Top tip for an Advent city break: experience the magic of Christmas in Freiburg
Do you fancy seeing the Christmas lights and soaking up that festive feeling? With more than 100 charmingly decorated stalls, lovely crafts and handmade textiles, delicious home-made mulled wine and extraordinary guided tours with a drag queen, the Christmas market in Freiburg from 17 November to 23 December 2022 is a must. Thousands of twinkling lights and a unique lighting system bathe the city centre and Colombipark in a glow of sparkling winter lights.
Foodie variety and a winter light spectacular
Typical regional treats on offer include bags of hot roasted chestnuts, marzipan and chocolate confections and the grilled Freiburg speciality sausage known as the ‘Lange Rote’ (long red). Top it all off with a glass of steaming hot, fragrant mulled red or white wine to maximise that feeling of Advent warmth and goodwill.
Colombipark has also been the place for a friendly Christmas get-together among the twinkling lights since 2021. Every evening, the Colombischlössle palace and gardens are lit up in all their festive glory to create a really special, peaceful atmosphere. There is a photo point where you can capture the light spectacular perfectly and make yourself a wonderful memory.
Arts and crafts, handmade textiles, make your own candles
There is a veritable treasure trove of arts and crafts products, with all sorts of lovely and useful things made out of wood, from festive Nativity scenes to decorative, practical items for the home and table. There is also an incredible range of refined Christmas jewellery and individually designed pieces. With such a huge selection of cuddly, warm textiles made of felt, wool and leather, it is easy to find the perfect gift or a new favourite of your own.
If you fancy getting hands-on yourself, you can head to the candle workshop and make your own candles under the watchful eye of an expert. With kneading, cutting, dipping and decorating, there are no limits on creativity in the production process.
Entertaining guide tour with Black Forest drag queen Betty BBQ
The entertaining guided tour by Black Forest drag queen Betty BBQ is another real highlight. Her glamorous ramble through the Christmassy streets of Freiburg is dotted with funny, sometimes risqué, stories and jokes, with the odd German Christmas classic thrown in. Tours are available on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from mid-November to Christmas.
With some 230,000 inhabitants, Freiburg offers really relaxed city life and a natural balance for ambitious people. The city has all the variety you could ever want: outdoor activities, a rich cultural heritage and lots of popular pubs and restaurants. Freiburg is all about freedom and individuality, whether on the Schlossberg, at the weekly market or on a stroll around the city.
For more information on Freiburg, please visit https://visit.freiburg.de/en or contact Christina Zimmer.
How to get to Freiburg
Freiburg is the capital of the Black Forest in the south of Germany. Freiburg is 7.5 hours from London via Paris on the Eurostar, TGV and ICE.