JANUARY 2026

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to finish writing all my Christmas blogs in the Christmas period, so this January it still is Christmas on the blog 😉 On our way back from Baden-Baden we managed to fit in the Mannheim Christmas markets. So on a dreary sunday we visited Mannheim’s weihnachtsmarkt. We only visited for one evening, but I still have a great recommendation that I want to share with you. Don’t make this mistake that we did in Mannheim!

Mannheim Christmas markets

If you research the Mannheim Christmas markets, you will likely read a lot about the Wasserturm Christmas market. In the city center of Mannheim there is an old water tower and this is where you will find the largest Christmas market in Mannheim. This market features a few attractions for the kids, a traditional Weihnachtspyramide bar and overall a good mix of presents and food. The water tower provides a beautiful backdrop for the market, but somehow I didn’t find it overly atmospheric. I couldn’t really put my finger on why I didn’t love this market, as the stalls were tradional enough. I think the lack of cozy nooks played a part in it. There didn’t seem to be a good spot to have your drinks and food, so we just kept walking. Some of the attractions also seemed a bit run down, though Hugo loved everything! We did like that it was not incredibly busy and felt visited by locals.

On our way back to our hotel, we bumped into another Christmas market, which is not really written about. You can find it at the Paradeplatz. This market seemed focused on kids, with lots of attractions, a talking tree, photo opps and a fairytale theme. I found this market decorated much better than the one at the Wasserturm. There also were plenty of cozy spots to have a sit, such as in a wine barrel. Overall, the Mannheim Christmas markets weren’t my favorite, but if you are in Mannheim I definitely recommend visiting the Paradeplatz.