Konstanz Christmas Markets, Germany

Konstanz, on lake Konstanz, at the Swiss border, about an hour and half on a Swiss train from Zurich, or also served by airports at Friedrichshafen, possibly with a journey, Stuttgart and Munich.

It’s not a market I would travel a great distance to. Don’t get me wrong it is nice. I just wouldn’t say the market or the area warrants a special effort. You could easily visit it if you were in Zurich for example.

Konstanz is a nice city, it is just inside Germany, the Swiss often go here for shopping, as it is also just outside of Switzerland. Being on the lake makes it attractive. The market itself is in Stadtgarten part of town. From the main shopping area there is an underpass under the train tracks to reach this area which is right on the lake. A little tip, as you pop up the other side of the train tracks into the market, usually on the left hand side is a drinks stand. Take the Feuerrzangenbowle, a traditional and typical alcoholic drink for the German Christmas markets, its mulled wine with a burning rum-soaked sugar cube left to caramelise and drip into the drink. The drink itself can be bought almost everywhere in the German Christmas Markets, it’s just usually the drink is pre-prepared, the burning sugar is added to the large cauldron of wine before being served. At this stand in Konstanz; they serve it in special beaked mugs and add the sugar cube to the beak then set it alight. Does it taste any different to mulled wine or Gluhwein? No, of course not. It’s a novelty, an extravagance, for me I can taste no difference, doesn’t stop me taking a mug every time I see it sold though. Cool for some pictures to send friends back home.

As with other German markets, I appreciate the food and drink varieties. Here is no different, there is a nice selection. Typically, I take the hog roast. There is a mushroom bread thing they sell which is pretty good too, called Handbrot, I believe. And we have never got to eat the chimney cake as the queue is always crazy. That stand must be a gold mine.

Not much else to say about these markets. Very nice, good for food and drinks, nice atmosphere, just perhaps not worth a huge effort to visit.

In the area, there is a small Sealife Center, in Konstanz itself, something to visit, the children will love this. Further round the lake is Friedrichshafen, which is an interesting place. During your stay in this area you may see Zeppelins or Airships gracefully floating by up above, well they were invented here and are still flying today. The flights are weather dependent and at this time of year; the weather is not usually wonderful. Seeing them glide in the sky over the lake is impressive, and if you do have some money to spend, you can book a flight, with different routes and times for different price ranges.

More affordable and accessible is the Zeppelin Museum near Friedrichshafen harbour. A very interesting museum, for all ages. I like history, and for me seeing how a trip on a Zeppelin back in the day was, I found fascinating, very much like a cruise as we know it today, crossing the Atlantic in a week in luxury, at enormous cost, with the mechanics fixing faults by popping outside and clambering and climbing around a huge floating cigar over the sea. Gutsy! I am not a museum person, this one I did like.

Finally, my recommendation in this area would be the Rhinefalls, close to Schaffhausen in Switzerland, it claims to be the biggest waterfalls in Europe, but that said, I think I have been to several European waterfalls claiming to be the biggest, they play on being the highest, widest, most water etc, to make the ‘biggest’ claim. Its nature at its best, very beautiful to see. If you are flush with cash, there is the expensive Zeppelin tour which takes you over them.

Konstanz markets, definitely go if you are close by, but perhaps don’t make an express effort to visit these. Good for food and drink with a couple of nice things to visit in the area.