Around Christmas, Freiburg is so festively decorated and illuminated that the city not only enchants its guests - but also us locals! In the old town, in many neighbourhoods and even on the Schlossberg Hill, Christmas markets lure visitors with the scent of mulled wine and handicrafts. Freiburg Minster is the venue for Christmas carol singing, restaurants serve up special festive menus and you can find the best presents on a leisurely stroll through Freiburg's small, individual shops. We locals know: Freiburg has its very own magic at Christmas time that is well worth discovering!
Freiburg at Christmas time
Winter highlights
10 tips for a great day at the Christmas market
- 1. drink mulled wine, red, white and rosé mulled wine or children's punch
FWTM Antal Weihnachtsmarkt FreiburgWhere is this place?Drinking a glass of mulled wine at the Christmas market is simply part of the good Freiburg tradition. From vintner's mulled wine to red and white mulled wine to children's mulled wine - there is a wide range on offer and the countless mulled wine stands are just waiting to be discovered. - 2. places of light - in the evening during Advent
FWTM Bender RathausplatzWhere is this place? - 3. photo point in Colombi Park
Stearlmedia ColombischlössleWhere is this place?The impressively illuminated Colombi Park captivates with its romantic atmosphere and the attractive photo point in front of the Colombischlössle. Come by and take a nice selfie at the photo point in front of the castle! - 4. snack on roasted almonds
FWTM Ostheimer KartoffelmarktWhere is this place?Roasted almonds are a must at Christmas time. The smell of freshly caramelised nuts is enough to whet your appetite for this delicious sweet treat. The fine almonds can also be eaten straight away, as they taste best when freshly prepared and still warm. - 5. eat raclette
Stearlmedia Weihnachtsmarkt FreiburgWhere is this place?The intense aroma of cheese makes your mouth water from afar: the raclette stand is located in Colombi Park. The raclette is served on fresh bread or potatoes, with onions and pickled gherkins. Just the right savoury meal after a glass of mulled wine. - 6. stock up on Christmas presents
FWTM Spiegelhalter Weihnachtsmarkt FreiburgWhere is this place?Where can you enjoy a more romantic winter stroll than at the Freiburg Christmas market? Discover lovingly handcrafted unique items that are ideal as special Christmas gifts. From wood and glass decorations to jewellery and sustainable textiles, there is everything to make your heart beat faster at Christmas. With regional craftsmanship, high-quality materials and creative ideas, you will find gifts that come from the heart and will be remembered for a long time. - 7. Advent, Advent and the Christmas market becomes even more beautiful
FWTM Bender KartoffelmarktWhere is this place?There's even more to discover on the four Sundays in Advent: 13 additional stalls with tasty arts and crafts and delicious specialities await you on Kaiser-Joseph-Straße. Let yourself be tempted to take a long tour of the Christmas market - there's plenty to discover and enjoy! - 8. Christmas biscuit baking in the children's bakery
FWTM Bender Weihnachtsmarkt FreiburgWhere is this place?The sweet smell of biscuits and shining children's eyes - in the children's bakery, young bakers make a big impression. If they don't all end up in their mouths beforehand, they can take the home-baked Christmas biscuits home with them. Stars, bells or Christmas trees, with colourful icing or frosting, make a great Christmas present for mum, dad, grandma and grandpa. - 9. visit from St Nicholas
FWTM Antal Weihnachtsmarkt FreiburgWhere is this place?Father Christmas traditionally visits the Freiburg Christmas market on 6 December at 5.00 pm on Rathausplatz. All children who attend can look forward to a little surprise and presents from St Nicholas. A festive moment that puts young and old in the Christmas spirit! - 10. words of light - contemplative Advent moments
FWTM Antal Kirche St. Martin am RathausplatzWhere is this place?Pause for a moment and find peace during the contemplative Advent meditation in St Martin's Church on Rathausplatz. Every day from 1 December at 5.30 pm, music, words and silence invite you to enjoy moments of contemplation and slowing down.
More Christmas and Advent markets
Christmas spirit in the neighbourhoods
You can find even more winter magic in Freiburg outside the old town: for example, at the Winterzauber in the Kastaniengarten on the Schlossberg Hill, where you can enjoy mulled wine, regional Baden wines and sweet and savoury dishes with a view of wintry Freiburg until the beginning of February - and try your hand at curling! And we can also recommend local Christmas markets in other cafés such as La Cornerie or in neighbourhoods like Herdern:
Old town lighting
Where Freiburg shines romantically
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Freiburg gets brighter and brighter: gradually, more and more light decorations adorn the central streets and squares of the old town. Kaiser-Joseph-Straße, Freiburg's central shopping street, is illuminated, as are smaller streets such as Bertoldstraße and Rathausgasse, Turmstraße and Franziskanerstraße, Salzstraße and Konviktstraße. The Rathausplatz square in front of the old town hall with its Christmas market is also festively decorated with fairy lights and fir garlands; the iconic Martinstor (Martin's Gate) is given its own modern lighting concept at Christmas time. And it gets really 'instagrammable' in Colombi Park: the photo point in front of the Colombischlössle looks even more romantic than usual in the Christmas light.
Stearlmedia ColombischlössleWhere is this place?FWTM Bender MünsterplatzWhere is this place?FWTM Bender RathausgasseWhere is this place?FWTM Spiegelhalter FranziskanerstraßeWhere is this place?FWTM Schoenen KonviktstraßeWhere is this place?FWTM Bender RathausplatzWhere is this place?
