Christmas Markets in Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg, and Esslingen am Neckar, Germany

If you are planning a Christmas market trip to Germany, there is a trio of cities not to be missed.

Stuttgart is home to one of Europe’s largest and oldest Christmas markets. This historic market features some of the best decorated stalls in all of Germany.

From Stuttgart, travel Ludwigsburg by train, to visit the small but beautiful Baroque Christmas Market that takes over the center of town.

And then there is the amazing Christmas market in Esslingen am Neckar, which is just 15 minutes from Stuttgart by train. We visited this market near the end of a 13-day trip through Germany and France, and this one was our favorite. Esslingen is a small city that is home to one of the most festive and unique Christmas markets in Germany.

Get ready to explore the Christmas markets in Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg, and Esslingen am Neckar, and learn how to combine them into an unforgettable two day itinerary.

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Stuttgart Christmas Market

Open: November 26 to December 23, 2025
Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 11 am to 9 pm; Friday & Saturday: 11 am to 10pm
Website: stuttgarter-weihnachtsmarkt.de

The Stuttgart Christmas market is one of the largest and oldest markets in all of Europe. While it was officially mentioned in 1692, Stuttgart’s annual market likely traces its origins back to the early 16th century, when the first market was started by Duke Ulrich of Württemberg. Over time, it evolved into what is now known as the ‘Christkindleinmarkt.’

Today, Stuttgart’s Christmas Market attracts between 3 and 4 million visitors each season. It is spread across four squares and contains approximately 300 stalls.

A range of items are sold, mostly local handcrafts like wooden toys, arts and crafts, clothing, jewelry, and ornaments, as well as traditional sweet treats, culinary delights like potatoes and sausages, and glühwein and apple punch. Like many other markets, what is for sale is similar, but with such a large market there are plenty of gifts to buy and foods to try.

Stuttgart’s city center is much more modern than other cities in southern Germany, such as Nuremberg, Würzburg, and Munich. Some market squares in Stuttgart feature modern buildings, as opposed to the colorful half-timbered buildings in other cities. This takes away from the overall atmosphere just a little bit, but the market makes up for it with beautiful decorations.

To us, the highlights of the Stuttgart Christmas Market are the elaborate decorations on the market stalls. Lights, wreathes, and ornaments cover the stalls, while each has different statues on top, from cityscapes to polar bears to reindeer pulling Santa Claus.

Exploring the Different Sections of the Stuttgart Christmas Market

We began our market tour at Marktplatz, and circled around to Schillerplatz, Schlossplatz, and ended at Karlsplatz. Each of these squares are within a 1 kilometer radius, so it is very easy to see all of it in one go.

Marktplatz has a typical Christmas market layout, with aisles of stalls crowded in the center of the square. This market is best for shopping for gifts and souvenirs.

The most interesting part of the Stuttgart Christmas market is the line of market stalls that run along Kirchstrasse and flow into Schillerplatz. These beautifully decorated market stalls, with the backdrop of the Stiftskirche church and Altes Schloss, has more of an old town feel to it. This was our favorite part of the Stuttgart market.

The market on Schlossplatz has a modern setting, with a brilliantly lit Ferris wheel that visitors can ride to get an aerial view of Stuttgart. With a roller-skating rink and a miniature train ride, this is the best part of the Stuttgart Christmas Market to visit if you are traveling with kids.

Schlossplatz also has an impressive Christmas pyramid, a great place to enjoy a steaming glass of glühwein. Most of the stalls in this part of the market sell typical market food: sausages, french fries, and churros.

Karlsplatz has only a few stalls, all targeted around food and drinks, but this was some of the best market food we ate a Christmas market. We enjoyed a plate of flamed salmon and potato salad from the Flammlachs stand, a meal so good it could have come from a restaurant. There are also stands selling cocktails, pulled pork sandwiches, plus indoor seating. This part of the market has more of a local vibe to it.

Is the Stuttgart Christmas Market Worth It?

We absolutely loved the Stuttgart Christmas Market and it has made it to our list of our favorite markets in Europe. With the beautifully decorated stalls and the great food, drinks, and plenty to see, we loved walking around this market.

The main reason (and maybe the only reason for some) to go to Stuttgart is to visit its Christmas market. There is nothing remarkable about the city itself, and you won’t get the old town vibe like you do from other German cities, such as Nuremberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Beyond the market, the top places to visit are the Porsche and Mercedes Museums and the public library.

Visiting Stuttgart is very nice at Christmas, but it is adding on Ludwigsburg and Esslingen that really makes a visit here special.

Ludwigsburg Baroque Christmas Market

Open: November 26 – December 22, 2024
Hours: Daily from 11 am to 9 pm
Location: Market Square (Marktplatz), 71638 Ludwigsburg
Website: travel.ludwigsburg.de

In the heart of the Ludwigsburg, you will find one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in Germany.

The market is located on Ludwigsburg’s Baroque market square, which is also called Marktplatz. With its twin churches and colorful buildings, this is a gorgeous backdrop for a Christmas market. In the center of the square is a fountain depicting Duke Eberhard Ludwig, to whom the city owes its name.

During Christmas time, this large square is filled more than 150 market stalls, sure to put you in a holiday spirit. Stalls are beautifully decorated with Santa statues, reindeers, wreaths, and garland, and shops sell handmade decorations, wooden toys, and Christmas cookies and chocolates.

We really enjoyed this market as they sold a lot of good food, such as pizza, potato soup, gyros, and of course, bratwurst. And a German Christmas market wouldn’t be complete without glühwein and feuerzangenbowle, which you can find here, as well. In fact, this market sells goblets with traditional flaming feuerzangenbowle, a great touch if you cannot make it to Munich’s Medieval Market.

Since Ludwigsburg is not as popular as some of the other Christmas markets in Germany, it has a local and laid-back atmosphere.

A visit here lasts about 1 to 2 hours.

Ludwigsburg Baroque Christmas Market Photo

Feuerzangenbowle Goblets

How to Get to Ludwigsburg from Stuttgart

The best way to travel from Stuttgart to Ludwigsburg is by train. The S-Bahn, which is the suburban railway, has travel times of 15 minutes, running approximately every 15 minutes. The S-4 line makes stops at several stations in Stuttgart, including Hauptbahnhof (Tief).

If you have a car, the best place to park in Ludwigsburg is at Parkhaus im Marstall, which is a large parking garage underneath the shopping center. It is a less than a 5-minute walk to the Christmas market. The drive from Stuttgart to Ludwigsburg takes 30 minutes, longer if there is traffic.

Esslingen Medieval Market & Christmas Market

Open: November 26 to December 22, 2024
Hours: Sunday through Thursday 11 am to 8:30 pm; Friday and Saturday 11 am to 9:30 pm
Website: Esslingen-info.com

The combination of the idyllic setting plus the medieval-themed market, live music, and very local vibe makes the Esslingen Christmas Market our favorite in Europe.

Strolling through Esslingen feels like stepping into a medieval town straight out of a fairytale. Cobblestoned streets are lined with large, timbered Bavarian buildings that date back to the Middle Ages, each painted in bright colors. In fact, Esslingen is home to the oldest row of half-timbered houses in Germany, and also has sites including the Esslingen Castle, historic city gates, medieval monastic buildings, and monumental churches, comprising an extremely impressive cultural legacy.

Altes Rathaus (Old Town Hall) is one of the city’s most iconic buildings, but the views along the Neckar River and exploring the cobblestoned side streets also add to the appeal of this town.

So, what happens when you combine an amazing medieval Christmas market with this picture-perfect German city? You get an unforgettable Christmas experience.

Locations of the Esslingen Christmas Market

The Esslingen Christmas Market is spread across several market squares.

Marktplatz is where we began our trip through the Esslingen market. It’s the first square you get to, if walking into town from the train station.

This market resembles a typical German Christmas market, with stalls decorated in wreaths, garland, and lights. The backdrop of the colorful buildings really makes it a beauty.

One of our favorite things to shop for in the Christmas markets are the Christmas village houses. There is a shop on Marktplatz that sells high quality replicas of famous buildings in Germany.

Beyond Marketplatz is the Esslingen Medieval Market. With stalls decorated in a medieval style, vendors wearing medieval clothes, and stores selling items that seem to come from the Middle Ages, this market truly immerses you in historic Esslingen. The medieval market is spread out over Rathausplatz and Hafenmarkt.

Visitors can go axe-throwing, do archery, and make candles. Kids will enjoy riding on a miniature Ferris wheel. Additionally, performances can be found throughout the market, including jugglers, fire-eaters, storytellers, and musicians. We were big fans of the flaming feuerzangenbowle.

This market had different food from other markets we have visited, including stockbrot (bread on a stick), bread filled with cheese and other ingredients, quarkballchen, as well as giant cinnamon rolls.

Dinner in Esslingen

On our trip through Germany, we rarely dined in a restaurant, preferring to fuel ourselves with market food and glühwein, but there was a restaurant in Esslingen that caught our eye.

For dinner, we ate at Weinkeller Einhorn, a wine cellar that serves Swabian cuisine. Inside, it has a rustic interior, with a stone cellar and rooms decorated with wooden beams and walls. Overall, we had a very nice dinner. It does feel touristy, but it was nice to sit down and warm up and eat something other than market food. Take a look at the menu and if you like the idea of adding this onto your visit to Esslingen, make a reservation in advance. They were very busy during our visit, turning away walk-ins.

How to Get from Stuttgart to Esslingen

On the S-Bahn, which is the suburban railway, it takes 17 minutes to travel to Esslingen (on the S1). It is an 8-minute walk from the train station to the Christmas market.

It is also possible to take a taxi, use Uber, or drive, if you have a car. B+B Parkhaus is a large, underground parking garage located between the train station and town center.

Esslingen am Neckar

Putting This Together

Visiting all three Christmas markets is absolutely worth it, as they are all a little bit different from one another.

There are a few ways to plan your itinerary.

Option #1 Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg & Esslingen

On day 1, arrive in Stuttgart, preferably midday. This gives you the full afternoon and evening to visit the Stuttgart Christmas market, which is rather spread out across the city center.

On day 2, take the train to Ludwigsburg around 11 am or noon, and spend an hour or two shopping and having lunch at the Christmas market. You could return to Stuttgart for a few hours or go straight to Esslingen. Esslingen is wonderful in the evening and you could easily spend 2 hours here. There are a lot of great foods to try at the Esslingen Christmas market, but if you like the idea of sitting down to dinner, make a reservation at Einhorn Weinkeller in advance. Return to Stuttgart by train.

Ludwigsburg Christmas Market

Option #2 Traveling By Car and By Train

This is what we did. We had a car, so we did a mix of driving and using the train.

On day 1, we drove to Stuttgart from Rothenburg ob der Tauber. On this drive, we stopped at Ludwigsburg, spent about an hour and a half at the market, and then completed the drive to Stuttgart. On the afternoon and evening of our first day, we visited the Stuttgart Christmas market.

On day 2, we had a leisurely morning in Stuttgart. We ate lunch at Umami Ramen, a busy restaurant that is a nice break from bratwurst and käsespätzle. In the early afternoon, we walked around the Stuttgart Christmas market again. Around 4 pm, we took the train to Esslingen and spent the afternoon and evening here.

We spent two nights in Stuttgart, staying at the Emilu Design Hotel, which was a fantastic experience. This hotel is located in the city center, a short walk from the Christmas market, and near many other restaurants and shops. The location is unbeatable, plus it is a beautiful hotel with a modern vibe. They have an underground parking garage if you happen to be traveling by car.

From Stuttgart, we continued on to the Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market, and then on to Colmar.

More Christmas Markets in Germany

Our trip to Stuttgart was part of a 13-day train and road trip through southern Germany and the Alsace region of France. We have links to all of our German Christmas market guides in our Germany Travel Guide.

If you have any questions about how to visit the Christmas markets in Stuttgart, Ludwigsburg, or Esslingen, let us know in the comment section below.

More Information about the European Christmas Markets

Christmas Markets Stuttgart Ludwigsburg Esslingen