Collecting Christmas market mugs has become one of our favorite holiday traditions.
It all started at our first Christmas market in Vienna, when we were served steaming-hot glühwein in an adorable boot-shaped mug. It was snowing, the atmosphere was festive, and immediately, we were hooked. As the day went on, and we visited more markets, we learned that each market sells a different mug. Some of them were quite creative, others not so much, but that’s how the tradition began.
Now, at each market we visit, I can’t wait to see what mugs they offer.
Over the years, we have spent four Decembers touring the Christmas markets across Europe, visiting Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Poland, and the UK. Along the way, I’ve accumulated what might be considered an embarrassing number of mugs.
But they are also some of my favorite souvenirs. Each December, I put them out in the kitchen and we drink coffee, hot chocolate, and sometimes even glühwein from them. Sipping a hot drink from these mugs, while standing in my kitchen, transports me back to our days in the European Christmas markets.
In this guide, we’ll share how mug collecting works, photos of our favorite Christmas market mugs, and why this simple tradition has become one of our favorite reasons to visit Christmas markets in Europe.
Our Favorite Christmas Market Mugs in Europe
After four Decembers exploring Europe’s Christmas markets, we’ve collected more mugs than we need (and have somehow managed to get them all home in one piece). Some are cute, some are colorful, and others are downright unusual.
It’s hard to choose favorites, but these five mugs stand out from the rest of our collection.
CUTEST MUG: Erfurt, Germany
The adorable Puffbohne mugs, shaped like little broad bean characters, are our favorite Christmas market mugs in Europe. They even come as a family, with a papa, mama, and baby Puffbohne.
MOST UNIQUE EXPERIENCE: Munich Medieval Christmas Market, Germany
Sip a flaming feuerzangenbowle from a medieval-style goblet. It’s part drink, part spectacle, and one of our favorite Christmas market experiences.
MOST NOSTALGIC: Vienna, Austria
The boot-shaped mugs from Vienna will always have a special place in our collection. After all, they’re what started this obsession.
MOST UNUSUAL SHAPE: Regensburg, Germany
Who wouldn’t want to drink glühwein from a mug shaped like a hat? It’s one of the most creative designs we’ve come across.
FAVORITE TRADITIONAL MUG: Esslingen am Neckar, Germany
This simple green clay mug might not look particularly special, but fill it with feuerzangenbowle, light the sugar on fire, and it becomes one of the most memorable mugs in our collection.
Below, we’ll explain how Christmas market mug collecting works and share photos of our favorite finds, organized by country, so you know exactly where to look for them.
How Much Do Christmas Market Mugs Cost?
Christmas market mugs are relatively inexpensive. When you order a glühwein, hot chocolate, Kinderpunsch, or any other drink that might be available, you’ll pay:
- Drink price (usually €4–€6)
- Deposit (Pfand) of about €2–€5 for the mug
If you return the mug, you get the deposit back.
If you keep the mug, you forfeit the deposit, and now you have your souvenir mug.
As we travel to multiple cities and their markets, we may purchase a mug here and there as we go, which can add up to be quite a few mugs by the end of that trip. From those, we pick our favorites and transport them home.
Can You Buy a Mug Without Purchasing a Drink? At some stalls, yes! Simply ask if you can purchase the mug separately. This is a great option if you want to add to your collection without drinking another cup of glühwein or hot chocolate.
PRO TRAVEL TIP: Don’t want to walk around with a sticky mug in your backpack or purse for the rest of the day? Return your used mug at the stall where you got it, and exchange it for a clean, unused mug.
Do Christmas Markets Have the Same Mugs Each Year?
Generally, yes. The mug may get a color change or this year’s date on it, but usually the design stays the same.
At some markets, you may see the same mug in two to three different colors. This could be because they are selling this year’s mug, plus any leftovers from the year or two before. I’ve even gotten a mug with the next year’s date on it.
Another thing to keep in mind is that larger Christmas markets will have multiple mugs. For example, at the Frankfurt Christmas market, there could be four or five stalls each selling drinks in different Christmas mugs. If you are collecting mugs, you might want to walk through the market to see what’s offered, or just look at what everyone else is holding. But glühwein goes down fast, so there’s nothing wrong with getting another drink, if you see something better…
Christmas Market Mugs in Vienna, Austria
In Austria, we have only visited the Christmas markets in Vienna, but they have some adorable mugs and it is one of the best places to find boot-shaped mugs.
Christmas Village on Maria Theresien Square
This was the first Christmas market we visited in Vienna. This market sells one of the cutest boot-shaped mugs in Europe.
Christmas Village Campus University of Vienna
You can add to your boot-shaped mug collection with a visit to this small market in Vienna. You can also go curling here, a unique Christmas market experience in the city.
Christmas Village Belvedere Palace
Finally, you can collect another boot-shaped mug at this small market, which sits behind Belvedere Palace.
More Mugs in Vienna
There are also colorful mugs at the amazing Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz and Winter Market Prater. These look like typical coffee cups with images of the Christmas market on them. They’re nice, but you can find many more interesting mugs to collect throughout Europe.
For more information about how to visit the Christmas markets in Vienna, with photos of each of them, don’t miss our guide ↓
Christmas Market Mugs in Germany
Be prepared. This is going to be a long list. We have visited twenty Christmas markets in Germany over two different trips and some of these markets have beautiful mugs.
Mugs from the Munich Christmas Markets
Munich has many Christmas markets to visit. This is one of our favorite Christmas market destinations in Europe, since the markets have so much variety, plus the city is fun to visit.
At the Christkindlmarkt at Marienplatz, there are stalls selling a variety of mugs, so this is a good spot to look around first if you just want to order one drink. We got this mug at the Marienplatz market ↓
How about a wine glass instead of a traditional Christmas market mug? You can get that at the Sendlinger Tor market.
For a more traditional market, spend an hour or two at the Christmas Village at the Munich Residenz Palace ↓
This next is a must-have for any Christmas market mug collection. The Medieval Christmas Market is our favorite in Munich, with its unique medieval vibe and flaming goblet of mulled wine. This is our favorite place in all of Europe to have a feuerzangenbowle. This goblet has the largest pfand (deposit fee) that we saw, roughly 10 euros.
What is a Feuerzangenbowle? A feuerzangenbowle, or ‘fire tongs punch,’ is a type of mulled wine (glühwein) that features a sugar cube soaked in rum, which is then lit on fire. The melting and caramelizing sugar adds a distinctive flavor. It is commonly available at most Christmas markets across Germany. Sometimes, it is served in a special mug or goblet with a cutout to hold the sugar cube, which is set on fire before serving. Alternatively, the rum-soaked sugar cubes may melt over a larger pot of mulled wine and be served in a traditional mug without the fire.
We have a detailed guide to the best Christmas markets in Munich, with photos of each one ↓
Nuremberg Christmas Market Mug
The Nuremberg Christmas market is one of Germany’s best and a must-see, if you are on a mission to visit the best Christmas markets in Europe. Their mugs are very nice, and tend to keep the same shape each year, but the color changes.
Regensburg Christmas Market Mug
Regensburg, a city in Bavaria, hosts four Christmas markets. Our favorite market here is the Romantic Christmas Market at Thurn and Taxis Palace (a gorgeous market on the grounds of a palace with stalls selling some of the best food we’ve had at a market).
But for a hat-shaped mug, go to the Regensburger Christkindlmarkt, on Regensburg’s main square ↓
Dresdner Christmas Markets
Dresden is home to Germany’s oldest Christmas market, the Dresdner Striezelmarkt on Altmarkt, which dates back to 1434. It’s widely regarded as one of the best in Europe, and we agree. You can also visit an amazing medieval-themed market (the Stallhof Medieval Market) and a picture-perfect market next to Frauenkirche, Dresden’s iconic cathedral.
The Christmas market mugs in Dresden are nice. They may not be as charming or unique as some of the others on this list, but since Dresden is known as being one of the best markets in Europe, it’s worth bringing home a mug as a souvenir.
Here is a photo of mugs sold at the Striezelmarkt on Altmarkt ↓
And here is a mug from Dresden’s Romantic Christmas Market ↓
Esslingen am Neckar Christmas Market
The Esslingen am Neckar Christmas Market is our favorite in Europe.
Esslingen am Neckar is a small town near Stuttgart. This town hosts the best medieval-themed market in Germany, with fire-eaters, live music, and axe throwing.
There are several mugs to choose from here, but our favorite is a simple green clay mug. It may look plain at first, but add a sugar cube, a splash of rum, and light it on fire, and let the fun begin.
Würzburg Christmas Market
Würzburg’s Christmas market is highly underrated. It is a beautiful market set on a colorful, historic square, has a local vibe, and the city itself is also well worth the visit. There are multiple mugs available at this market. Our favorite are the clay feuerzangenbowle mugs.
Ludwigsburg Christmas Market
Ludwigsburg is another underrated Christmas market in Germany. It is a quick, easy day trip from Stuttgart. The market is small and set on a Baroque market square. This is another place to get a clay goblet Christmas mug ↓
Erfurt Christmas Market Mug
Erfurt has the cutest mug we’ve seen in all of Europe. This market has multiple mugs, but the Erfurter Puffbohne mugs caught our eye.
The Erfurter Glühweinstübchen stall on Domplatz sells an entire family of mugs here, including a papa, a mama, and a baby Puffbohne, and even a gingerbread version.
A Puffbohne is an “Erfurt broad bean.” It’s a city mascot and a nickname for the inhabitants of Erfurt, as it’s a staple food in the region.
Cologne Christmas Markets Mugs
There are numerous Christmas markets in Cologne. When it comes to collecting Christmas market mugs, we recommend three markets.
The Heinzels Wintermärchen – Heumarkt is a popular market in Cologne that features an ice rink and lots of stalls selling local foods. At this market, you can get a flaming feuerzangenbowle in a cute goblet-shaped mug. Enjoy your drink from the elevated platform that overlooks the ice rink.
At the Angel Market, collect unique mugs with angels and clowns on them.
And at the Nikolausdorf market, sip glühwein or hot chocolate from a boot-shaped mug.
Berlin Christmas Markets
Berlin hosts an overwhelming 70+ Christmas markets. We didn’t visit all of them, but we did visit quite a few and wrote up a guide on our favorite Berlin Christmas markets.
Our favorite mug from the Berlin Christmas markets are the clay mugs sold at the Lucia Christmas Market. This market has a Nordic theme and one of our favorites in the city.
Aachen Christmas Market Mugs
Aachen is located on the western border of Germany, not far from Belgium and Luxembourg. It is a beautiful city, rich with history, and home to an underrated Christmas market.
This is a great place to go for boot-shaped mugs. When we were here, they had mugs of all different colors.
Christmas Market Mugs in Poland
We visited the Wrocław Christmas Market and loved it! Again, this is a highly underrated Christmas market in Europe. Wrocław’s market sits on a historic, colorful square, creating the perfect setting for a Christmas market. It was also much less crowded than other markets we have visited in Europe.
In Wrocław, sip on grzaniec (hot mulled wine) or hot chocolate from a boot-shaped mug. There are even oversized boot-shaped mugs that make for unique photos.
Christmas Markets Missing from this List
The list above just shows our very favorite Christmas mugs. We have visited a lot of Christmas markets across Europe, and some places just don’t do mugs as well as Germany or Austria.
In Colmar and Strasbourg, most of the drinks we purchased came in reusable plastic cups rather than the ceramic mugs we love collecting. The Christmas markets in Prague were wonderful, but we didn’t find any mugs that we wanted to bring home.
And then there’s London. It’s one of our favorite European cities to visit in December, thanks to its Christmas lights, festive afternoon teas, and holiday atmosphere. But it isn’t somewhere we’d go specifically to collect Christmas market mugs.
Plan Your European Christmas Market Trip
Ready to start your own Christmas market mug collection? We’ve spent four Decembers exploring Christmas markets across Europe, and have plenty of guides to help you plan your trip.
- Planning a Christmas market trip? → Start with our European Christmas Markets Guide, which brings together all of our Christmas market guides, itineraries, and travel tips for Germany, Austria, France, Poland, Prague, and London.
- Looking for the best Christmas markets in Germany? → We’ve visited 20 markets across Germany, from famous markets in Munich and Dresden to smaller, underrated gems. See our 20 Best Christmas Markets in Germany guide to find out which ones we loved most.
- Planning a trip to Bavaria? → Our Bavaria Christmas Market Itinerary shows you how to visit some of Germany’s most festive cities and towns, including Munich, Nuremberg, and Regensburg.
- Want to visit the markets that started our mug collection? → Our Vienna Christmas Markets Guide covers the city’s most beautiful markets, including where to find those adorable boot-shaped mugs.
Have a favorite Christmas market mug, or a market we should visit to add to our collection? Let us know in the comment section below!
More Christmas Market Guides
Here are more Christmas market guides and information to help you plan your trip.
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