The Best Christmas Markets In And Around Bonn

A mere 30 km (18.6 miles) south of Cologne and its Christmas markets, the city of Bonn and the villages around spread their share of festive flair. Whether you’re looking for gift ideas, delicious street food, or you’re in search of a quirky historical spot, the Christmas markets in Bonn have it all. Here’s our pick of the best.

1. Drachenburg Castle - Christmas Market

Archaeological site, Building, Historical Landmark

No other Christmas market in the region can quite compete with this setting. On Saturdays and Sundays during the advent season, the 19th-century Drachenburg Castle twinkles with fairy lights as visitors are transported back in time by storytellers and actors who reenact Charles Dickens’ famous Christmas Carol. Approximately 40 vendors set up within the castle grouds offer their goods and culinary treats here – you can shop for handmade gifts and souvenirs, indulge in local foods and warm up with mulled wine and hot chocolate. The admission fee covers entrance to both the interior and the grounds of the castle, and is money invested well if you’re looking for a unique Christmas experience.

Prices (with / without ticket for the cog railway up the hill): adults €7 / €12, children €5 / €6

Bad Godesberg – Erzgebirge Christmas Market

In the first two weeks of the advent season, an Erzgebirge-themed Christmas market sets up camp in Bonn’s Bad Godesberg district. The Erzgebirge region in eastern Germany is known to have a soft spot for the holidays. Some 30 vendors move into festively decorated wooden huts and bring their best Christmassy goodies to Bonn to share some of their traditional craftsmanship. The hand-carved and painted nutcrackers, incense burners and candle holders in the shape of angels and miners here make great gifts, while you can also watch artisans at work including glass-blowers, cotton spinners and Spanbaum carvers, a local craft which results in delicate wooden tree sculptures.

Erzgebirgischer Weihnachtsmarkt Bad Godesberg, Rheinhotel Dreesen, Bonn-Bad Godesberg, Germany

Siegburg – Medieval Christmas Market

A trip to Siegburg’s Christmas market takes you right back into the Middle Ages. You’ll be greeted by entertainers and jesters who tell stories and sing songs, alongside vendors selling traditional products from gemstones, beaded jewellery, and Indian silk scarfs, through to spices and wooden instruments. You could stop to have your palm read, or head straight to sample the delicious food. On the menu are a suckling pig, flatbread and soup, all accompanied by mead, beer and wine.

Mittelalterlicher Markt, Marktplatz, Siegburg, Germany