Christmas Markets from Memmingen

Hi, we%26#39;re a family of two adults and three children (age 11, 9 and 5) going to Memmingen on December 8th for one night. We%26#39;d like to visit a Christmas Market.

I%26#39;ve read the reviews on various markets around Memmingen; Munich, Stuttgart and Kempten appear to be most accessible by train - using the group day tickets - and have most to offer.

Kempten is tempting as its the closest but would it make more sense to bring the family to Stuttgart or Munich to see the larger markets for their first visit?

Any tips where to stay close to the markets?

Many thanks.

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Why don%26#39;t you make it easy and visit the market in Memmingen?! Memmingen is a very pretty, cosy small city (population: 41000) with everything you expect when thinking of a South German town. I would skip the hassle and enjoy my time right there.

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Memmingen

http://www.memmingen.de/592.html

Memmingen Christmas Market is from 27.11. - 20.12.2009.

Memmingen is a really nice town.

You could still add a visit to Kempten - only 30 minutes by train.

www.kempten.de/en/media/L.a.Ke_english1.pdf

Munich or Stuttgart are not that close that it makes sense to go there if you have just 1 night. These cities would require at least a whole weekend. And speaking of weekends: better to avoid them during the Christmas Market times as in these bigger cities they are than so crowded that it won%26#39;t be with 3 kids that much fun.

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As the others have advised Memmingen does make sense and if you do pop down to Kempten check out the swimming pool there with black hole slide - wow wee it was great fun + plus they have an outdoor pool open in the winter! But if you are stretched for time I would not complicate matters and avail of the hassle free airport and short trip to Memmingen from the airport. I think you will find all you need in Memmingen.

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I really can%26#39;t imagine spending a day in Memmingen, a few hours was enough for me, although it is a pleasant town. Ulm ( www.ulm.de ) is a short distance away to the north with its church with the world%26#39;s record height spire which can be climbed if no snow or ice for views of the distant Alps if the weather cooperates. There is a Christmas Market in front of it, and Ulm is a much larger place than Memmingen.

If you had more time, I would definitely recommend Stuttgart ( www.stuttgart-tourist.de ) whose Christmas Market ( www.stuttgarter-weihnachtsmarkt.de only in German) is much larger than any of those other places. Perhaps check www.bahn.de changing it to English near the top of the page, and see how taking a train there would work. You can use the Baden-Wuerttemberg ticket from the Memmingen train station to Stuttgart for 28€ for the whole family. To select this travel option, select using only local transportation. However, for visiting Christmas markets, 3 days works out best for Stuttgart as you can then also visit the large themed Christmas Markets in two other nearby towns: Esslingen Medieval %26amp; Christmas Market ( www.esslingen.de ) set in the well preserved medieval center of this town; and Ludwigsburg Baroque Christmas Market ( www.ludwigsburg.de ) set near Germany%26#39;s largest perfectly preserved Baroque palace with several days worth of interesting things to see and do.

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Many thanks for all your kind and well informed replies.

I wasn%26#39;t aware that there was a Christmas market in Memmingen! So now, I think we%26#39;ll stroll around there for a few hours and make the short 30 minute trip to Kempten as well. Both seem feasible in one relaxing afternoon/evening.

Stuttgart is 2 hours by train, we could be there by 4pm. Perhaps we%26#39;ll aim for the markets around there next year if Ryanair are still doing such cheap flights. Hopefully they%26#39;ll fly a little closer to there by then.

Many thanks again for the great advice.