoy, we will have to add this one to our list for next time.
Anatomiegarten
This was unfortunately the other market we missed in Heidelberg. I am sure it is just as lovely and unique as the ones we were able to visit. It just means we’ll have something to look forward to when we come back.
Things to Do (that we did)
Christmas Shop Käthe Wohlfahrt
If you’ve ever wanted to wander around a seemingly endless and magically Christmas themed store, then if you ever spot a Käthe Wohlfahrt, I hope you stop in. With beautiful German Christmas ornaments everywhere you turn and a winding pathway leading you deeper and deeper into what feels like Santa’s ornament workshop, you can’t leave this store without feeling a whisper of Christmas magic. Although I refrained from adding any ornaments to my collection, I did walk out with advent calendar cards + Christmas postcards that made my holiday heart leap with joy. The advent calendar cards were interactive and opened little windows for each day of advent. Plus, to make them even more fun and unique, the ones I picked up were themed with a character Krtek who is a little mole and a popular character on a kids TV show in Germany.
Altstadt is the “Old Town” of Heidelberg, the city’s “historic heart” and is where we spent all of our morning. I’m obviously biased because this is the ONLY place we went, but you can’t miss this area of Heidelberg. Besides being the hub that connects most (if not all) of the Christmas markets, this area is lined with cobblestone streets that wind through historic buildings like you’re wandering a fairytale - especially with the castle looming in the background of many market areas. And although we did minimal wandering, the main street is lined with shops, cafes, and during the season, Christmas Markets.
A Few of My Favorite Things about Heidelberg, Germany
Heidelberg was one of the shortest stops on our Christmas Market extravaganza. We only spent a few hours in this adorable city on our way to Cologne. However, in those few short hours it made quite the impression and was one of my favorite cities.
Heidelberg might be a city, but the area we explored gave me all of the small town vibes I adore when visiting somewhere new. Despite us only seeing the old town “altstadt” area of Heidelberg that probably contributed to this feeling, this city had a unique charm to it. We felt at home wandering the streets and squares even though we had never been before. It felt like somewhere you could spend an entire day (or even days) wandering and still only scratch the surface of the little hidden gems tucked down quiet streets.
Besides the old time-y feel of the Old Town in general, I loved these Christmas Markets because their decor was very nostalgic. It felt like the classic Christmas decor you see in Hallmark movies in the tiny towns where magic happens. And I guess it also reminded me of some of the decor that has been passed down through generations - like my grandmother's Santa Cookie recipe or the tiny plush Santa’s I decorate my advent calendar with every year.
At many of the markets we were a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people in attendance. And although the time of day we visited was definitely a factor, the markets in Heidelberg were smaller and nicely spread out. For someone who doesn’t love crowds, this was the ideal way to enjoy a market.
One of the aspects I’m sorry we missed by not staying overnight in Heidelberg was getting to see the markets lit up in all their night time magnificence. Though they were probably much busier I have a feeling the enchantment of them at night would have been worth the crowds.
And lastly, we can’t talk about Heidelberg without discussing how much I loved the drinks found in the markets. Despite the fact that we were unable to enjoy any of the precious cafes we spotted in Heidelberg, I did enjoy some drinks and snacks we found as we wandered the markets. Glühwein is a popular drink at Christmas Markets, but it wasn’t a favorite for me. But this market had not one but TWO drinks that I drank up.
The first one was hot chocolate that tasted like pudding. Truly, it did. It was thick, rich, and creamy like your favorite chocolate pudding. Everyone else in my party found it to be too rich, but I found that it tasted like childhood and a sugar rush. The other drink that I could not get enough of was the liquid apple pie. A mixture of apple juice, raisins, almonds, and cream, this drink was like the dessert version of my favorite apple cider. I was in drink treat heaven. Quite honestly, I’ve been dreaming of it on cold winter days since we left Germany.
Things on my List that We Didn’t Quite Make It To
Just in case you want to plan to visit these spots on your visit
Heidelberg Castle - this beautiful castle loomed above the city as we made our way through the different markets. Going back to visit this castle is at the top of my list. Especially because we don’t get to enjoy many castles like this in the U.S.
Heidelberg is also declared a UNESCO city of literature. You will find bookshops and libraries around every corner. - I read this tidbit of information before we left for our trip. Since I love books, I was excited by the thought of bookshops and libraries around every corner, but I did not experience this while I was there. Maybe I wasn’t in the bookish part of town?
The Old Bridge / Alte Brucke - a beautiful bridge that connects the old town area of Heidelberg with the Neuenheim district.
The Neckar River - the river that runs along the city of Heidelberg. You can follow The Neckarsteig Trail along the river or The Philosophers' Way. We know I love a trail.
Neuenheim - home to Heidelberg University, a zoo, and botanical gardens this is a spot worthy of a visit.
Philosopher's Walk - in my research, I saw a note that this has a great view of the entirety of Heidelberg and again, we know I love a good walk.
Heidelberg's Open-Air Ice-Skating Rink in Karlsplatz - we saw the ice rink as we were wandering the markets but did not have time to go ice-skating. It did look like a lovely spot to ice skate especially with the castle in the background.
Restaurants We Didn’t Quite Make It To
Weinstube Schnitzelbank - schnitzels, sausages & draft beer
Rada Coffee - coffee shop
Moro Coffee - coffee shop
SIMON & BEARNS - coffee shop
MORO & MORE - breakfast/brunch/coffee shop
Macaronnerie - pastries
Zeit für Brot* - pastries + bread
Heidelberg, Germany is a hidden gem of European Christmas markets. It’s not big or flashy and it’s not quite as well known (though I suspect it’s quickly becoming more known). These markets hold a Christmas nostalgia that we tend to all search for that time of year. The ability to walk to each market gives these markets an intimate feel that I couldn’t quite find anywhere else. All this to say, don’t miss out on the town of Heidelberg on your own Christmas Market adventures - and maybe plan to stay more than a few hours. Heidelberg, Germany will envelope you in Christmas magic.
I hope to one day go back and experience more of Heidelberg. Until then, since I was only able to scratch the surface, I highly recommend checking out these two blogs. They go into much greater detail about the city and helped me plan the little bit that we did get to experience.
Top 10 Things to Do in Heidelberg, Germany - Helene in Between
HEIDELBERG CHRISTMAS MARKET 2024 (MAP + DATES) - Popovers and Passports
My Christmas Market Essentials
Eddie Bauer Women's Lodge Down Duffle Coat
