The US television network CNN has named Berlin’s Christmas market at Gendarmenmarkt and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt among the best in the world in 2024.

Berlin and Nuremberg Christmas markets praised by CNN

Gendarmenmarkt Christmas market in Berlin’s Mitte district and Nuremberg’s at least 300-year-old Christkindlesmarkt have been named among CNN’s 22 best Christmas markets in the world.

The network encouraged market flaneurs to visit the nightly concerts at the Gendarmenmarkt market - which was also named the “most Christmassy” market in Germany in 2022 - and called the Christkindlesmarkt “undoubtedly one of Nuremberg’s annual highlights”. 

This year, the market in Berlin is open from November 25 until December 31 and the Christkindlesmarkt from November 29 until December 24. 

If this is your first Christmas in Germany and you’re feeling overwhelmed with choosing a Christmas market, you can check our guides on how to best eat your way through Germany’s Christmas markets and the ultimate 12 best Christmas markets in Germany.

European markets dominate CNN list

CNN’s 2024 list highlighted many of the usual suspects for the best Christmas markets, including Vienna’s Christkindlmarkt, Strasbourg Christmas Market, the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square Christmas markets in Prague and the Piazza Santa Croce market in Florence.

European markets dominated the list, with Singapore’s Christmas Wonderland, Toronto’s Distillery Winter Village, New York’s Winter Village at Bryant Park and Christkindlmarket Chicago being the non-European markets making it into one of the 22 spots.

Thumb image credit: Sina Ettmaer Photography / Shutterstock.com