It seems as if time has stopped somewhere between a Christmas fairy tale and an ancient legend. Step onto the bridge over the Elbe, and instead of the 21st century, you find yourself in December of the 17th century: bells are ringing, candles flicker in the windows, and the smell of fresh pastries and resin fills the air. Christmas in Dresden is not a reconstruction – it simply continues as it did five hundred years ago.
The best way to experience this city is on an evening tour with a night watchman. By lantern light, the old guard tells stories about Dresden as it was long before electricity and fairy lights.
» READ MORE – Berlin celebrates: where to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve in style?
Before setting off to explore Dresden at Christmas, it is worth getting a Dresden City Card. It is valid on all public transport and offers significant discounts on museums, tours, and entertainment. It is convenient, cost-effective, and useful at every stage of your trip.
The Dresden Christmas market where it all began
Christmas has been celebrated in Dresden’s Old Market Square for half a millennium – it was here in 1434 that Germany’s first Christmas market appeared. At that time, the townspeople were allowed to trade whatever they wanted on the day before Christmas Eve, and since then the tradition has only grown stronger. Today, this market has become a symbol of the city and has inspired dozens of others.
Learn more about traditions on a tour with a night watchman :)
Along the rows are craft stalls, sweets, and hot drinks. But the main thing here is not shopping – even adults’ eyes will sparkle like children’s, especially if after Dresden the road takes you to Nuremberg – there, in the House of Crafts, you can see how traditions continue to live on.
What you will find in the Old Market Square
- A wooden arch at the entrance. It is like a gateway to a fairy tale: decorated with fir branches, stars, and candles. Passing under it, you feel that the holiday has truly begun
- A huge Christmas pyramid. The 14-metre wooden carousel is one of the tallest in Germany. You will find miniature copies of it on the shelves: few tourists leave without their own little pyramid
- The city’s main Christmas tree. Families and tourists gather under the sparkling garlands – they arrange meetings and take festive photos here, as if they were with an old friend
- The Ferris wheel. From its height, you can see the entire Christmas panorama – rows of lights, mulled wine steam, and the domes of the old town. It is especially beautiful at sunset, when the light of the lanterns mixes with the last rays of the sun
The Christmas market easily draws you in for the whole day – the lights, music, and smell of almonds keep you there until late in the evening.
Select a hotel in DresdenTo avoid looking for accommodation at the last minute, it is better to take care of it in advance: Dresden is particularly crowded at this time of year, and cosy hotels sell out faster than presents under the Christmas tree.
Dresden Christmas markets: where else to visit
All of Dresden’s Christmas markets have one thing in common: they are within walking distance of each other, located within the historic centre, and it takes no more than a few minutes to walk between them. You can use the map as a guide to plan your route through the festive city.
The main market on the Old Market Square is the heart of the holiday, but it is far from the only place where Christmas lives. The entire centre of Dresden is transformed into a continuous glow of garlands and aromas. Turn onto a neighbouring street and you are already at a new market, with its own character and traditions.
- Striezelmarkt (Altmarkt) is Germany’s oldest market and the main symbol of Christmas in Dresden
- The market at Dresden Castle (Residenzschloss) is a royal Christmas: a festive atmosphere, antique decorations, and medieval treats
- Medieval Christmas in Stallhof is the most atmospheric market in the city. Everything here is like in the 15th century: craftsmen forge metal, serve spiced cider, and money is exchanged for special tokens
- The market on Prager Straße is a family market with a Christmas tree, carousels, and Santa’s house. Children are delighted, adults enjoy a mug of hot punch
- The Augustusmarkt is the only market on the other side of the Elbe. It is more modern and international, with colourful tents, international cuisine, and a panoramic view of the Old Town
- The Loschwitz Christmas Market is a small, almost village-like market at the foot of the Blue Wonder Bridge. There are fewer tourists and more locals here
Want to see the festive city through the eyes of its residents? Take a walk through the Christmas markets with a local.
Christmas tour of Dresden's Christmas marketsThe guide will take you through their favourite streets, show you the best stalls with treats, and share stories about Dresden in December.
The taste of Dresden: stollen
Dresden is the birthplace of Germany’s most famous Christmas cake. Dresdner Christstollen is not just a sweet treat here, but a source of pride and a symbol of the city. Its recipe has been known since 16th-century Saxony, and only local bakers have the right to use the name Dresdner Stollen – it even has its own seal of quality and a guild of tradition keepers.
On the second Saturday in December, a stollen festival is held in the city centre: the streets are filled with the aroma of creamy dough and rum, and a huge loaf weighing hundreds of kilograms is carried through them. It is then cut with a special silver sword and served to guests.
You can continue your acquaintance with stollen on a tour of a bakery with tasting. A short trip outside the city will show you how Dresden cake is transformed from dough into legend.
» READ MORE – Traditional Christmas dishes from 10 European countries
What to bring back from Christmas in Dresden
It’s hard to leave Dresden’s Christmas markets empty-handed – even the most practical tourists turn into collectors of trinkets here. The main treasures are anything related to the traditions of Saxony and the Erzgebirge (Mountain Saxony):
- Carved wooden figures (Räuchermännchen) – funny little men from which a fragrant candle «smokes»
- Christmas pyramids – miniature copies of the huge carousel from the Old Market
- Candle arches (Schwibbogen) – wooden candlesticks with carved scenes from Christmas stories
- Handmade decorations – painted baubles, glass toys, and ceramic houses that glow from within
- Biscuits and sweets in gift boxes – gingerbread hearts, almond gingerbread, and, of course, packaged Dresden stollen
If you want a little modern glamour, you can visit the shopping galleries on Altmarkt or Prager Straße: in December, they are decorated just as beautifully as the markets themselves, and a walk there is more like part of the festive decorations than necessary shopping.
Ice and lights of Christmas Dresden
When you’ve been to all the markets and your hands are full of shopping bags, it’s time to warm up a little – on the ice. In Dresden, you can choose to stay in the centre of the action or go where Christmas music plays under the crowns of fir trees.
Prager Straße. Right in the middle of the festive lights of the Winterlichter Christmas market, the ice rink is flooded. This is a lively street between Altmarkt Square and the train station, where you can enjoy skating while watching the hustle and bustle of the fair. Everything is close by: stalls with sweets, music, and the smell of mulled wine, and the atmosphere is like in Christmas films.
Konzertplatz Weißer Hirsch. If you want a real winter wonderland, this square on the outskirts of the city is ideal. It is surrounded by trees, illuminated by fairy lights in the evening, and the neighbouring kiosks serve punch and hot waffles.
Festive music in Dresden
While Christmas is louder in other cities, in Dresden it sounds quieter – literally. It was here, in Saxony, that the tradition of pre-Christmas choir concerts, Adventsmusik, began, when every Sunday during Advent, music about peace and the anticipation of light is played in churches and halls.
This musical side of the holiday is still alive here today. In December, dozens of chamber performances take place in the city – from children’s choirs to gala concerts in historic halls.
- Dresden Gala Concert in the Dresden Zwinger – a classical programme in the Zwinger Hall: Mozart, Strauss, Bach, and Christmas melodies performed by a chamber orchestra. Luxurious, but without pretension
- Das Große Adventskonzert im Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion – a large-scale open-air show with choirs, an orchestra, and festive hymns under the open sky
- Weihnachtskonzert «Sind die Lichter angezündet» – a touching performance by a children’s choir in the Kulturpalast, one of the warmest events of the Christmas season
Music in Dresden is not background noise but an extension of the city itself. Here, even an ordinary evening turns into a celebration if you give the sounds a little time to resonate.
A quiet morning and a few museums
After a series of markets, ice rinks, and concerts, Dresden seems to suggest taking a break. The city wakes up slowly: the bells of the Frauenkirche echo hollowly in the empty streets, cafés open their doors, and the aroma of coffee dissolves in the frosty air.
A morning like this is perfect for a walk. Everything is just a few steps away in the city centre: bridges over the Elbe, embankments, squares, and museums where you can hide from the wind and just wander aimlessly, as only Dresden knows how to do.
Those who want to prolong Christmas Eve should visit the Dresden Christmas Garden at Pillnitz Palace. Hundreds of lights, music, and avenues of light make this park a living continuation of the holiday.
Every German city experiences December in its own way. This is the special pleasure of travelling – seeing how the same fairy tale sounds in different voices. After all, Christmas in Dresden is just beginning, and Germany is a holiday that lasts for the whole country.
» READ MORE – Paris in December 2025. Christmas and New Year
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