Just go earlier in the day, there is always kid stuff. You can combine with sights as well. I wouldn’t plan to do just Christmas markets…the internet is obsessed but I find them quite boring after an hour because I don’t like shopping. It would be more fun with kids to take ice skating and on the carousels.

only an environmentally very harmful pastime and a waste of time

The thing I enjoy about the Christmas markets is the weird (to me) regional foods, Glühwein/kinderpunsch. I don’t think I enjoyed that kind of tourism as a kid—I didn’t like eating new foods. I think it depends on what your kids are like.

Anonymous wrote:Is this the era of all the white instagram girlies discovering Christmas markets?

Late-stage capitalism makes everything so predictable.

OP here— I don’t know about the IG girlies. I’m just a well traveled Black woman trying to get perspectives on family trips that might be fun to try. Thanks for others who offered helpful feedback.

We went when my son was 5 and he had a blast. Wants to go back now as a teen. We went to Rothenburg and Nuremberg with other stops along the way by car. Rothenburg felt like being in a fairytale to him. Highly recommend the nightwatchman tour. Nuremberg has several markets and one is a children's market with rides. They also have a train museum that he loved. He's a pretty seasoned traveler and just loves to eat, so as long as we fed him every two hours, which is easy to go at the markets, he was great.

My 12yo would enjoy a Christmas market for about an hour max. They’re crowded. I wouldn’t take a younger kid I need to watch constantly in a crowd.

I doubt a kid younger than 4 would have a good time. There are crowds. Being shorter means it is harder to see things and little legs will tire quickly.

One caution - while the items sold at the Xmas markets often are wonderful, they have not been low cost in our experience.

Agree that markets are get old real fast for kids. Pls they are crowded as hell and short kids get lost and pushed around. Its not that fun.

Is this the era of all the white instagram girlies discovering Christmas markets?

Late-stage capitalism makes everything so predictable.

Anonymous wrote:I see the markets as a fun add-on to the trip you would otherwise be taking, rather than a centerpiece. So go see what you want to see in Germany, and the markets will add a little Christmas-iness.

100% this. I got bored with the markets as an adult. Make it second to the sightseeling!!

I see the markets as a fun add-on to the trip you would otherwise be taking, rather than a centerpiece. So go see what you want to see in Germany, and the markets will add a little Christmas-iness.

We did Strasbourg a few years ago, and while it was great and very Christmas-y, the kids were bored after a half day touring markets. They are very repetitive. The kids were 13, 13, 10, 4.

I've enjoyed Christmas markets in both Austria and Germany.

I think kids of any ages will enjoy them -- but I wouldn't expect them to enjoy going more than once or twice. For a kid, they will all be the same and they will get bored with it.

I live in Europe and we have done countless Christmas markets. I can't think of one that didn't have a few things at least for kids, but usually there is a lot. Kids of all ages attend. If you have certain countries you are looking at, I can give you more details.

If you traveled to European Christmas markets as a family, what ages were your kids? What ages would you recommend this for? Do you have favorites that were more kid friendly (ice skating, carousels, Santa, etc.) and/or recs for markets in cities that have museums and shows that kids will enjoy after we’ve had our fill of markets? Thank you!