From late November to just before Christmas, your nose is filled with the aroma of steaming mulled wine and grilled sausage, your eyes are confronted, and even confounded, by towering Christmas trees adorned with bright lights and antique ornaments, and your ears are bombarded by live choral and instrumental concerts. Stall after stall of handmade and unusual crafts greet you and make German Christmas celebrations some of the most popular in the world.

The member cities offer a variety of package deals, daily tours and special events to showcase their highlights and welcoming visitors from around the world to join in the holiday spirit.

Each of the cities share a common market theme but each offers their own take on the celebrations.

For example:

  • Augsburg offers a view of one of Europe’s most beautiful markets from the 250-foot Perlach Tower and there are special children’s events in the Moritz church square;
  • the university city of Heidelberg is all aglow with a glittering ice rink at the foot of the city’s castle and offers a variety of regional gastronomic delicacies;
  • Koblenz, at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, surprises children with visits from Santa Claus bearing gifts and horse-drawn carriage rides through the Old City;
  • Lübeck’s Christmas Fair, dating back to 1648, boasting more than 400 merchants offering everything from toys to gingerbread, and a fairytale forest where the little ones can meet Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella;
  • in the 2,000-year-old city of Regensburg guests hear the voices of the Domspatzen (boys’ choir) emanating from the cathedral as children ride on wooden merry-go-rounds or adults make their way through the artisan stalls;
  • and in Trier, the oldest city in Germany, visitors of all ages are entertained with brass choirs and puppet theater performances in the midst of the medieval Main Market.

Historic Highlights of Germany is a tourism consortium consisting of Augsburg, Erfurt, Freiburg, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Lübeck, Mainz, Münster, Potsdam, Regensburg, Rostock, Trier, Wiesbaden and Würzburg – cities rich in historic and cultural heritage. Contact Historic Highlights of Germany at [email protected] or visit www.historicgermany.com