Tis the season to hit every market.
Fa la la la la, you know the rest...
We had visited Rothenburg once before (it's somewhere in the archives, March 2015, I think), and I knew we'd have to return during the Christmas season.
This medieval town screams Christmas village all year round, and when twinkling lights are added, it's just that much more special.
We purposely left for Rothenburg around noon. The drive is about an hour and a half away, but I didn't want to arrive too early and burn out before nightfall; which is around 4:30pm at this time of year.
Friends and I agree: Markets are best when the sun goes down and the Christmas lights turn on!
We parked and made our way to the fortified entrance of the town around 2:00pm.
We had about 2.5 hours before dusk settled, and my plan worked perfectly. That was really all of the time we needed!
What I found interesting about Rothenburg's Christmas market is that 9/10 of the market vendors are selling food, drinks, and holiday snacks (like candied nuts, pretzels, etc,.).
Because Rothenburg is a Christmas-y town as it is, I assume the vendor stalls lacked in ornaments, decor, and the usual Christmas gifts because they can be found elsewhere through the city, in abundance, and anytime of year!
We wandered through the main market, which weaves between 2 "platz" squares. The market is definitely not the largest we have visited, but not the smallest we've seen. Best guesstimate: All together, maybe 25 vendors, or so, spread out.
As mentioned, a majority of the goods sold within the market are consumables. Not much shopping to be had. We sipped some gluhwein, turned our cups in (we always keep one), and began walking through the city.
Funny, this post was intended to be about the market, but on the day we went, it was really hard to photograph the market area. People were swarming. I did get a few pictures, but I was mostly impressed with the rest of the town's decor than anything.
I remember being in Rothenburg earlier this year, like it was yesterday. Thanks to our previous visit, I didn't feel lost, or confused, but then again the town is tiny and surrounded by a fortification wall, so it's hard to get lost.
We decided to see some of the main sites we had seen before, but in a few ways, they felt new again.
I will say that if you want picturesque views of the Burgtor gate, or that famous fork in the road, you shouldn't visit around Christmas time! The forked road (formally called "Das Plonlein") is definitely a no-go if you seek images without people, but at Burgtor, you can get lucky towards the end of the day if you are patient enough.
The sun was beginning to set, and we made our way to the famous Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store. That name happens to be plastered all over Rothenburg because the flagship store is here! I didn't go into it during our first visit to the town, but being it's the Christmas season, I had to this time around.
In December, the store charges a €1 fee to enter, per adult; kids are free. The proceeds go to local charities, and I assume it helps cut down on the queue and crowds inside. Yes, there was a line to get in, but it wasn't severely long. Within a few minutes, we stepped inside. FYI, they give you a ticket after you pay which knocks one Euro off the cost of visiting the Christmas Museum located within the building, which we didn't do.
I really wanted to pick up some souvenir ornaments inside, but the queue to pay was ridiculous! I quickly changed my mind. Instead, we moseyed on into another large Christmas store and bought a few things there. Hey, I really just wanted an ornament form the Christmas town itself, I didn't care where it was from!
Last on the list was finding the often heard of Schneeball, and we sure did.
The Schneeball is a Rothenburg specialty: A crusty, cookie like pastry formed into a ball and fried; the original is topped with powdered sugar, thus the name.
Schnee = snow.
Schneeball = you guessed it....snow ball.
Many varieties are in store now. Everything from original, to strawberry, and they even have a Bailey's flavor! Schneeballs have an excellent shelf life if you desire to send some back to the US for family. Keeps for 8-12 weeks!
I thought they'd be softer. They're not rock hard, but not chewy soft. It's the texture of a flaky cookie/cracker, really. We bought a box of six original schneeballs for €12. The special flavors go upwards to €4 per ball.
After leaving the shop, we headed back to the car and let the gorgeous color in the sky lead the way home.
Overall, it was a great day out. Still not my favorite market of the season, but I sure do love the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber!
P.S. We have two more markets left of the season. One is here in Germany. The other city is a biggie, and out of the country! We have visited a few small markets here and there, but I will post all of those together at some point. Maybe?
Fa la la la la, you know the rest...
We had visited Rothenburg once before (it's somewhere in the archives, March 2015, I think), and I knew we'd have to return during the Christmas season.
This medieval town screams Christmas village all year round, and when twinkling lights are added, it's just that much more special.
We purposely left for Rothenburg around noon. The drive is about an hour and a half away, but I didn't want to arrive too early and burn out before nightfall; which is around 4:30pm at this time of year.
Friends and I agree: Markets are best when the sun goes down and the Christmas lights turn on!
We parked and made our way to the fortified entrance of the town around 2:00pm.
We had about 2.5 hours before dusk settled, and my plan worked perfectly. That was really all of the time we needed!
What I found interesting about Rothenburg's Christmas market is that 9/10 of the market vendors are selling food, drinks, and holiday snacks (like candied nuts, pretzels, etc,.).
Because Rothenburg is a Christmas-y town as it is, I assume the vendor stalls lacked in ornaments, decor, and the usual Christmas gifts because they can be found elsewhere through the city, in abundance, and anytime of year!
We wandered through the main market, which weaves between 2 "platz" squares. The market is definitely not the largest we have visited, but not the smallest we've seen. Best guesstimate: All together, maybe 25 vendors, or so, spread out.
As mentioned, a majority of the goods sold within the market are consumables. Not much shopping to be had. We sipped some gluhwein, turned our cups in (we always keep one), and began walking through the city.
Funny, this post was intended to be about the market, but on the day we went, it was really hard to photograph the market area. People were swarming. I did get a few pictures, but I was mostly impressed with the rest of the town's decor than anything.
 |
| Not my kid, but this little girl stood there FOREVER jamming out to the accordion! |
I remember being in Rothenburg earlier this year, like it was yesterday. Thanks to our previous visit, I didn't feel lost, or confused, but then again the town is tiny and surrounded by a fortification wall, so it's hard to get lost.
We decided to see some of the main sites we had seen before, but in a few ways, they felt new again.
I will say that if you want picturesque views of the Burgtor gate, or that famous fork in the road, you shouldn't visit around Christmas time! The forked road (formally called "Das Plonlein") is definitely a no-go if you seek images without people, but at Burgtor, you can get lucky towards the end of the day if you are patient enough.
 |
| This is the famed 'fork' or Das Plonlein. Notice my POV is tipped up? That's because the street was full of people just standing around. |
 |
| Bunched pants and boots. |
The sun was beginning to set, and we made our way to the famous Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store. That name happens to be plastered all over Rothenburg because the flagship store is here! I didn't go into it during our first visit to the town, but being it's the Christmas season, I had to this time around.
In December, the store charges a €1 fee to enter, per adult; kids are free. The proceeds go to local charities, and I assume it helps cut down on the queue and crowds inside. Yes, there was a line to get in, but it wasn't severely long. Within a few minutes, we stepped inside. FYI, they give you a ticket after you pay which knocks one Euro off the cost of visiting the Christmas Museum located within the building, which we didn't do.
I really wanted to pick up some souvenir ornaments inside, but the queue to pay was ridiculous! I quickly changed my mind. Instead, we moseyed on into another large Christmas store and bought a few things there. Hey, I really just wanted an ornament form the Christmas town itself, I didn't care where it was from!
 |
| Picked up these glass gingerbread gems from the store across the Rathaus. Ornaments are not cheap in this town: On average, expect to pay about €15 per. Together, these were €26. |
Last on the list was finding the often heard of Schneeball, and we sure did.
The Schneeball is a Rothenburg specialty: A crusty, cookie like pastry formed into a ball and fried; the original is topped with powdered sugar, thus the name.
Schnee = snow.
Schneeball = you guessed it....snow ball.
Many varieties are in store now. Everything from original, to strawberry, and they even have a Bailey's flavor! Schneeballs have an excellent shelf life if you desire to send some back to the US for family. Keeps for 8-12 weeks!
I thought they'd be softer. They're not rock hard, but not chewy soft. It's the texture of a flaky cookie/cracker, really. We bought a box of six original schneeballs for €12. The special flavors go upwards to €4 per ball.
After leaving the shop, we headed back to the car and let the gorgeous color in the sky lead the way home.
Overall, it was a great day out. Still not my favorite market of the season, but I sure do love the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber!
 |
| Tops of Rothenburg's towers near our car park. |
P.S. We have two more markets left of the season. One is here in Germany. The other city is a biggie, and out of the country! We have visited a few small markets here and there, but I will post all of those together at some point. Maybe?
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