The romantic Thurn & Taxis Christmas market is one of the best in the whole country and worth the price of admission!
Not every Christmas market itinerary includes Regensburg, but every one should make sure to stop there if they can, it's the home to one of my favourite Christmas markets in all of Germany. the Romantic Christmas market at the Thurn & Taxis Palace! It is EVERYTHING a Christmas market should be!
Atmosphere
To begin, the Thurn & Taxis Christmas market is what we call a "private market". It is not organized by the city, but instead by the Thurn & Taxis royal family and hosted at their palace, the largest inhabited palace in Europe! There is an entrance fee, but it's worth it... and if you get to the market in the late afternoon just before it starts to get dark, you can watch the entire place transform from a beautifully decorated Christmas village into a magical Christmas fairy tale, with fairy lights and fire pits creating the perfect setting.
All the huts and stands are uniformly decorated with fresh cut evergreen and arranged both around the palace outer grounds as well as in the interior courtyard, giving that "deck the halls" feeling and an "O Christmas Tree" vibe that makes it fun to meander and roam while discovering the myriad offerings of delicious treats and hand made treasures.
The Elves of Thurn & Taxis
One of the things I love about the Romantic Christmas market at Thurn & Taxis are the hand selected vendors, all unique and all handmade or locally sourced items. You won't find any Made in China stickers on the items sold here! From decorations to jewelry to clothing, everything is unique and the artisans are happy to talk to you about their wares.
The food stalls are equally delicious... all offering traditional German fare served round open fire pits that are scattered throughout the grounds. Grab local sausage or pork on a spit, you can see the chestnuts roasting on an open fire and the smell of candied almonds fills the air.
There are so many delicious things to try... and not all of them are outside! You can grab a seat inside some of the Apré Ski huts which serve full means or grab a spot in the royal cafe for some hot apple strüdel, too!
Best of all, of course you can sample all sorts of hot mulled wine (Glühwein) but my absolute favourite is... now say it with me...
Feuerzangenbowle... think Glühwein, but with a MAJOR twist!
The fact that fire is in the name tells you a lot! This delicious concoction is compromised of red wine which has been warned with huge slices of lemons and oranges, cinnamon, cloves and star anise, much like normal Glühwein. Yet Feuerzangenbowle takes it up a notch! Once you have your wine spiced to perfection, a metal holder is placed over the pot upon which a sugar cone is placed. Then rum (with at least 54% alcohol by volume) is poured over the sugar cone and lit on fire. Slightly stir as the flaming sugar drips into the wine below and then serve.
At the Romantic Christmas market they make this concoction in great big, large cauldrons and everyone stand around as the flaming rum drops with their mugs held out, eager for this delicious Christmas drink!
The 2021 Christmas market will open Friday, November 19th and run thru December 23rd, 2022
Opening hours:
19th November - 23rd December 2021
Monday - Thursday 15-22 o'clock
Friday & Saturday 12-23 o'clock
Sunday 12-22 o'clock
Closed: 21st November (Sunday holiday is for the commemoration of the dead)
