The Frankfurt Christmas Market has been running since the 14th century, making it the oldest market in Germany. It takes up a large portion of Frankfurt’s old town and is by far one of the largest Christmas markets I’ve been to. It’s full of beautiful stalls selling everything from dried meats, to hand crafted ornaments and delicious looking chocolates and cooked food.
The centre of the market is located in Römerberg, the picturesque main square of Frankfurt’s old town, but it spreads throughout the rest of the city as well. During our 3 days in Frankfurt we managed to taste some of the best things on offer, and I made sure to eat a couple of my favourites as well.
If you have time, I would recommend taking a short train ride to the Mainz Christmas Market as well which is smaller in scale but just as good in terms of market stalls. Both Frankfurt and Mainz offer visitors a unique Christmas market experience which is perfect if you’re planning to visit Germany at Christmas.
Must-try food at the Frankfurt Christmas Market
Kartoffelpuffer
Kartoffelpuffer is my latest food obsession. It’s a crunchy potato pancake with a soft and fluffy inside, often served with a garlic dipping sauce. They’re a fairly cheap food option compared to other things on offer so you should definitely try at least one at the Frankfurt Christmas Market.
Bratwurst
One of the best things to eat at any Christmas market is a bratwurst. The Frankfurt Christmas Market has a lot of stalls selling these delicious sausages in different forms but you can’t go wrong with a classic bratwurst in a bun. You can also have the bratwurst sliced on a plate if you don’t want the bun.
Schnitzel
Although schnitzel originated in Austria it’s very popular in Germany. Not all of the Christmas markets in Germany have schnitzel stalls but luckily Frankfurt does! I opted for the chicken schnitzel but there are other versions available such as pork.
Bratkartoffeln
Bratkartoffeln is basically the German version of home fries, but thinly sliced with a side of sliced Bratwurst. At the Frankfurt Christmas Market there were a lot of people walking around with these potatoes so we knew we had to try them out – and we weren’t disappointed.
Frankfurter
A frankfurter is a classic German Christmas market food and if you’ve never had one before you should try it at least once. They resemble a hotdog in both shape and flavour and I find them to be not as tasty as bratwurst. You’ll be able to find frankfurters at most sausage stalls.
Dinnete
Dinnete is also known as Swabian pizza and is a popular thing to eat at the Frankfurt Christmas Market. We had one with a creamy sauce and potatoes and bacon on top which was delicious. Although they have dinnete in Frankfurt we actually tried one at the Mainz Christmas Market.
Schneeball
A schneeball is a ball of short crust pastry, dipped in chocolate. It’s actually quite messy to eat because it’s so crumbly, so make sure you take a napkin from the stall when you buy one of these. They’re also fairly dry so they’re not for everyone but I would recommend trying this popular Christmas market food once.
Frankfurt Christmas Market opening times
Every year the opening dates and times of the Frankfurt Christmas Market changes, so I would recommend consulting Frankfurt Tourism for the most up to date information. Like many Christmas markets in Germany, many of the stalls are cash-only so make sure you bring some with you.
Are the Frankfurt Christmas markets worth visiting?
Frankfurt at Christmas is absolutely beautiful, and well worth visiting. Not only does Frankfurt have one of the best Christmas markets in Europe, it’s also perfectly located to take a day trip to Mainz. If you’re looking to visit a Christmas market in Europe, you can’t go wrong with Frankfurt or Berlin!
Don’t forget to get in touch and follow me on Instagram where you can find more helpful travel tips outside of Frankfurt.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission from the discount codes used or when a link/ad is clicked. All purchases made will come at no extra cost to you, and I only include products and services that I would personally recommend.
Pin this blog post for later!
