Frankfurt’s magical markets

The biggest farmers’ market in the city has been going for 30 years. Artisans from the surrounding countryside pour in twice a week, come snow or ice, to sell their wares, with everything from bratwurst and Berliner doughnuts, to sheepskin rugs and local honey. This is where chefs come to pick the best vegetables and organic meat, but it’s also a great spot for lunch, or a late afternoon drink. The stalls tend to have a few tables and benches so you can stop for a schnitzel with grilled onions, accompanied by a glass of excellent Riesling. Or thaw out with a home-brewed apfelwein. Make sure you have cash on you and preferably someone who speaks passable German.

Address: Konstablerwache, 60313 Frankfurt am Main Opening hours: Thursdays 10am to 8pm and Saturdays 8am to 5pm, year round

The Schaumainkai flea market on the riverbank is enormous. You can potter away at least two hours here on a Saturday morning, sifting through the tat and the treasure. Nothing is off limits in terms of what’s being sold: vintage clothes, antique knick-knacks, old bicycles, second-hand books, second-hand anything really. Haggling and rummaging is par for the course. There are various food stalls too for a hand-warming coffee and a refuelling waffle. And culture-junkies can hit the nearby Museum Embankment afterwards.

Address: Schaumainkai, 60594, Frankfurt am Main - do check the location though as it is at the Osthafen docks every other weekend. Opening hours: Saturdays 9am to 2pm

The Christmas market at Wertheim Village – a member of The Bicester Collection – is a chic gathering of food trucks and artisan stalls serving refined versions of country classics. The atmosphere is fantastically festive. Feast on authentic potato pancakes with spoonfuls of sweet apple sauce or succulent pork from a traditional black-beer spit roast, washed down with a locally produced warm mulled wine. Save space for the crepes to order, which come topped with sticky caramelised almonds.

Address: The Village piazza at Wertheim Village Opening hours: From 2nd November to 4th January

Every Friday, stalls set up in front of the Frankfurt stock exchange, with fairy lights strung up between them that look especially lovely in the snow. There are cheese trucks (where the team can wrap up a block of handkäse to pop in your suitcase) and glüwein tents, rotisserie chickens and local hams to try, as well as various craft sellers. The street food is delicious, with bratwurst on brotchen a speciality, the sausages grilled over open coal fires.

Address: Schillerstrasse Opening hours: every Friday, all day