A Comparison of Accessibility to Christmas Markets Across Germany

The Christmas season is here, and with it, Christmas markets have sprung up all over Germany. Every year, around 2,500 markets are set up nationwide, attracting millions of visitors. For example, the Christmas Market am Kölner Dom in Köln alone attracts over 4 million visitors each year, highlighting their importance as a symbol of celebration and cultural heritage. But how accessible are these events? While planning typically focuses on daily trip patterns, such as commuting to work or accessing essential services, temporary or seasonal events like Christmas markets are often overlooked. However, planning for these events is crucial, as they foster community interaction, boost local economies, and support cultural tourism. Moreover, ensuring that people can access Christmas markets without relying on cars encourages sustainable mobility and allows visitors to fully enjoy the festive atmosphere—complete with the traditional Glühwein—safely and comfortably. With GOAT, you can analyze accessibility for such events in just a few clicks and gain valuable insights with minimal effort compared to other methods that are both complex and costly. In this blog post, we share some results of our accessibility analysis of Christmas markets across Germany using GOAT.

When Walking falls short, Public Transport steps In

Several factors influence accessibility to Christmas markets, including their distribution, urban or rural setting, and connectivity to road, walking paths, and public transport. Using the GOAT Heatmap Closest Average tool, we mapped the areas that can be reached on foot within 15 minutes of each Christmas market. By combining this with the Aggregate Points tool, we calculated the number of people living within these walkable zones for each market, revealing the percentage of each county's population with easy pedestrian access. We obtained this choropleth map:

Counties like Neustadt an der Weinstraße showcase strong walkability, with over 48% of residents living within a 15-minute walk of a market. By contrast, Dresden, a city that attracts over 2.5 million visitors annually to its Christmas markets, has only 14.5% of its population within a similar walking distance. You can see this on the maps:

However, as the title suggests, walking isn't the only way to get to these festive hotspots - public transport plays a crucial role in bridging gaps in walking accessibility. We analyzed public transport quality, categorizing areas from A (very good offer) to F (very poor offer) using our indicator ÖV-Güteklassen. In Dresden, 12 out of 13 markets fall into category A, while none of the markets in Neustadt an der Weinstraße reach this level. Including categories, A, B, and C expands Dresden's coverage to all markets, but Neustadt still covers only 3 out of 8. Public transportation is naturally stronger in larger cities like Dresden, and another key factor improving accessibility is that Christmas markets are often located in inner city or historic centers. See the maps below for a visual comparison:

When only one Christmas market serves millions, Public Transport takes the lead

Nuremberg and Dresden, both with over 500,000 residents and about 2.5 million annual visitors to their Christmas markets, take different approaches. Dresden hosts 13 markets across the city, while Nuremberg focuses its festive spirit on the historic Christkindlesmarkt, one of Germany's most visited markets since 1628.

Using the GOAT Catchment Area tool, we mapped Nuremberg's accessibility to the Christkindlesmarkt on foot and by public transport. While just over 23,000 people can reach the market within a 15-minute walk, public transport expands access to more than 200,000 people within 20 minutes and up to more than 1.2 million people within 60 minutes. This illustrates how Christmas markets strategically located in city centers, as is common in Germany, use strong transit networks to ensure seamless access for residents and tourists. You can see the differences in accessibility on the map:

Accessibility to Christmas markets in Germany varies significantly between urban and rural settings. Cities like Dresden and Nuremberg rely on robust public transportation systems to overcome walkability challenges, ensuring easy access to their markets—even when these are fewer or more centrally located. Meanwhile, smaller towns such as Neustadt an der Weinstraße achieve strong local accessibility by offering multiple, well-distributed markets, thereby reducing travel distances within the town itself. Analyzing these accessibility patterns can highlight each location’s unique characteristics and help local planners fine-tune transport solutions where needed.

With this in mind, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!