The Christmas market, or Weihnachtsmarkt at the Rathaus in Hamburg is extremely impressive. Not…read morebecause of the copious quantities of gluhwein you can drink, or bratwurst to munch on... although they are great. No - this is the only christmas market I've seen so far to have an actual flying santa complete with reindeer and sleigh. Incredible...! Also - see my photos of the best ham sandwich you will ever eat in your life. I'm going back there for lunch every day.

We visited 4 destinations and were hoping for Christmas Markets in all of them (Hamburg, Bruges,…read moreRotterdam and Paris). Hamburg was by far the best. Doesn't look much when the cruise shuttle pulls up just opposite but the stalls are full of festive goodies and nice quality souvenirs, lots of hot chocolate, German mulled wine and hot dogs. All very reasonably priced for a festive attraction. The town hall was open too and was beautifully decorated and a great escape from the bitter cold for a short while. A lovely few hours spent here. Very much enjoyed. A great start to the Christmas holidays. Thanks Hamburg.

Ein Freund, der Geburtstag hatte, wurde auf die Bühne geholt bei einer Stripshow - wir haben ihn…read moreangefeuert und dachten alle, oh, das wird lustig, er wird da sitzen und ein bisschen umtanzt. Stattdessen ist die Stimmung ganz schnell gekippt. Es wurde nicht nach Konsens gefragt, er wurde ungefragt ausgezogen, in den Schritt gefasst und die Tänzerin setzte sich auf ihn drauf. Die Security meinte zu mir "Wir können ihn da nicht runterholen, die Show läuft schon" und der DJ versuchte noch schön Druck zu machen, indem er "Komm, zieh dein Oberteil aus, wir wollen es alle!" skandiert hat. Niemanden hat es interessiert, dass da gerade jemand auf der Bühne ohne seinen Willen sexualisiert angefasst wird. Er ist dann von der Bühne gegangen und wurde durch jemand anderen ersetzt, dem die Tänzerin unter anderem Vodka in den Mund gespuckt hat (?). Konsens gilt nicht nur für Frauen. Absolut asoziales Verhalten, das ich nicht von einem "offenen Weihnachtsmarkt" erwartet hätte. Beim Auftritt spielte der DJ dann noch mehrere Rammstein-Lieder. Nie wieder.

A place were angels look exactly the way you expect them to look on a St.Pauli Christmas…read moremarket....a little different ;-) From Waffles, to St.Pauli goods over Glühwein and a variety of handmade crafts you can find everything here. Even a little red-light-district-toy-shop is selling some local fun stuff. We spent some hours here, shopping, drinking and talking. At the end of the day we were sure the St.Pauli angels would wink at us...but this might have been the "Glühwein mit Schuss" seducing our imagination. Who knows...

Small but good! This one's in a central area, so you'll most likely have to contend with crowds,…read morebut it's also close to the two largest markets which means the crowds stretch out a bit and it doesn't get too bad most nights. It also closes earlier than the larger markets. Definitely worth a visit, if you're touring different markets, this one is walking distance to the large Jungfernstieg and Rathaus ones. Pretty standard fare as far as stalls go, but it seems to focus on food and drink more than crafty wares. There is usually at least one carousel as well for the kiddies to enjoy.

Pretty good Christmas market, with all the stalls you need, located at one end of Jungfernstieg. As…read moremy wife described when asked, Cold, but very alcoholic, so we kept nice and warm!

Pretty nice location right next to the shopping street and a big plus for their hot chocolate…read moreselection; with Amaretto, vodka, Jagermeister or mint liquor for the After Eight taste :) Only downside is that it closes at 11pm on Fridays.

I like this christmas market, it's pretty small and also crowed, but it has a great mulled wine…read morestall and also one with "kartoffelpuffer" that taste amazing. I was torn on whether I should give 3 or 4 stars and decided on 3, simply because it is so small and crowded. I still think it's a great one to stop by or for taking a break from shopping.

I think this one is probably my favourite Christmas market in Hamburg. It's right by the water and…read moreoffers gorgeous views as well as a plethora of stalls of all kinds. It's set up on a straight stretch, so there is usually a good foot traffic flow that goes one way down and the other way up the long passage. This means that even with plenty of people you don't feel too stuck in the crowd and can still keep moving. Food, drink and arts & craft stalls are mixed up together. You can shop for a while, then have a snack and a drink, then shop some more! The stalls are usually higher quality than most smaller local markets, though they do often have a mass-produced kind of feel to them. I do think this one is a must visit, preferably on an evening when it's dark out and the bright sparkly lights make everything look magical and reflect off the water.

Probably my least favourite Christmas Market in Hamburg ever. It's incredibly small, looks randomly…read moreput together and doesn't have much to offer. The only redeeming feature is the large ice rink, real ice, but other than that it's perfectly unremarkable. I'd say only visit this one if you happen to be in the area.

I really nice Christmas market, just on my walk between home and work!…read moreAll the food and drink stalls you need: Gluehwein, Sausage rolls, deep fried potato, pork rolls, etc etc plus a couple of gift stalls. Not too busy, not too expensive. Possibly not worth a long journey to get to unless you also visit the main markets in the bigger squares, however its great for Afterwork drinks and a drinks and snack with friends.

A nice alternative to the bigger, more crowded Rathaus Weihnachtsmarkt. Good that it's surrounded…read moreby bars and restaurants too.

This is one of the smaller markets that you can find around many corners in Hamburg. It's pretty…read moreand next to a beautiful church and has the advantage of rarely getting crowded. You'll be able to just stroll around and properly look at all the stalls and of course you can enjoy mulled wine and the typical market foods. It's a great option if you're looking to avoid crowds and get an authentic small neighbourhood Christmas Market feel.

I only went here for a couple of minutes to walk across and check it out. The stalls are pretty…read moremuch the same as everywhere with mulled wine, fries, candy etc. The market is pretty small and kind of hidden, so if you're looking for a calmer christmas market, this one is a good option. I do think the layout is a bit weird and I almost think it's too calm... but if one is looking for that, this one is a good option.