Mainz Christmas Market 2025: A Historic German Christmas Market

Visiting the Mainz Christmas Market

The Mainz Christmas Market takes place this year from November 27th to December 23rd, 2025. I've listed all the important dates and times in the block below:

The Historischer Weihnachtsmarkt auf den Domplätzen, or Historical Christmas Market on the Cathedral Squares, is the main Mainz Christmas Market in Marktplatz and Liebfrauenplatz.

You can't miss the massive cathedral, St. Martin's Cathedral, which is over 1000 years old. This immense structure dominates the landscape and plays a large role in the city's history. There's a life-sized, hand carved nativity scene at Gotthard Chapel.

Dozens of wooden stalls are positioned all around Marktplatz with twinkling lights, Christmas decoration, and illuminated pathways.

While the first "Nikolose Market" was held in 1788, the Historical Mainz Christmas Market as we know it is over 50 years old.

This is a great place to join some friends for toasty warm mugs of gluhwein, beneath huge strands of sparkling lights that are connected to a central pole.

Don't miss the elaborate Christmas pyramid. It stands at 11 metres tall at Höfchen, the main entrance to the market.

Please note that for 2025, the Mainz Christmas Market is not open at Liebfrauenplatz. This is due to the construction work at the Gutenberg Museum. Also, the Gutenberg Museum has moved temporarily to the Natural History Museum.

While the main Mainz Christmas Market takes place in Marktplatz around the Mainz Cathedral (Dom St. Martin), there are several other Christmas markets to experience throughout the city.

All of the Christmas markets in Mainz are clearly displayed on this map, put together by the city's tourism department.

The big historic Christmas Market by the Mainz Cathedral is one that you must experience.

There are several smaller markets called Mainzer WinterZeit-Märkte, aka Mainz WinterTime Markets, which are perfect for escaping the crowds.

Mainz WinterTime Markets

If you have more than a couple of hours in the city, why not visit all of the Christmas markets in Mainz? It's possible to walk from one to the next as Mainz is a walkable place.

Something to note: some of the smaller WinterTime Markets have a few additional operational days before the New Year, whereas the main Mainz Christmas Market ends before Christmas Day.

Here are the locations of the smaller Mainzer WinterZeit-Märkte to check out while you're here.

Schillerplatz

Continue walking west of the Mainz Christmas Market towards Schillerplatz. This is where you can discover one of Mainz's WinterTime Markets that are newer to the city.

November 27 - December 23, 2025 and December 27 - December 30, 2025
Sunday to Thursday 11:00am - 8:30pm, Friday & Saturday 11:00 am- 9:00pm

Train Station Square (Main Station)

This Christmas market takes pace at the square outside of the main train station, Mainz Hauptbahnhof.

November 27 - December 23, 2025 and December 27 - December 30, 2025
Daily 11:00am - 10:00pm

Hopfengarten

By comparison, the WinterTime markets are much smaller, but far less crowded. This one has a few stands selling gluhwein and decorations, as well as some places to sit.

This is located at the end of Mainz's Augustinergasse. I suggest you go for a stroll down this street to experience the Old Town and its picturesque half-timbered buildings.

November 27 - December 23, 2025
Sunday to Thursday 1:00pm - 8:30pm, Friday & Saturday 1:00pm - 9:00pm

Castle Courtyard

There's a WinterTime Market at the courtyard of Kurfürstliches Schloss. It features a children's market and winter delicacies with a French flair. This celebrates the partnership between Mainz and Dijon, France.

November 27 - December 23, 2025 and December 27 - December 30, 2025
Sunday to Thursday 1:00pm - 8:30pm, Friday & Saturday 1:00pm - 9:00pm

New Winter Market at Neubrunnenplatz

A new pre-Christmas celebration awaits you! Even if you've visited Mainz at Christmas before, it's likely you haven't been to the Neuwintermarkt am Neubrunnenplatz yet.

A collection of restauranteurs around Neubrunnenplatz have transformed this area into a winter wonderland. Check out this brand new winter market when you travel to Mainz.

November 27th - December 23rd and December 27th - December 30th, 2025
Sunday to Thursday: 11:00am - 8:30pm
Friday and Saturday: 11:00am - 9:00pm

Romantic Christmas Village (Romantisches Weihnachtsdorf)

The Romantic Christmas Village is typically held at Liebfrauenplatz. The historic Mainz Christmas Market naturally flows into it, and you might not even consider it to be two separate markets.

This year, Romantisches Weihnachtsdorf will take place down the street at Fischtorplatz. There is some pretty big construction work happening at the Gutenberg Museum, and the museum itself has temporarily relocated across town to the Natural History Museum.

Most notably, the Romantic Christmas Village is home to barrels and huts where you can relax with friends and enjoy your mugs of gluhwein in an atmospheric setting.

There are 20 barrels that fit 6-8 people, 2 huts that fit 10-15 people, and 1 large hut for 25-35 people. These are very popular and you'll need to reserve them ahead of time.

Reservations open on October 15th, and you can visit the reservation portal here.

Mainz Gluhwein Walk

There's a special event in Mainz over the holiday season called the Gluhwein Walk. I haven't seen anything quite like this at other German Christmas Markets.

For €26, a ticket includes 7 mulled wines, 1 mulled gin and 2 Christmas snacks at selected stands. It also comes with a mug. Participating stalls are located all over the city: at the Historic Mainz Christmas Market, the WinterTime Markets and the New Winter Market.

I suggest you go on a little Gluhwein "crawl" and try mulled wines at all the different markets around the city! Get yours in person at the Mainz Store (Markt 17/ Domplatz) or their online shop.

Gutenberg Museum

Did you know that Gutenberg invented thee printing press in Mainz? The Gutenberg Museum is a museum dedicated to Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press with movable metal type.

This invention revolutionized the way the masses could consume content. After the invention of the printing press, books could be mass produced and distributed all over Europe. This helped spread literacy and knowledge.

The citizens of Mainz founded the museum in 1900. Notably, the Gutenberg Museum is home to two copies of the world famous 42-line Gutenberg Bible.

This museum is also dedicated to the art of printing. There are examples of printing in East Asia from the 8th century, scripts from the ancient Islamic world, and old manuscripts.

You can also learn about the craft of bookbinding, the manufacturing of paper, and witness massive printing presses.

The Gutenberg Museum is undergoing construction, so it has been temporarily moved to the Natural History Museum.

I'm including the Gutenberg Museum within this article about Mainz Christmas Markets because I think you should make a detour to check it out. It's one of the oldest printing museums in the world, and it's particularly notable as Gutenberg invented the printing press in Mainz.

Where to Stay in Mainz

Mainz is located about 30 minutes from Frankfurt, by car and by train. Feel free to base yourself in Frankfurt. Check out the Christmas markets in Frankfurt, then visit Mainz for the day.

However, you might want to immerse yourself in Mainz. If that's the case, I suggest spending the night.

Use the handy map below to browse the properties. Click each one to learn more and book your stay.

Getting There

Getting to Mainz is simple even if you don't have a car. Trains run between Frankfurt and Mainz approximately every half hour, and the travel time is only 35-40 minutes. It's easy to book your train here.

Of course, it's also easy to drive to Mainz. Thinking about renting a car? I suggest comparing car rentals with Discover Cars where you'll always find the best rates.