If you’re looking for easy day trips to get the most out of your German Christmas market trip, try the Essen Christmas markets and Dortmund Christmas markets!
Everything here is my own opinion and I received no compensation for this post. It also contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you have any questions about this, just click here! All content copyright Where’s Emma Now 2012-2025.
For 2025, the Essen Christmas markets are open November 14 – December 23!
The Dortmund Christmas markets are open November 20 – December 30!
Essen and Dortmund are smaller towns just outside Dusseldorf, and both have great medium sized Christmas markets! If you’re trying to plan a trip that maximizes German Christmas markets while minimizing switching hotels, these should definitely make your list.
These are easiest to get to from Dusseldorf, which also has great Christmas markets! I’ve shared an entire guide to those separately.
Another option is to stay in Cologne. Cologne has some of my favorite Christmas markets ever! But the train makes this one a bit further for each day trip: 30 minutes to Essen and under an hour to Dortmund.
These are both on the same train line from Dusseldorf, making it easy to visit both Christmas markets in one day. They’re not small, but small enough that it’s comfortably doable without feeling like you’re rushing!
One note about this guide: typically, I offer a mobile-friendly guide for destinations behind a paywall. But you’ve stumbled on one of my free guides! You can get all this information and more in a user-friendly version here. This includes all these markets marked on a map to make it so simple to get around! Grab it here.
Essen Christmas Markets
Essen is 30 minutes outside of Dusseldorf by train! So it’s easy get to even with a big group. If you’re seeing both Essen and Dortmund in one day, my advice is to start here. Essen Christmas markets pride themselves on being powered entirely by green energy!
What to look our for:
Looking for something to mix up the Christmas market experience? Essen’s offers a murder mystery game! You buy it online and get clues on your phone. It’s available in English and German, for 2-5 people. (Not an affliate link, just a cool thing I want to try!)
They also have animals made of Christmas lights scattered through the markets, which are cute and unique! Most are life-sized, too. They’re better seen at night, of course!
If you’re traveling with picky eaters or looking for a very specific food option, check the Essen Christmas markets official website. They list every single booth’s location in a user-friendly setup, which you don’t always find for this type of site!
The Essen Christmas Markets
*all of these places are marked and easy to open in your maps app when you get my free (for now) interactive guide*
The first bit starts nearly as soon as you walk out of the train station, in Willy-Brandt-Platz. This one is small but it’s a great place to get a gluhwein to enjoy as you explore! There’s also some cute decor for photo ops: a giant Christmas tree with a cut out you can walk through and a Christmas pyramid!
My favorite of the Essen Christmas markets has to be the Medieval Christmas market! Everything is themed, the staff wear period outfits, and the offerings are creative. You’ll find a tavern, leather goods and you can watch (and eat) fresh bread come out of the outdoor ovens! You’ll find it in Porschekanzel. I would plan to spend most of my time at this one, and maybe look for lunch!
The biggest of the Essen Christmas markets is in Kennedyplatz. It has all the classics: great food, the usual souvenirs, and plenty of festive decor! Keep an eye out for that funniest of German Christmas market staples, the singing moose head: it’s in here too.
The market in Burgplatz sits beneath a massive Ferris wheel. If you’re here at night, definitely take a ride! You’ll get amazing views of the markets and lights! This market meanders through Friedensplatz and down Kettwiger Strasse.
Dortmund Christmas markets
Dortmund is further along the same train route as Essen, making it about an hour from Dusseldorf. The Dortmund Christmas markets cover most of the historic center and they’re easily accessible from the train station.
What to look out for:
Dortmund’s Christmas markets are famous for something: the biggest Christmas tree in the world! Technically it’s made of 1700 “normal” sized ones shaped into a single massive tree. It looks shockingly cohesive!
Like a proper German city, beer is easy to get at the markets. Hövels, the city’s brewery, offers a Christmas Town Beer that’s only available here.
There are a ton of kid-friendly activities too! Their Christmas Village has interactive baking and crafting activities! They’re in German, but worth considering, and the cost to participate is super low (2.50€ in 2025). There’s also a kiddo scavenger hunt with a prize for finishing! Pick up the questions at the event office in the Alter Markt/Old Market.
There’s also a free puppet theater daily at 3 and 5pm in the Reinald Church. It’s been going on for seven generations and the puppets are handmade!
The Dortmund Christmas Markets
*all of these places are marked and easy to open in your maps app when you get my free (for now) interactive guide*
If you arrive by train, the first market you’ll find is the Katharinentor, or St. Catherine’s Gate, which is all lit up for the holidays. From there, head along Kampstraße. The street is covered in lit up sculptures in between the booths!
Circle around to the front of Reinold Church to Reinoldikirchplatz for the “fairytale forest.” This is one of the major collections of booths here, curving around the front of the church.
Don’t miss the market stalls along Kleppingstraße! These are focused on global arts and feature products (not just christmas themed) from places around the world. I loved that these weren’t just European nations.
Alter Markt hosts mostly food stalls, so it’s a good place to plan for lunch! Make sure to grab one of the chocolate covered marshmallows, it’s one of my favorite treats here.
Hansaplatz holds the biggest Christmas tree! Booths here ring the tree, so it’s front and center from every angle. There are also mostly food stalls here if you need a snack.
You can easily do both in one day, or spend the day at the Dusseldorf Christmas markets and check out one or both in the evenings!
Want more great German Christmas markets? Try Cologne, Munich, or Mannheim!
