There was one word that sprung to mind as we rolled our little suitcase along the cobbled streets into Goslar’s main square: beautiful.
Goslar is a historic market town in the Lower Saxony region of Germany and sits at the base of the Harz Mountains, giving it an extremely Christmassy feel at this time of year. The air was cold and the whole town was strung with fairy lights, not to mention the Christmas songs that played to all and sundry as you walked around the markets, providing a really romantic atmosphere.
Goslar Christmas market had been on our radar ever since we had started organising this year’s trip, mainly because of its mountain location, which meant that there was a high probability of snow while we were there (unfortunately it never snowed. Sob.) It is also filled with gorgeous buildings and historic houses, which just added to the “Christmas village” air that is sought after when you visit towns like this during the holiday period.
What The Markets Are Like / What We Did
The core market stalls are located right in the centre of the town square, around a pretty fountain and surrounded by many coloured, timber-fronted buildings and the town hall. The stalls sell everything from chocolate and hot food to wooden toys, christmas ornaments and clothing. There was also a small carousel for the children.
At one side of the square, a “Christmas forest” had been erected, which consisted of many Christmas trees circling a couple of hidden bars and food stands. These Christmas forests seemed to be popular in this part of Germany (we had also seen a similar one in Hannover) and each of the trees was strung with hundreds of fairy lights. There wasn’t much atmosphere within the forest itself as you couldn’t hear the Christmas music and there weren’t many tables, but it’s still a nice place to pop into and have a quick drink.
Oh, and if you were in any doubt about whether there were llamas present at the birth of baby Jesus, this photo will answer it for you. You’re welcome.
What We Ate and Drank
We tried our first ever kartoffelpuffer in Goslar (potato cakes that are similar to hash browns and usually served with apple sauce or, in our case, garlic sauce), as well as our first schneeballen (baked strips of pastry dough covered in chocolate). We loved the kartoffelpuffer as it was the perfect hot snack to enjoy with frosty fingers, but the schneeballen was a bit dry and tasteless unfortunately.
We also enjoyed a spinach and feta cheese pastry, which was a lot like a pasty or burek.
Scott ordered a pint of Gose at a cute pub in the town, a beer which is brewed locally and is cloudy, unfiltered and slightly sour in taste.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Hotel & Residenz Schwiecheldthaus, which was perfectly located close to the town square. As it’s part hotel and part residence, the room we were given resembled more of an apartment than a hotel room. We had our own little kitchen area, a huge bathroom and plenty of room for all three of us in the bedroom.
We were welcomed with little chocolate Santas on our pillows (something I’d loved at a hotel we stayed at last year in Germany) and the decor of the room, and the lobby of the hotel, was very Christmassy.
Breakfast was buffet-style and, luckily for us, was served in the communal restaurant area directly outside of our room, saving us a walk in the cold (the hotel is split across two buildings, with some rooms located in the building across the street). There was the usual continental fare of eggs, meats, cheese, breads, cereal, fruit and veggies and I was positively stuffed after indulging in all of it.
This was the perfect place to stay if you want to be close to the markets but have a child (or a Basset, like us) and want a little more space.
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