Christmas Market Tour in Hamburg

Our tour starts at the "Winter Pride" in St. Georg. If you arrive at the main station, walk from the platform to the Wandelhalle and leave the station in the direction of Kirchenallee. Follow this to Lange Reihe, where you will find Hamburg's colourful queer Christmas market. Instead of off-the-shelf Christmas music, they've got a DJ, and otherwise you can look forward to the same delicacies as everywhere else.

The journey now continues around the main station to Spitalerstrasse and its modern Christmas market in traditional garb. In addition to the brick-look stalls, the gigantic, walk-in Christmas tree stands out in particular.

It's only a few minutes' walk to the Christmas market around Hamburg's oldest church. Among the many fir trees, you can buy regional and international specialities as well as all kinds of beautiful things such as handicrafts – for yourself and as gifts.

Continue on to what is probably the most popular and best-known Christmas market in Hamburg. Every year, an enchanting Christmas village with quaint little alleys is set up on the Rathausmarkt. The Historical Christmas Market is a highlight for children in particular, as a large model railway runs over the stalls.

The bright lights of the small Christmas market on Fleetinsel are romantically reflected in the water, while here you can find some peace and quiet after walking through the large, exciting Christmas markets. The adults stand together here with a mulled wine while the children have fun on the children's carousel.

A little off the beaten track is the Christmas market on Überseeboulevard in HafenCity. The highlight here is the mini-golf course Eisparcours, where children up to the age of 18 can play for free.

Every year, the Nordic Seamen's Churches hold a Scandinavian Christmas market on two weekends in November, which is not only popular with Scandinavia fans. Here, many begin the Christmas season with traditional treats and a first cup of mulled wine.

If you're travelling with children, it might be better to skip the wicked Santa Pauli Christmas market on the Reeperbahn. Everyone else can rest assured that they will blush in the 18+ fir forest and the Santa Pauli strip tent even without mulled wine.

The Christmas market in Ottensen contributes significantly to the length of this walk. If your feet are not already tired, you should still take the walk. You will be rewarded with a number of exciting stalls, quaint punch stands with different varieties of mulled wine and a colourful Christmas programme for children.

After a visit to the colourful and diverse Ottensen, you head back towards the city centre. You will almost inevitably pass the Binnenalster and the fabulously illuminated Christmas market on the magnificent Jungfernstieg boulevard. Here you will not only find stalls with beautiful gift articles and hot mulled wine, but from time to time you can also marvel at the fairytale ships with their exciting children's programme.

From Jungfernstieg it is only a stone's throw to Gänsemarkt, which is transformed into an atmospheric gingerbread village during the Christmas season. The Christmas market is set up around the monument to the well-known poet Lessing and picks up on the poetic concept in the stalls and with a literary tour. From Gänsemarkt it is only a few minutes' walk to Dammtor station or the main railway station. You can also go there via the underground line U2, which departs from Gänsemarkt underground station.