Nuremberg's market has everything you need for festive shopping

Germany is the Christmas market destination, and Nuremberg is certainly the most famous, making it the ideal place to do all your Christmas shopping at once. As the smell of gingerbread and mulled wine fills the air, wander around the candlelit stalls and take your time to choose unique, often handmade gifts – a heavenly alternative compared to a frazzled Saturday afternoon spent battling your local high street crowds for mass-produced presents. Whilst you are there explore Nuremberg; with its fantastic architecture, museums, food and shopping it’s worth visiting all year round, but at Christmas there is an added buzz of excitement in the air.

Where to stay
Around Christmas, due to the popularity of the market, hotel rooms get booked up well in advance, so book as early as possible. Set in the heart of the city, the Hotel Deutscher Kaiser is ideally located to explore Nuremberg and is just five minutes walk from the Christmas market. Built in the 19th century, the hotel is located within a beautiful historical building, yet rooms are modern with flat-screen televisions and free Wi-Fi. Another hotel within walking distance of the market is the Ringhotel, a 15-minute walk or five-minute bus ride away. Equipped with an indoor pool, sauna, heat cabin and solarium, it’s the ideal place to relax after a busy day shopping. If you like quirky interiors, then the Hotel Drei Raben is the ideal choice. It focuses on the legend of the three ravens perched on the chimney of the hotel, which tell each other tales from Nuremberg folklore. Each of its chic rooms is themed around a tale, and there are bizarre pieces dotted around the hotel too, such as the huge bucket at reception.

The market
(now – 24 December 2010)
The most famous market in Germany, Nuremberg’s Christmas market, known locally as the Christkindlesmarkt, is over 400-years-old and has over two million visitors from all over the world every year. A market with traditions, the Nuremberg Christ Child – a local child chosen to open the market, announces the opening on the balcony of the Frauenkirche church each year. Located in Nuremberg’s main square, Hauptmarkt, 180 candlelit wooden stalls with festive red and white striped awnings line the square. The stalls are beautifully presented, as each stall competes for the award of the best stall design. The market and goods on offer are the real deal – you won’t find plastic wreaths or tacky gifts here, and funfairs, carousels and irritating Christmas muzak is banned. Instead, hand-carved wooden toys, handmade candles, Christmas tree ornaments and angels, colourful nutcrackers, pretty trinkets and Nuremberg Plum People – little figures made from prunes – fill the stalls. If you get peckish, feast on the famous traditional spicy chewy gingerbread, fruit loaves, roast bratwurst and mugs of warming mulled wine. If you’re taking the children, there’s a dedicated children’s market, Kinderweihnact, five minutes walk away at Hans-Sachs-Platz, with a traditional carousel, Ferris wheel, steam train and model railway. There are also stalls where they can help bake cookies, make candles, write letters to the Christ Child or visit Santa, and a number of nativity cribs on display. And don’t miss the procession of around 2,000 local children walking with lanterns through the town up to Nuremberg Castle, on 10 December.

What to do
If you want to pick up some more presents outside the market, head to Nuremberg’s main shopping districts between Hallplatz and Unschlittplatz, and Weisser Turm and Spitalgasse where you will find a mixture of department and boutique stores. The streets of Breite Gasse and Karolinenstrasse in the Lorenz district are also popular for shopping and they are well pedestrianised. If you’ve got cash to splash, head to Karolinenstrasse in the Lorenzer Old Town, home to the designer shopping district where you will find the likes of Gucci and Cartier.
If you are tired of shopping, take in a spot of culture with some sightseeing around the city. Visit the Kaiserburg, the castle in Nuremberg’s old town, then go to the huge 14th century gothic church of St Lawrence, which is filled with important artworks, including the Annunciation by Veit Stoss. Another church worth visiting is the Church of Our Lady, known as the Frauenkirche, which was built in 1350 as a safe keeping for the jewels of Charles IV. Every day at noon beneath the clock seven princes march around Charles IV. If you are visiting with children, Nuremberg Tiergarten Zoo is a popular attraction where you can see all the usual animals as well as dolphins and polar bears. The Toy Museum (Spielzeugmuseum) is another hit with children, focusing on the past two centuries of toymaking, from makeshift toys to today’s Barbie and Lego. There is also a puppet theatre, games days and a kids play area with interactive games, which will keep them amused for hours. If you want to delve more into the history of the area the German National Museum is packed with prehistoric and modern artifacts. One of the most popular historical attractions in the city is the Nazi Party Rally Grounds (Reichsparteigelande), with an extensive museum the Documentation Centre, and you can tour the other sites used for rallies including the Zeppelin Field where huge rallies were held.

Food and drink
For some traditional German cuisine, the Heilig-Geist-Spital restaurant is ideal, serving up hearty meat and bratwurst dishes. For a special occasion, the tiny two-Michelin-starred Essigbratlein is your best bet. Built in 1550 it has a creative, daily-changing menu that caters for all tastes. For a more relaxed lunch or evening meal, Bratwursthausle is a must-visit, serving traditional bratwurst, potato salad and sauerkraut in a fun, noisy atmosphere. In Germany beer is the national drink, so join the locals and head to Barfusser that sells its own beer in kegs, or Café Express is a popular, modern pub where beer is just £1.80 for half a litre.

Getting around
You can mostly get around Nuremberg on foot, but there are also buses, trams and the underground U-Bahn/S-Bahn. Tickets on all the transport options cost £1.22 for a short ride or £1.57 for a long ride, or you can purchase a day pass for £3.15, and Saturday passes are valid all weekend.