One thing I have learned from my time in Wiesbaden is that the people in the Rheingau know how to throw a party! The Christmas Market in Eltville is no exception! The picturesque cobblestone streets surrounding the castle turns into a very special Christmas Market for only one weekend each year. With wine too of course!

Mark Your Calendar

In our 8 tips for German Christmas Markets, we mentioned to look out for the markets that only are occurring one weekend on December 19 and 20. This is a perfect example! If you don’t mark your calendar, you could miss the weekend of one of your favorite towns. I have been to so many summer wine fests in this town, so I was very determined to check out its Christmas Market. Boy was I glad I did!

Handmade Arts and Crafts

Every market has its own character or specialty. And what made Eltville’s market special was the art! There were so many gorgeous stalls which all had handmade arts and crafts for sale! Every table and stand was such a delight to look at and discover. I could have bought so many things that we saw…okay I wanted to by everything!!

I loved the diversity of all the different handmade crafts which had from wood, clay and beeswax crafts. Also if you were feeling cold and you forgot your scarf, they had wonderful handmade pieces available too!

The market wraps around the church on small streets then into a courtyard. Garage doors that are normally closed all year are now opened for the public to display local crafts.

Wine and Much More

This is the Rheingau, so of course there is wine tasting!

By the time we made it into the courtyard, it was getting dark which made the stalls around the square look so beautiful.

The cash I took went fast! Next year I will bring more and perhaps a wagon for all my goods!

I always love to support the local stalls that are at the markets in which the money goes to local clubs and charities. We bought some delicious homemade cookies! I might even take them into work and tell everyone that I baked them!

One very interesting vendor had various flavored mustard made with honey, to pineapple to tomato! Patrons were able to sample the different mustards with pieces of bread.

We were about to leave, then I saw that a very cool wine cellar had its doors open. Since this is such a great opportunity go to inside and look around, I just had to go in.

A large room that normally stores wine and winery equipment was transformed into an art gallery of beautiful photographs from the Rhengau.

I really thought we were leaving the market until we saw a delightful Christmas village set up! It was decorated as an Alpine ski lodge. So we went in to have a hot kinderpunch (children punch).

Before attending the Eltville Christmas Market, I thought it would be a regular market and we would just have a bite to eat. However, it turned into a magical night and we had an absolute blast! This could be my favorite market that I have been to and next year I will come back again no doubt!

How to Get There

The drive to Eltville is approximately 20 minutes southwest of Wiesbaden, 1 hour and 15 minutes northeast of Kaiserslautern and 2 hours and 20 minutes north of Stuttgart.

Author’s Profile: Gemma is a mom, a veteran and an Army civilian living in Wiesbaden, Germany. With New Jersey roots, she is enjoying her extended European vacation.

Featured Image Photo Credit: © Gemma