Bamberg Christmas Market 2023 – What you need to know

ByAnnemarie

When you plan on visiting the Bamberg Christmas Market in 2023, here are handy details you should know upfront to make the best of your experience.

small pine trees standing next to wooden huts with a view of golden lights of one market stall
giant wooden candle arch with the word 'Bamberg' on top of a wooden stall
bakery with a lebkuchen facade lit up in front of a sunset sky

How many Christmas markets does bamberg have?

Bamberg has six different winter and Christmas markets to offer in November and December 2023.

  • Bamberger Weihnachtmarkt
  • Adventsmarkt im Sand
  • Don Bosco Winterzauber
  • Interkultureller Kunsthandwerker-Adventsmarkt
  • Adventszauber Schlüsselfeld (outside of the city)
  • Kunstmarkt im Historischen Museum
view of christmas market stands in orange light under cloudy sky

When does the Christmas Market in Bamberg take place?

The main market Bamberger Weihnachtmarkt can be found from 28 November to 23 December 2023.

But the other Christmas markets in Bamberg have varying times you should keep in mind. Click to see the details below.

The main market Bamberger Weihnachtmarkt can be found from 28 November to 23 December 2023.

  • Monday to Saturday: 9.30am to 8pm
  • Sunday: 11am to 8pm
  • More info (in German)

The Christmas market Adventsmarkt im Sand takes place from 1 to 3 December 2023.

  • Friday: 4pm to 8.30pm
  • Saturday: 11am to 8.30pm
  • Sunday: 11am to 6pm
  • More info (in German)

The third Christmas market in Bamberg, called Don Bosco Winterzauber, is hosted on the hill Jakobsberg only on November 11 and 12 with local handicrafts and a cultural program.

  • Saturday: 1pm to 8pm
  • Sunday: 11am to 7pm
  • More info (in German)

The intercultural Christmas market only takes place on one weekend, on the dates of December 16 and 17.

  • Saturday: 1pm to 7pm
  • Sunday: 11am to 7pm
  • More info (in German)

Technically outside of the city but still within the region of Bamberg, you can find the community Schlüsselfeld. Here, you can find the Christmas market running from December 8 to 10:

  • Saturday: 5pm to 10pm
  • Sunday: 3pm to 6pm
  • official opening ceremony: 2 December 3pm
  • More info (in German)

A new Bamberg Christmas market is opening in 2023 and its a Arts & Crafts To Go market hosted in the Historic museum. It can be visited during these times:

  • Friday: 5 to 9pm
  • Saturday: 10 to 7pm
  • Sunday: 10 to 5pm
  • More info (in German)
green fir tree branches frame a Christmas market hut with orange lights

Handy Info

In front of the new town hall you can find the square Maximiliansplatz, which is where the main Christmas market is hosted in Bamberg every year.

  • Maximiliansplatz 3, 96047 Bamberg

From there, it weaves along the market street Grüner Markt and over the upper bridge Obere Brücke into the Old Town.

Another location is around the St Elisabeth church in the street Sandstraße in Bamberg’s Old Town.

  • St. Elisabeth, Obere Sandstraße 29, 96049 Bamberg

The location for the Don Bosco market is in the local youth club Don Bosco.

  • Don Bosco Jugendwerk – St. Josefsheim, Jakobsplatz 15, 96049 Bamberg

The Christmas market in Schlüsselfeld takes place inside the townhall courtyard.

  • Marktplatz 5, 96132 Schlüsselfeld

The historic museum of Bamberg is hosting its own Arts & Crafts Market during Christmas time in Bamberg. And you can find it right in the Old Town:

  • Historisches Museum Bamberg, Domplatz 7, 96049 Bamberg

Bamberg’s intercultural Christmas market has a romantic setting on the hill Stephansberg and stretches into the chapel and courtyards of the Johanniskapelle and the adjacent kindergarden. There even is a live nativity scene with real donkeys and sheep.

  • St. Johanniskapelle, Oberer Stephansberg 7a, 96049 Bamberg

December is the wettest month in Bamberg. So come prepared for rainfall and maybe some light snow.

The average temperates range from 39°F (4°C) to 28°F (-2°C).

Nights at Christmas market can be super chilly, so I highly recommend layering up with warm socks, light thermal underwear and gloves.

Should the weather report predict rain, I would recommend a poncho instead of an umbrella as it gets rather crowded and is, quite frankly, rude.

The Christmas market fills up the square entirely and you can walk from wooden stall to stall, which are around 70 in number on the main square and 30 in the Sandstraße.

Around the square are pretty Baroque buildings and the fairy lights strung across the area make for a stunning sight.

These offer a variety of local and typical German Christmas products.

A lot of these, however, are regional Franconian products, arts and crafts that you may not get in other parts of Germany.

A highlight for German Christmas markets is eating the warm food and drinking Glühwein (“mulled wine”).

Since Bamberg is part of Franconia, you can get local Franconian delicacies, such as sausages, ham and soups.

Condiments to take home as a souvenir are honey, jams and lebkuchen.

Of course, you can also purchase locally brewed beers, wines and mulled wine sirup.

For your sweet tooth, there is an array of roasted nuts, deep-fried dough, candied applies, lebkuchen hearts and crepes/waffles.

If you are looking for traditional Christmas souvenirs, then a Christmas market is THE place to get them.

There are star paper lanterns that throw the prettiest light effects on the wall. Then, you can get wooden tree hangers, baubles and ornaments.

Many of these items are handcrafted regional items.

The Christmas market in Bamberg is free of charge.

However, to attend the Arts & Crafts market in the museum, there is an entry fee of 8 EUR for adults and 4 EUR concession on Fridays and Saturdays. Sundays are free of charge. Children and teens up to (and including) 18 years of age get in free, too.

fountain statue in front of Christmas tree at snow covered Christmas market
Bamberg Christmas Market
Annemarie

Annemarie started this Bamberg travel blog to inform tourists about all the amazing sights that Bamberg has to offer: from historical buildings, stunning viewpoints to mouth-watering regional food. She works as a local vacation photographer (you can hire her!) and knows all the best spots (she's a great guide too!).

Feel free to book her or send her an email through us if you have any questions about Bamberg and travel in the region. (Did we mention she is a world traveller and has worked as a travel blogger for almost a decade too?)

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