Hohenzollern Castle, a true fairytale castle on the edge of the Swabian Alb, puts on a dazzling display at Christmas time. This imposing fortress on the Zollerberg Mountain is aglow with lights and invites you to stroll through the decorated royal chambers. A romantic winter dream can also come true at Schwetzingen Palace. During Advent, the Princely Residence is transformed by light artists into a "Christmas Wonderland" with an illuminated palace garden. The varied stage programme, together with the lovingly designed arts and crafts market and the diverse menu of culinary delights on the Schlossplatz, invites visitors from near and far to stroll around over the three Advent weekends.
Christmas Magic in Germany
Sparkling Lights and Fragrant Mulled Wine: Christmas Dreams Come Alive in December
"I saw the firs all tipped with a golden light ...", we read in a popular German Christmas poem. Everything really does sparkle and glitter during Advent. There are fairy lights on the Christmas trees, the spicy fragrance of mulled wine, and children eagerly opening a new Advent calendar window each day during December. A highlight for the young and old alike are the Christmas markets, which invite you to take an atmospheric stroll through the illuminated streets with their festively decorated stalls. If you feel hungry, you can snack on gingerbread, toffee apples, Christmas stollen cake and hot chestnuts. You will find traditional wooden ornaments made in the Ore mountains, ornate glass baubles and unique hand-crafted regional articles that are perfect as Christmas decorations or gifts for your loved ones. Beyond the Christmas villages, you can enjoy many other winter delights such as walks in the snow, hiking by torchlight, and medieval Christmas markets where blacksmiths, weavers and leather makers demonstrate their crafts.
There is much more to Advent than just Christmas markets: torchlight processions, illuminations and authentic traditional customs
Light shows, swimming by torchlight or sleigh rides: apart from the popular Christmas markets, Advent is also the ideal time to get to know Germany at its most festive and to experience age-old traditions. When it gets dark and cold outside, candles and hearth fires are kept burning right across the land. Streets and houses sparkle in the glow of fairy lights. The delicious aroma of freshly baked biscuits and stollen cake, made according to traditional recipes, wafts through the bakeries, and the snow-covered forests invite you to go for a winter walk or a toboggan ride.