I like Coburg. It is an elegant small city that is surrounded by green forested hills with lots of interesting places to visit. There are three palaces and one castle. It has many ties to the British Royal family. The Christmas market in the town square is small in comparison to Bamberg and Nuremberg but the stalls are attractive and well spaced out so you do not have to fight your way through the crowds.

Christmas tree decorations, wooden toys, and ceramics of all kinds dominate the scene of the Coburg Christmas Market, while the fragrant aroma of roasted almonds, lebkuchen biscuits and the famous Coburger Bratwurst sausages pervade the air. Try the chocolate covered fruit on sticks for desert. Santa Claus arrives every weekend and on Wednesdays in a horse drawn carriage to distribute gifts to the children.

Coburg's townhall, or Rathaus, is an imposing and impressive building located in the central market place. It was built between 1577 and 1579, and remodelled in the 18th century. This huge building, with its ornate and delicately coloured facade, coupled with the Stadthaus opposite, make the Marktplatz a wonderful place to wander around,

Coburg's old town, or Altstadt, is demarked by a number of prominent picturesque medieval city wall gates with towers above them. Inside the gates, there are many narrow well preserved old streets and prestigious buildings. Luckily the city was one of the few that was not bombed during the war. Do not go to Coburg on Monday as many of the palaces and museums are shut. There is a very large open car park near the sports hall south west of the old town if you have a tall car and various covered car parks around the centre of the city for those with normal sized vehicles.

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