Our next stop on the Christmas Market tour was Stuttgart. Easily the largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg with population of over 600,000, Stuttgart is known for hosting one the largest Christmas Markets in Germany.

From our base in the Heidelberg, it was an easy day trip to Stuttgart via train. We stuck mainly to the Christmas Markets here given our limited time and the fact it was a chilly, drizzly day.

The Stuttgart Market

Unlike in many other Christmas market towns, the Christmas huts in Stuttgart lead from one “market” to the next without much of a break. So, you feel like you’re in one giant Christmas market as you wind your way through town. Easily the best feature of the Stuttgart Christmas Markets are the displays on the hut roofs. Stuttgart holds an annual competition for the most beautiful market hut rooftop, and the vendors go all out to impress the crowds. Dazzling displays of baubles, lights, teddy bears, Santas, mechanical reindeer and more give Stuttgart a wonderful holiday spirit. That’s one of the things that makes this market town so special.

• They also have a giant model train display that kids can take a mini-train ride through.
• This is a great place to look for hand crafted gifts for yourself or others. There’s a wider variety of things for sale here than in other markets we’ve been to.  Handmade crafts, intricate ornaments, an array of festive snacks and a nice selection of boozy hot drinks will get you in the holiday spirit.
• Instead of an ice-skating rink there’s an outdoor roller-skating rink, and it’s a big hit with market goers.
• The Christmas Market looks great both during the day and at night.

Other useful information if visiting the Stuttgart markets

• The old train station is undergoing a massive renovation. If you arrive by train, you’ll need to walk around the old station to get to the markets. Just follow the crowd.
• This market draws huge crowds on Friday & Saturday. Go during the week if you can.
• There are 2 smaller, unique Christmas Markets nearby that can be included in your visit: Esslingen and Ludwigsburg.

We highly recommend visiting the Stuttgart Christmas Market as the roof top displays were easily the most impressive of any the market’s we visited. It is also a market that looks great at night. However, we were glad we didn’t stay in Stuttgart as it definitely a large city with large city crowds. A perfect place to visit for a day.