Christmas in Lübeck, Germany: Medieval Christmas market and how to get discounted Christmas chocolate + photos

Last updated on July 18, 2026

Credibility guarantee:

✅ Based on first hand experiences

✅ In-person visit in the field

✅ Official sources included

✅ Realistic accessibility information

Lübeck is a small town in Germany that is famous for two things: its medieval old town charm, and marzipan. This article contains lots of beautiful photos of Lübeck in winter and will cover its Christmas market, and the delicious chocolate from the marzipan shop Niederegger, plus how you an get the chocolates at a discount (hint: go after Christmas).

Lübeck is in northern Germany in the state of Schleswig Holstein, and has a small river running through it. Every city and town in Germany has an Altstadt (historical city center) of varying degrees of preservation. Lübeck’s old town has grand, medieval European buildings, churches with buttresses, and some cobblestone grounds. Lübeck is a popular tourist destination at any time of the year. It takes less than one hour by a direct train from Hamburg and can be seen in a day as a day trip. The most recognisable and most famous landmark of Lübeck is the Holstentor (the Holsten Gate), which this post will not go over. Instead, this post will show you what Lübeck looks like in winter, plus an itinerary for your consideration and a pictorial guide on what is available at the Lübeck Christmas market.

Lübeck in winter around Christmas time – Photos

Here are some photos of Lübeck in winter around Christmas time. Although everyone wants a white Christmas, this is getting less and less common around the world, and it is sadly not guaranteed. These photos were taken a few days before actual Christmas day (ie December 25th), and on Decembr 25th, all the snow had completely gone. But these photos show you what Lübeck looks like when there is snow.

Street scene of Lübeck in winter in the evening when lights start to turn on. A streetlight shines an reddish orange glow on some tree branches dusted in snow. On the ground is a row of rental bicycles covered in snow. In the background is the St. Lorenz Church. — A winter scene in Lübeck showing the St. Lorenz Church in the background.

A building happily lit with welcoming yellow light in the background and rows upon rows of snow covered bicycles in the late afternoon in winter in Lübeck in mid December. — A snow scene in Lübeck in mid December.

A. outdoor platform at Lübeck central station dusted with snow — A partially outdoor platform at Lübeck central station dusted with snow

The streets of Lübeck with the Holsten Gate in the background to the left in the middle of December at night with snow covered footpaths on the right, and traffic on the road in the middle. A lit up Christmas tree is in the background to the left, and a building outline is lit up with lights. — Lübeck in the middle of December

A snow covered park bench in Lübeck in the middle of December at night — A snow covered park bench in Lübeck in the middle of December

Snow covered street signs pointing in many directions directing visitors to different parts of the Christmas market in Lübeck at night — Signs directing visitors to different parts of the Christmas market in Lübeck

Snow covered steets of Lübeck next to the Holsten Gate in the middle of December at night. A large tree on the right has the tree trunks covered in lights. — The streets of Lübeck next to the Holsten Gate in the middle of December is covered in snow

Snow covered grounds, roads and buldings at a bus stop in Lübeck in the middle of December at night. — A bus stop in Lübeck in the middle of December

Yellow flames of a warm outdoor fire behind glass on a table where people are enjoying drinks in Lübeck in winter — An outdoor fire on a table where people are enjoying drinks in Lübeck

The Lübeck Christmas market

A stall selling wooden toys at the Chrismas market in Lübeck at dusk. The orange glow of the stall looks welcoming. Two parents and a child in a stroller is looking at the stall. A child on the left walks towards the right. A group of people or on the right. The stall is set in front of a medieval style church with impressive stone structures and windows. — A stall selling wooden toys at the Chrismas market in Lübeck

In Germany, Christmas markets, which can range from tiny neighbourhood ones with just a handful of stalls, to large ones in major cities like Hamburg with a hundred stalls, can be found in every town. Every town has at least one Christmas market, and they generally start around the middle of November and last until the end of December.

Although the Hamburg Christmas market is considerably larger, the Lübeck one has a cosier atmosphere and a real Christmasy vibe to it because it is just the right size: not too small and not too large, with a wide variety of stalls selling hot food, sweets, souvenirs, and drinks.

Additionally, the Christmas market in Lübeck is held near a medieval church, and the local architecture and cobblestone and paved brick grounds just make it all the more exciting.

I’ve already covered Christmas markets in a different post which you can read here. The advice is the same. Instead, here are some photos of the things available at the Lübeck Christmas market.

Two people walking in to a Christmas market in Lübeck with a church and buttresses in the background — Two people walking in to a Christmas market in Lübeck with a medieval church in the background. You can see the buttresses on the side.

Something for everyone: Day time: A toddler at the Christmas market opens a door to a tiny house for Wichtel - a small gnome-like magical creature that appears around Christmas. In the background is the Marien Church of Lübeck with red brick and light green roof. — Something for everyone: A toddler at the Christmas market opens a door to a tiny house for Wichtel – a small gnome-like magical creature that appears around Christmas.

Children (hidden behind the trees) ride on a colour train ride at the Christmas market in Lübeck. A penguin is in front. — Children (hidden behind the trees) on a train ride at the Christmas market in Lübeck

3 guys posing for the camera at a Christmas market in Lübeck — 3 friends at a Christmas market in Lübeck. The famous Niederegger marzipan shop is on the right.

The Salt Storage building with its jagged pointy roofline lit up at night in Lübeck

Something for everyone: A child riding on a motorcycle merry-go-round at the Christmas market. The merry-go-round has a red roof brightly lit with white light radiating from the center outwards. — Something for everyone: A c hild rides a merry-go-round at the Christmas market

A large, brightly lit sweets and nuts stall at the Christmas market. On the right is a green Christmas tree, only half of it is in the frame. You can see the ground is covered in neatly paved cobblestones. — A large, brightly lit sweets and nuts stall at the Christmas market.

A man standing in front of a large, brightly lit sweets and nuts stall at the Christmas market pondering what to buy. In the foreground of the photo is a table with a roof where visitors can eat their food. — A man at a large sweets and nuts stall at the Christmas market pondering what to buy. In the foreground of the photo is a table with a roof where visitors can eat their food.

An empty sleigh and light up wire reindeers in a Christmas market in Lübeck

Stringed lights radiating from the roof of a stall at night at the Christmas market in Lübeck — People at a stall at the Christmas market in Lübeck

A small Christmas tree dusted with snow and red baubles on the left and people walking in the Christmas market in the background in Lübeck in the middle of December at night — A Christmas market in Lübeck in the middle of December

Night time: A cupola on a roof dusted with snow and lit with an orange glow of light, with white strings of light hanging from the roof. — A cupola in the altstadt in Lübeck.

People under an arch walking into the Christmas market at night in Lübeck — People walking into the Christmas market in Lübeck

A happy glühwein stall holder gives a thumbs up to the camera

Flammkuchen, a German baked flatbread with toppings. This one has cheese and cranberries — Flammkuchen

A vintage boiled candy press on the left and a tub of hard candy on the right — A vintage boiled candy press and a tub of hard candy

Bottles of wine in a basket at a Chiristmas market — Local wine at the Christmas market

A paper cone of roasted almonds covered in a crispy sugar shell

A variety of colouful dried spices in clear plastic pouches — A variety of colouful dried spices

Colourful dried spices in clear plastic pouches: Left to right: white pepper, red pepper, and black pepper — White, red, and black pepper

White and dark chocolates at the Lübeck Christmas market

Fresh muzen, a type of chunks of donuts, like donut holes, dusted with icing sugar. — Muzen, a type of German donuts.

A hand blown and decorated glass bauble Christmas tree ornament in the shape of the Holstentor in Lübeck

A hand blown and decorated glass bauble Christmas tree ornament in the shape of the Holstentor in Lübeck, showing a price tag of 29.95€. — A hand blown and decorated glass bauble Christmas tree ornament in the shape of the Holstentor in Lübeck

Niederegger Marzipan Shop, Museum and Cafe

Niederegger is a famous shop, cafe and marzipan museum all in one in Lübeck. It is most famous for its marzipan, and models of the Holstentor created by Niederegger can be seen throughout Lübeck, such as in the train station.

Niederegger also makes chocolate, and around Christmas time, they make Christmas themed chocolate, for example, star shaped chocolate, or chocolates with bratapfel (baked apple) flavour fillings.

Why you should consider going to Lübeck AFTER December 25th

I am not saying you shouldn’t go to a Christmas market on the actual Christmas day. Christmas markets are busy on any day in December and while it’s the same for the stall holder, it’s probably more exciting to go to a Christmas market on Christmas day.

However, if you want to go to Lübeck to buy the Christmas chocolate at the marzipan shop, you should go after December 25th.

Discounted Christmas chocolate

Hexagonal Christmas chocolate wrapped in light blue, red, silver and teal foil from the Niederegger shop in Lübeck — Gift packed Christmas chocolate from the Niederegger shop in Lübeck before Christmas

If you go to Niederegger after December 25th, such as December 26th or 27th etc, any day immediately after Christmas on a day they are open, you’ll find that their Christmas chocolate and marzipan is on sale at a heavy discount. When I went, they were 50% off, and there were a lot of people shopping there. This is a great way to save if you are shopping for yourself and want to take them home with you. They are the exact same chocolate (packed in sealed packaging) but being sold cheaply since they are Christmas themed chocolate and Christmas day is technically over by then. With the same money, you can buy twice the amount and take them home to eat and enjoy a taste of Lübeck Christmas for a long time. Note that this only applies to the Christmas chocolate and marzipan and not to their usual varieties of chocolate or marzipan.

Experience the Christmas market all the same

If you only have one day to spend in Lübeck for Christmas, you can kill 2 or even more birds depending on what else you want to do, with just one stone. As mentioned before, although some Christmas markets close on Christmas Day or the day after, most of the Christmas markets are open till closer to the end of December. Although there are (typically) no discounts at the Christmas market, you can make one trip and still enjoy the same Christmas market at Lübeck with the same food and the same vibe.

Warning: One downside to this approach is that some of the non-consumable souvenirs might be approaching or already have approached limited stock or is sold out by the time you go towards the last week of December, even if it is before Christmas day. For example, Käthe Wohlfahrt, one of Germany’s largest Christmas market stall holders, sells Christmas ornaments. They are long term stall holders with their own stall in the same place at each market, every year. They make some detailed mouth blown and hand painted and decorated glass ornaments, like the one of the Holstentor above, so each one is unique. I was lucky to one of the last few Holstentor tree ornaments after Christmas day since they were almost all sold out. Ornaments can be regional, the Holstentor ornament is not available in their Hamburg stall, and the Hamburg Rathaus shaped clay incense houses are not available elsewhere. It all depends on what you prefer. If you have a multi-use train ticket or you are a student and have free travel on the train, you could go on separate days if you really wanted.

If you found this article helpful, please make a donation.

I know these messages are annoying, but please don’t skip this. If you’ve read this far, please make a donation. I am not just another blogger soliciting donations.

What I am asking donations for:
I need financial stability because my disabilities and chronic illnesses prevents me from getting a job to recover from a devastating financial loss. I am asking for donations to recover the money I lost.

Why I am asking:
I:
• have serious lifelong disabilities and chronic disease from multiple cancers, including a childhood one that destroyed my ability to grow and develop normally,
• live in a difficult situation,
• lost my life savings.

I am raising funds to rebuild the financial security I lost after becoming the victim of a scam. Due to severe disabilities and chronic illnesses caused by childhood cancer treatment and subsequent health problems, I am unable to work and cannot recover these losses through employment. Donations will help me cover essential living costs, medical expenses, legal costs, and to restore some semblance of living to my life and hopefully, pursue some dreams of mine.

Why now:
People rush to donate when a visible tragedy happens. The rest is ignored. Although my first cancer happened over 30 years ago when I was a small child, the consequences of the treatment is just as devastating, and even more so, since I was robbed of ever having a normal life from the beginning. My consequences are permanent and life-long. While it might not seem like a sudden event with great impact, the reality is, it is indeed an event with severe impacts. I live with the consequences of something I had no say in, every day, and it affects me minute to minute, in an increasingly severe manner, and I will always suffer the consequences, permanently. After years of trying to build financial independence despite my disabilities, I lost my savings through a scam out of desperation to try and leave an unsafe living situation. Because I cannot rely on paid employment, rebuilding those savings is not something I can possibly do alone.

How your donation can help:
The passage of time doesn’t make it better, in fact, it makes it worse. The long term effects of my cancer treatment gave me multiple permanent and degenerative disabilities and chronic medical conditions that requires ongoing health care and support. I have been long term unemployed as a result, and live in an unsupportive household with no other options. To make matters worse, out of desperation to get out of the hole I am in, I fell victim to a scam, losing my entire life savings and leaving me in complete ruin and further unable to change my situation. I am stuck in a vicious cycle because I cannot seek a better environment to move to without money, and I can’t earn money with all my health problems, and I can’t seek treatment interstate or overseas without money.

An authentic request:
I am remaining anonymous for safety reasons, but I have provided verification documents with identifying information redacted, in my fundraiser.

About this site:
Despite my disabilities and chronic health diseases, I love to travel. Most of the travel I have done and places I have visited, I went as a solo traveller. I started this as a blog in 2015, where I posted reviews and practical information about places I have been to. Now, this is a standalone site that contains practical and useful information that I gathered from first hand, personal experience and independent travel, and I pass on this information so you know what you’re doing and what to expect, instead of blindly following a tour group or an influencer’s cherry-picked and staged photos. All the food and destination photos on this website are taken by me. I maintain this site and and my other sites alone, and take great care to ensure content is correct at the time of writing, and practically useful for potential travellers.

If you connect with my story, find my content helpful, and want to support me personally:
Please donate to my personal fundraiser, or share my fundraiser if you cannot. I wouldn’t be asking if I had other options, and if everyone pitched in, my goal can be achieved. You can read about me on my About page. Thank you.

Alternatively, if you would like to support a female, solo and independent traveller, you can have a look at my photos here, prints are available for purchase: https://theintrepidphotographer.com/

©All rights reserved for all content and photographs, usage on 3rd party platforms, including, but not limited to, websites and smartphone apps, and to train AI in any way shape or form, is forbidden without prior written permission. Photos are taken by author unless otherwise stated and is available for licensing.