Christmas in Bernkastel-Kues

If you ever had a grandmother or an aunt who liked to decorate the mantel of her fireplace with those ceramic gingerbread half-timber houses at Christmastime; a city hall, a bakery, a post office, and there were always the carollers with mouths frozen in an ‘O’ shape as if perpetually stuck on the word snow or the Oh in “O’ Little Town of Bethlehem”, then you have known the feeling as a child, or even as an adult, of looking into the little windows and secretly wishing you could live in a place like that. Because life and the world abide by different, safer, and more peaceful rules when you live in cute gingerbread half-timber houses.

You can find these types of houses in about every old town in Germany, but few feel quite like your grandmother’s fireplace mantel more than Bernkastel-Kues. I enjoyed it so much two years ago on a day trip that I decided to return and spend the week before Christmas soaking up the atmosphere. And for a change, I would find myself living inside one of those ceramic gingerbread half-timber houses and looking outwards.

Half-Timber Gingerbread House

The centerpiece of the Bernkastel-Kues Weihnachtsmarkt is the Markt. This is where the famous Adler Apotheke advent calendar is located. On the left hand side of the Apotheke on the 2nd floor is a cozy, creaky apartment run by a sweet couple, Jürgen and Annelie. It offers a prime view of the Markt and immerses you literally into the city’s Christmas card view.

Bernkastel-Kues Tips

• There is free parking along the street on Gartenstraße next to an electric car charging area. This is on the Kues side of the Mosel. I kept my car there all week.
• The Christmas Market closes at 7pm Sunday to Thursday and 9pm on Friday and Saturday.
• The Advent calendar ceremony at Adler Apotheke starts each evening at 5:30pm.
  
• Although activity in the town picks up in the afternoon until the closing of the Christmas Market, during the week it is otherwise very quiet. Don’t be surprised to find the restaurants quite empty for dinner. Very few restaurants or bars are open on Mondays, but there are a handful. 
• The Burg Landshut restaurant which sits perched up on the adjacent hill and looks like a candle at night is only open on the weekends. 
• The nearest train station is Wittlich which is about a 20-minute drive away. Parking at the station is plentiful and free. It is a 27-37 minute train ride to Trier and about an hour to Koblenz, the other nearest Christmas Markets. The train to Koblenz also stops in Treis-Karden and Moselkern, two possible starting/ending points for a hike to Burg Eltz.

Weihnachtsmarkt

At risk of repeating myself from my previous post, Bernkastel-Kues is small, but it packs just the right amount of Christmas Market stalls into four cozy squares, which give you the opportunity to explore its tiny labyrinth of streets; yet, there is plenty of room to chill and stand around sipping your glühwein without worrying about getting bumped and spilling your glühwein all over the front of your winter coat. 

Winter Hikes in Bernkastel-Kues

For me, it doesn’t matter what season it is, the best thing to do while visiting Bernkastel-Kues is to get out into nature. The Mosel region offers no shortage of hiking possibilities. The only difference being that in Winter, you have to use your imagination a little bit more as to how beautiful the vineyards and surrounding hills and valleys would look in full green or Autumn colors. In Winter rather, the vines look like rows and rows of skeletons chained with their arms raised and long neglected for hundreds of years. But it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to realize how amazing the scenery is here, even during the brownest, bleakest months of the year.

In my previous post on Bernkastel-Kues, I already mentioned hiking to the Olymp and Burg Landshut. Here are two more recommended hikes to do right from the doorstep of your gingerbread half-timber getaway.

Hike to Kloster Machern Brewery

I featured this brewery in my previous post when I visited it by car. However, by foot, it is an easy going and scenic 16.9km stroll with only one ascent at the very beginning. The brewery has a wine cafe and a restaurant, both of which are open for lunch. However, the beer shop is only open on Fridays and Saturdays. There is however a special vending machine for those who want to buy a 9-pack of bottles after opening hours.

The only uphill part of the hike is getting up this vineyard.

Hike to Maria Zill

Maria Zill is a lookout point at the plateau above Bernkastel-Kues. This was a relaxing, not-too-strenuous hike with a gradual ascent which takes you through the vineyards and to the forest beyond. This is one that would look spectacular during the other three seasons. An unexpected bonus was to find that on the way down at the far corner of the vineyards is the Restaurant Waldschenke zur eisernen Weinkarte. They are open every day for lunch and dinner. I stopped here for a glass of their own Reisling (halbtrocken). The total hike is 7.5km.

From Maria Zill, the view is amazing in a westerly direction. Looking north, you can barely make out the yellow speck which is Kloster Machern.

The Weinstübe

The Mosel Region is wine country in Germany. Wine dominates beer by a wide margin in the town’s drinking culture. There are a couple of beer bars but be warned that you might find them quite polluted with cigarette smoke (yes, I am looking at you, Kolsche Eck). So if you want to sidle into a traditional tavern to enjoy a drink, then a Weinstübe will be the place. There you can enjoy the wine from all of the local wineries as well as beer and local cuisine.

Vinothek zum Landsknecht

One very charming Winestübe is this establishment. The lattice-paned windows with amusing stained glass images of beer drinkers caught my attention and along with the warm interior and delicious Winter Sekt satisfied my qualifications to include it in this post.

Final Words

After a busy and occasionally noisy year, a place like Bernkastel-Kues is a soothing oasis to reflect and live life like a snail crawl for a few days while surrounded by the comforting confines of its Christmas spirit. To sit here and write these words while pausing for effect every now and then to look up at the Advent calendar is a medicine for all lingering emotions swirling around in my system from 2023, and it gives renewed energy to look ahead to 2024. But I’m not quite ready to do that just yet. I prefer to stay in the moment a little while longer reflecting on the happy blue butterfly times of 2023. One of those will be this stay in one of those gingerbread half-timber houses sitting on a fireplace mantel somewhere the world. Be careful if you happen to see one and peek into the windows, you might catch me sipping a hefeweizen and waving back at you. Meanwhile, I think I will go celebrate a new blog post with a glühwein. Happy Holidays!