Hamburg Christmas Markets 2019

Last updated on March 9, 2022

With Christmas season officially upon us, one of the best ways to get in the festive spirit is to visit the Christmas markets that sprung up all over most major European cities. And what better place to enjoy the magic of Christmas markets than their birth country of Germany where they have been an integral part of Christmas celebrations for centuries!

Visiting German cities during the Christmas season can truly feel like stepping into a winter fairytale. Imagine strolling around wonderfully decorated wooden stalls selling festive wares and traditional food while sipping on a cup of delicious mulled wine, as Christmas tunes fill the air and you feel the winter frost on your cheeks. No other country does it better than Germany, so it is no wonder that it has been on my bucket list for ages!

Heart-shaped gingerbread at a Christmas market

Much to my surprise, there isn’t just one Christmas market in Hamburg. There are actually plenty of various Christmas markets scattered around the city! Unlike what I’m normally used to, some of them aren’t concentrated in one place. Instead, they branch out into the neighbouring streets and squares, so it’s often hard to tell where one ends and another begins. Talk about spreading the holiday cheer!

A bit of a fun fact: on our first full day in the city, we thought we were walking around one enormous Christmas market. As we later found out, they were actually three separate markets located within a close range!

During our short visit in Germany’s second-largest city, we visited four different Christmas markets. After leaving the main railway station, we entered Spitalerstraße. It’s one of the city’s central shopping districts and it immediately gave us a pre-taste of Hamburg’s festive spirit!

Winterwald in Hamburg

The Winterwald in Hamburg Christmas market extends from Gerhard-Hauptmann-Platz via Spitalerstraße, Mönckeberg-Fountain, St. James’ Church, and around Saint Peter’s Church.

A Christmas market stall outside St. Peter's Church in Hamburg

The main concept behind this market was to create a magical winter forest in the city centre. Well, I have to say they totally succeeded in doing so!

On the Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz, there is a designated area with numerous Christmas trees and the forest floor. Candles and lanterns hanging from the trees illuminate the market, creating a cosy atmosphere.

Decorative lights and candles at a Christmas market in Hamburg
Decorative lights and candles at a Christmas market in Hamburg

The entire area is perfectly isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city. For this reason alone, it ended up being our main hangout spot over the course of the weekend. We would often go there to enjoy some Glühwein and festive treats in peace.

From our observations, while there were some decorations and accessories on offer, the Winterwald in Hamburg market was mostly centered around delicious festive treats.

They included different types of sausages, Flammkuchen (Tarte flambée), Schmalzkuchen (lard cakes), Gebrannte Mandeln (roasted almonds), Schokoküsse (chocolate-coated marshmallow treats), chocolate-coated fruits, gingerbread, and various alcoholic beverages.

Flammkuchen in front of a Christmas tree at a Christmas market in Hamburg

My discovery of the trip was Glühwein with Amaretto. I was a little sceptical about this combination, but it was absolutely amazing!

Different flavours of roasted almonds on display at a Hamburg Christmas market

But don’t worry, there was something for the children too – a merry-go-round which moved at a surprisingly fast speed. There were also some dolls in glass cases to recreate a couple of the most popular tales. It was really lovely to see entire families with children or groups of friends hanging around the Christmas market, enjoying some mulled wine and having a chat.

Dolls recreating the Sleeping Beauty fairytale at a Christmas market in Hamburg
A Puss in Boots doll at a Hamburg Christmas market

Christmas market mugs

One of my favourite things about German Christmas markets is the fact that drinks are served in decorated ceramic, clay, or glass mugs that usually feature the name of the city a particular market is held in. They charge you Pfand (in Hamburg, this deposit was €2) and you can either keep the mug or return it and get your money back. It’s a wonderful way of cutting down on waste while also catering for those who like to collect things from their travels. Other countries should take note!

City Hall Christmas Market

With an estimated 2 million people coming to visit the City Hall Market every year, it is the most famous Christmas market in Hamburg.

Right outside the impressive City Hall, there are around 80 stalls where various artists and craftsmen showcase their creations. You can find plenty of unique jewellery pieces and handmade Christmas ornaments.

Whenever I visit Christmas markets, I abstain from buying ornaments because I don’t have my own place yet. I still like to walk around and marvel at the level of craftsmanship behind the products. And if all the walking happens to wear you out, there are of course plenty of stalls where you can refuel with some festive dishes and drinks!

What truly makes the atmosphere of this place, though, are the lavish decorations. There is a large illuminated Christmas tree towering over the market, as well as a beautiful wrought iron gate through which you can enter the area.

A man playing the trumpet

The wooden market stalls are decorated with pine garlands and lights. Around the City Hall Market, you can also find various treasures from the Roncalli Museum. They include a children’s carousel from the Golden 20s and a sales car from the imperial era.

White Magic on the Jungfernstieg

If you venture a little bit further from the City Hall Marketplace, there is yet another market. It’s located on the promenade running along the Binnenalster, a large artificial lake within the city limits. As I mentioned before, we thought it was an extension of the City Hall Market, so we only had a quick look at the stalls and didn’t get to explore the market properly. If you have more time, I would highly recommend taking a stroll to admire their light production and beautifully decorated Fairytale Ships located on the Jungfernstieg Alster jetty, especially if you’re travelling with children!

A decorated Fairytale Ship located on the Jungfernstieg Alster jetty in Hamburg

St. Pauli Christmas Market

Unquestionably the most unique Christmas market we’ve ever been to is the world’s first erotic Christmas market located on Spielbudenplatz in the red-light St. Pauli district of Hamburg. Yes, you heard that right.

People at the St. Pauli Christmas market

As soon as I read about this one-of-a-kind Christmas market, I knew we had to go there for the laughs. It was beyond my imagination what it could possibly look like! As the Hamburg Travel website advertises it, at this market “it’s not only the mulled wine that gets the visitors hot”.

There is an adults-only tent offering strip shows, a trailer where you can get erotic readings, as well as various stalls providing saucy Christmas gift ideas. Surprisingly, you can also find lots of conventional Christmas market stands, an open-air art gallery, and even Sunday children’s programme. To be honest, it wasn’t necessarily our cup of tea. We had a quick browse around the stalls and went to the next stop on our list. I’m really glad we went though because it definitely makes for an interesting story!

Looking for more Christmas markets to visit this upcoming festive season? Read my blog post about exploring the Gdańsk and Gdynia Christmas Markets!

Overall, our trip to Hamburg was the perfect beginning to the festive season. Although visiting the local Christmas market has been my tradition for years, Germany takes Christmas celebrations to a whole another level. You could truly feel the festive spirit throughout the city. It definitely inspired me to start a new tradition and explore more German markets in the coming years!

Have you ever been to any German Christmas markets?

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16 Comments

  1. Bella
    January 10, 2020 / 12:52 pm

    They all look amazing! I’m going to add German Christmas Markets to my bucket list! Thank you for sharing 🙂

    • Dominika
      Author
      January 13, 2020 / 7:35 am

      I’m glad to hear that, German Christmas markets are absolutely magical!

  2. Kayleigh Zara
    January 2, 2020 / 12:02 am

    An erotic christmas market sounds like something that would be amazing to visit! Your photos look great, and like you had an amazing time! X

    • Dominika
      Author
      January 2, 2020 / 1:52 pm

      It was definitely the most unique Christmas market I’ve ever visited! Thank you very much – I had a lovely time indeed!

  3. Erin
    December 9, 2019 / 11:14 pm

    YUM! It all looks SO good! I love a Christmas market!

    Erin || MakeErinOver

    • Dominika
      Author
      December 12, 2019 / 7:33 pm

      They’re such a lovely way to get in the festive spirit!

  4. December 9, 2019 / 5:20 pm

    I’m absolutely CACKLING that there’s an erotic Christmas market, that’s so funny! I’d love to visit Hamburg, I’ve only been to Bonn and Munich in Germany but I’d love to go back. Hamburg looks like it has the best Christmas markets too, your photos are all so beautiful! We have the mug deposit thing here in Edinburgh, I didn’t know we’d even pinched that from the Germans! I love the UK Christmas markets but as you say, Germany just does it better doesn’t it!

    • Dominika
      Author
      December 12, 2019 / 7:32 pm

      Same here – as soon as I found out about that market, I knew we had to go for the laughs! I’ve been wanting to visit Munich for ages, so I would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations! I have no comparison when it comes to German Christmas markets, but the ones in Hamburg definitely sparked my interest and left me wanting to see more. I love the fact that you have the mug deposit in Edinburgh – we don’t have it where I live, which is such a shame! And I’ve only been to Winter Wonderland in London, so I definitely have to explore more UK Christmas markets in the future xx

  5. December 9, 2019 / 2:51 am

    I love Hamburg, I visited a few years back but missed the xmas markets. they look so good

    • Dominika
      Author
      December 9, 2019 / 9:59 am

      I loved it too – the city truly comes to life during the Christmas season!

  6. katy gilroy
    December 8, 2019 / 10:58 pm

    omg these look like the prettiest Christmas markets ever! would love to visit Hamburg x

    • Dominika
      Author
      December 9, 2019 / 9:57 am

      It’s a great place for a short city break, especially at Christmas time!

  7. Alice Spake
    December 7, 2019 / 8:08 am

    It looks incredible! One day I’ll get out to one and see it for myself. They just do it so well!

    Your pictures are beautiful too xx

    • Dominika
      Author
      December 9, 2019 / 9:56 am

      Thank you so much! Their Christmas markets are absolutely amazing, I’m already planning my next visit xx

  8. December 6, 2019 / 12:51 pm

    Oh my goodness! These photos! I’ve never been to Germany before but it’s high up on my list of places to go and a German Christmas market would be the absolute dream. Next year! x

    • Dominika
      Author
      December 9, 2019 / 9:55 am

      I’ve been to Germany multiple times, but it was my first time during the Christmas season – I would highly recommend it, I’m already thinking about the next German city to visit!

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