Christmas market hopping in Dresden, Germany

Prager Straße

We started our Christmas market hopping trip from the Dresden Hbf. Walking through the Prager Straße, one witnesses brightly lighted stall selling Langos (Hungarian deep fried bread with toppings), pizzas, chimney cakes, dresden special Christmas stollen, Paradiesapfel (fruit skewers coated with chocolate), Reibekuchen/Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes), chestnuts, Panierter vegetables (fried batter coated cauliflower/brocolli)

Striezelmarkt

It is one of the oldest Christmas markets in Dresden and holds the Guinness World record for having a 14.61 m Ore mountain candle pyramid. One can find several unique items in this market such as the Dresdener Pflaumentoffel, figurine made of edible dried prunes. The market has a medium sized traditional Ferris wheel which one can take for to enjoy the  aerial views of the Striezelmarkt.

Christmas market at the Frauenkirche

Right outside the famous Frauenkirche in Dresden, you will find a traditional Christmas market. The small Market will not disappoint you with its  traditional products like glassware, pottery and antiquities.The good options here are limited compared to the other markets but the market has a calm vibe and is usually less crowded than the others in the city.

Medieval Christmas market/Stallhof Christmas market

One of the highlights of the this market is that all servers in all stall are dressed in medieval costumes. Located close to the Frauenkirche and set up in the courtyard of the once Royal Palace, one needs to pay 5 euro entrance ticket to enter the market on weekends. During the week, the entrance is free. An instant realisation after entering this market is that it not as brightly lit as the conventional Christmas markets. The lighting is dim with no sparkling neon lights in line with the medieval theme. One can enjoy the cherry glühwein, various sandwiches made with handmade breads, knobibrot (fried bread with garlic sauce), falafels,gulash, soups and the options go on. You will also find guild craftsmen making tools with medieval technique.

Augustusmarkt

The market on the other side of Elbe in the Neustadt is close to  the Goldener Reiter (Golden Horseman). The main street is adorned by illuminated white and gold pagodas on either side. At the Goldener Reiter, is a brightly coloured historical Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round for children. Stalls cater to everyone providing options such as Langos, noodles, fried or grilled vegetables, fruit punches, glühwein, hot chocolate and much more. We stumbled upon shops selling Christmas lights, star lanterns, fruit delicacies from all over the world. The market has several small bonfires that keep visitors warm on chilly evenings. On Fridays and weekends, one can expect to witness musicians performing near the Golden Horseman. We watched an enticing fire dance show. It was one of the highlights of the Augustusmarkt.

No Christmas market is complete without enjoying some warm finger food, glühwein and desserts. All markets close at 9pm so it is best to start around 4pm, hopping around, enjoying the Christmas decor and food and plan for second dinner later at Neustadt. All said and done, what's stopping you from your Christmas market hopping??