Christkindlmarket: Chicago’s Best Winter Activity
Christmas in Chicago is pretty special. The city does a great job with landscaping in general, but Christmastime is especially magical with the lights and the decorations. Walking down Michigan Avenue alone is a great Chicago winter activity. My all time favorite thing to do is go to the Christkindlmarket downtown.
Jason and I like to take a weekday off to enjoy a crowd-free time. Here’s what we enjoyed, and some good tips to know:
The Food is Worth the Price
As you can expect from any market, things will be overpriced. The food wasn’t terribly overpriced, but it is worth it. My favorite food to get is the potato pancakes with applesauce. I have a major sweet tooth, so anything that can be sweetened is good in my book. Also try the roasted mixed nuts with cinnamon and sugar (Chicago mix), and of course, the hot chocolate and Gluwhein in the souvenir mugs.
It’s easy to get to
You can take public transportation and only have to walk a block or two. Pretty much all the train lines have stops right by the Daley Plaza. Jason has an aversion to public transportation, so we drove and found street parking nearby. For an hour and a half, we paid about $10, which is what we would have paid to take the train there and back.
Weekends are insanely crowded
The Christkindmarket gets insanely crowded on the weekends. Like shuffling around like sardines. It’s hard to enjoy the market when you can hardly move. If you hate crowds, I suggest going on a weekday before 5pm.
The Loop is a fun area
If you have energy and want to keep roaming around, there is a lot of shopping and restaurants in the area. Block 37 is a block away, and has stores like Anthropologie, Banana Republic, and Zara. The Chicago Theater is across the street from that, so you can also see some great landmarks and architecture.
Chicago has 2 locations
The Christkindlmarket has 2 locations in Chicago - one downtown in the Daley Plaza, and one in Gallagher Way at Wrigleyville. The Wrigleyville location has ice skating, and is a bit more family friendly.
What’s your favorite part about the Christkindlmarket? Comment and let me know!
