Best Christmas Markets in Europe 2026: Dates and Hours

For a classic Christmas market, go to Nuremberg, Dresden or Strasbourg; for markets that stay open on Christmas Day, go to Vienna, Salzburg, Colmar or Budapest; and for markets that run into January, go to Zagreb, Prague or Tallinn. The 17 markets below are grouped by region, each with its 2026 dates, its Christmas Eve and Christmas Day hours, December weather, a mid-range daily budget and whether December is the city's peak season, read off each market's or city's own site in October 2026.

• Open on Christmas Day: Vienna, Colmar, Salzburg and Budapest, confirmed.
• Gone before Christmas Day: Nuremberg, Dresden, Strasbourg and Zurich close on December 24; Cologne and Basel on December 23.
• Into January: Zagreb to January 7; Prague and Tallinn to January 6.
• Oldest by its own count: Dresden's Striezelmarkt, Germany's oldest, first held in 1434.
• Lowest daily cost: Zagreb at $101 a person, mid-range.

The 17 markets at a glance

Highs are December averages for 2013 to 2022; budgets are Budget Your Trip's mid-range daily costs per person, updated July to September 2026; the season compares December with an average month in official tourism statistics. How each was built is at the end. For the wider month, see where to go in December.

Germany's classic markets

Nuremberg, Germany

Best for the classic German market and gingerbread

Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt calls itself one of the oldest Christmas markets in the world, and the Christkind, played by a young local, opens it on Friday, November 27, 2026 at 5:30 pm. It runs daily from 10 am to 9 pm until December 24, per the market, below the Imperial Castle; the December 24 closing time is not published.

December brings highs of 5.7 °C (42 °F), lows of 0.1 °C (32 °F) and 75 mm (2.9 in) of rain over about 11 wet days. The U2 subway reaches the main station from the airport in 13 minutes, and the station faces the old town's Königstor.

• Things to do: the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Germany's largest museum of cultural history; Albrecht Dürer's House, his home from 1509 to 1528; the history of toys at the Nuremberg Toy Museum.
• Christmas: December 24 is the last day; closed from December 25.
• Season: peak. Nuremberg's overnight stays in December 2025 were 1.24 times the average month (Nuremberg tourism).
• Daily budget: about $146 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: blueberry Glühwein; Nürnberger Rostbratwurst, "barely a finger long"; Nürnberger Lebkuchen, with bakers recorded in the city since 1395.
• Buy: Elisenlebkuchen from Lebkuchen-Schmidt, Plobenhofstraße 6.

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The Frauenkirche above the Christkindlesmarkt, Nuremberg

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Dresden, Germany

Best for Stollen, Christmas pyramids and Germany's oldest market

Dresden's Striezelmarkt on the Altmarkt calls itself Germany's oldest Christmas market, first held in 1434, and 2026 is its 592nd edition. It has more than 200 stalls, a 14.61 m Erzgebirge Christmas pyramid that the market calls the world's largest, and the Stollen festival on Saturday, December 5, per the market. It opens Wednesday, November 25 at 4 pm, then runs daily from 10 am to 9 pm.

December brings highs of 6.7 °C (44 °F), lows of 1.9 °C (35 °F) and 63 mm (2.5 in) of rain. The S2 train reaches the main station from the airport in 23 minutes.

• Things to do: the Old Masters Picture Gallery and porcelain collection in the Zwinger; Brühl's Terrace, the Balcony of Europe above the Elbe; an opera, ballet or concert at the Semperoper.
• Christmas: open 10 am to 2 pm on December 24, its last day, the earliest Christmas Eve close of the 17.
• Season: shoulder for the Dresden region. Overnight stays there in December 2025 were 1.00 times the average month (Eurostat); the region includes Saxon Switzerland, so the city may run busier.
• Daily budget: about $179 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: Glühwein; Dresdner Christstollen, the fruit bread that gave the market its name; Dresdner Eierschecke, a local layered cake.
• Buy: a Pflaumentoffel, the prune-figure lucky charm that the market calls a symbol of Dresden's Christmas, sold on the stalls.

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The Striezelmarkt on the Altmarkt at night, Dresden

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Cologne, Germany

Best for a market under the cathedral

Cologne's cathedral market on Roncalliplatz sits under Cologne Cathedral, a World Heritage Site since 1996, with more than 120 stalls and over 100 free events on its stage, per the market. It runs from Monday, November 16 to Wednesday, December 23, 2026, closed on November 22, and the main station is next to the cathedral.

December brings highs of 8.6 °C (47 °F), lows of 3.9 °C (39 °F) and 103 mm (4.1 in) of rain over about 14 wet days, the most of the 17.

• Things to do: the 3 m chocolate fountain at the Chocolate Museum; the view back at the cathedral from the KölnTriangle deck across the Rhine; Pop Art and one of Europe's largest Picasso collections at the Museum Ludwig.
• Christmas: closes December 23. Heinzels Wintermärchen on the Heumarkt runs on to January 10, 2027, per its organizer.
• Season: peak. Cologne's overnight stays in December 2025 were 1.15 times the average month (IT.NRW).
• Daily budget: about $218 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: Glühwein; Reibekuchen, potato fritters with apple sauce; Kölsch, Cologne's own beer.
• Buy: Eau de Cologne from the 4711 house, Glockengasse 4.

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The Cathedral Christmas market on Roncalliplatz at dusk, Cologne

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Alsace, Basel and Zurich

Strasbourg, France

Best for the 1570 market around the cathedral and the canals of Petite France

Strasbourg's Christkindelsmärik has been held around the cathedral since 1570, with a 30 m tree on Place Kléber, per Strasbourg's tourist office. It runs from Friday, November 27 to Thursday, December 24, 2026. The airport train reaches Strasbourg-Ville station in 7 to 12 minutes, and trams A, C and D run from there.

December brings highs of 7.4 °C (45 °F), lows of 2.2 °C (36 °F) and 84 mm (3.3 in) of rain. The France guide has a two-day Strasbourg and Alsace plan.

• Things to do: the canals of La Petite France, where the Ill splits into channels; the roof terrace of the Barrage Vauban, over the covered bridges; the three museums of the Palais Rohan.
• Christmas: open 11 am to 6 pm on December 24; every stall closes that evening, per the city's FAQ.
• Season: peak. Hotel nights in the Bas-Rhin department in December 2025 were 1.47 times the average month, the highest ratio of the 17 (INSEE).
• Daily budget: about $197 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Trade-off: cars are banned on the Grande Île during market hours, and the city advises mornings or weekdays.
• Eat and drink: vin chaud, which in Alsace is traditionally the only alcoholic drink served at the markets; Bredle biscuits and pain d'épices; flammekueche.

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The tree on Place Kléber, Strasbourg

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Colmar, France

Best for a lit old town with markets open on Christmas Day

Colmar runs six markets through its old town, including the indoor crafts market in the medieval Koïfhus customs house and a children's market in Petite Venise, under more than 1,150 lighting points, per the town's Christmas site. They run from Monday, November 23 to Tuesday, December 29, 2026, and the gourmet market and Ferris wheel stay to January 3.

December brings highs of 7.5 °C (46 °F), lows of 1.9 °C (35 °F) and 84 mm (3.3 in) of rain. Colmar station has trains to Strasbourg and Zurich, and the 14-day France and Switzerland itinerary spends three nights here.

• Things to do: Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece at the Unterlinden Museum; the Bartholdi Museum, in the birthplace of the Statue of Liberty's sculptor; the early stained glass of the Église Saint-Martin, the town's largest church.
• Christmas: open all three days, 11 am to 5 pm on December 24 and 10 am to 8 pm on December 25 and 26, per the market.
• Season: peak. Hotel nights in the Haut-Rhin department in December 2025 were 1.45 times the average month (INSEE).
• Daily budget: about $244 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Trade-off: the town center is closed to traffic for the whole market, and coaches park outside town.
• Eat and drink: cinnamon vin chaud; Bredele and Manala; kouglof.
• Buy: glass baubles and terracotta baking molds on the market stalls.

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Christmas market stalls in the old town, Colmar

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Basel, Switzerland

Best for snow-globe trees under the cathedral and art museums

Basel's market fills Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz, where trees under the cathedral hang with lit snow globes; the canton says European Best Destinations named it Europe's best Christmas market in 2021, per the canton. It runs daily from 11 am to 8:30 pm (earlier on December 23) from Thursday, November 26 to Wednesday, December 23, 2026. From the airport, bus 50 reaches Basel SBB station in about 20 minutes, and tram 8 runs on to Barfüsserplatz.

December brings highs of 6.9 °C (44 °F), lows of 1.4 °C (35 °F) and 96 mm (3.8 in) of rain.

• Things to do: the Kunstmuseum Basel, home of the oldest public art collection in the world; Jean Tinguely's machine sculptures at the Museum Tinguely, beside the Rhine; the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, in a Renzo Piano building.
• Christmas: closes December 23. The Basler Wienachtsdorf on Theaterplatz stays open to January 3, 2027.
• Season: peak. Basel's hotel nights in December 2025 were 1.26 times the average month (Swiss Federal Statistical Office).
• Daily budget: about $314 a person, mid-range, the second highest here (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: Glühwein; Basler Läckerli, the city's spiced honey biscuit.
• Buy: a tin of Läckerli from Läckerli Huus, Gerbergasse 57.

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The Christmas tree on Münsterplatz, Basel

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Zurich, Switzerland

Best for an indoor station market and singing choirs

Zurich's market inside the main station now trades as Polarzauber, with more than 100 stalls under the Lindt Christmas tree, and calls itself Switzerland's largest indoor Christmas market, per the market. It runs from Thursday, November 19 to Thursday, December 24, 2026. Three minutes' walk away on Werdmühleplatz, more than 40 choirs sing from the Singing Christmas Tree until December 23. Trains from the airport reach the station in 9 to 13 minutes.

December brings highs of 5.6 °C (42 °F), lows of 0.6 °C (33 °F) and 101 mm (4.0 in) of rain. The 7-day Switzerland itinerary and the Switzerland guide cover the city.

• Things to do: Swiss history from prehistory to today at the Swiss National Museum, beside the station; the train up the Uetliberg, which runs all year; Monet's water lilies at the Kunsthaus Zürich.
• Christmas: open 11 am to 4 pm on December 24, then closed. No market in the city center runs past December 24.
• Season: peak. Zurich's hotel nights in December 2025 were 1.13 times the average month (Swiss Federal Statistical Office).
• Daily budget: about $351 a person, mid-range, the highest of the 17 (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: Glühwein, fondue; Zürcher Tirggel, honey biscuits first mentioned in the 15th century, sold at Globus.

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The Christmas market in the main station hall, Zurich (2019)

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Vienna and Central Europe

Vienna, Austria

Best for Punsch, the City Hall and Schönbrunn markets, and a Christmas Day still open

Vienna's Christkindlmarkt fills Rathausplatz in front of City Hall from Friday, November 13 to Saturday, December 26, 2026, open daily 10 am to 10 pm, per the market, and Schönbrunn Palace holds a market of its own. Take the S7 from the airport, about 25 minutes; the City Airport Train runs as buses until November 2027. At the market, use the U2 Rathaus stop or trams 1, 71 and D.

December brings highs of 5.8 °C (42 °F), lows of 1.1 °C (34 °F) and 43 mm (1.7 in) of rain. The 3-day Vienna itinerary and the Central Europe itinerary cover the city.

• Things to do: Klimt's The Kiss at the Upper Belvedere; a standing-room ticket, from €13, at the Vienna State Opera, sold from 10 am online or 80 minutes before the start at the standing-room box office; the 64.75 m Riesenrad at the entrance to the Prater.
• Christmas: open 10 am to 6:30 pm on December 24, then daily through December 26.
• Season: peak. Vienna's overnight stays in December 2025 were 1.31 times the average month, the highest city-level ratio here (Vienna Tourist Board).
• Daily budget: about $199 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: Punsch and Glühwein, Kinderpunsch for children, roast chestnuts; Sachertorte.
• Buy: a snow globe from the Original Wiener Schneekugelmanufaktur, Schumanngasse 87.

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The Christkindlmarkt in front of City Hall, Vienna

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Salzburg, Austria

Best for Silent Night country and a market open to New Year

Salzburg's Christkindlmarkt fills Domplatz and Residenzplatz in the World Heritage old town and draws close to a million visitors, per the market. A market here is described in a late-15th-century song, and today's has run since 1974. It runs from Thursday, November 19, 2026 to Friday, January 1, 2027. Trolleybuses 2 and 10 reach the center from the airport in about 30 minutes.

December brings highs of 6.5 °C (44 °F), lows of 0.1 °C (32 °F) and 117 mm (4.6 in) of rain, the wettest of the 17. The 7-day Austria itinerary and the 10-day Germany, Austria and Czech Republic itinerary stop here.

• Things to do: the Festungsbahn funicular, running since 1892, up to Hohensalzburg Fortress; Mozart's childhood violin at Mozart's Birthplace; the Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf, on the site where the carol was first sung on December 24, 1818.
• Christmas: open 9 am to 3 pm on December 24 and 11 am to 6 pm on December 25 and 26.
• Season: peak. Salzburg's overnight stays in December 2025 were 1.16 times the average month (Tourismus Salzburg).
• Daily budget: about $214 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: Glühwein; Salzburger Nockerl, the city's soufflé; Mozartkugeln, created by Paul Fürst around 1890.
• Buy: handmade Mozartkugeln from Café-Konditorei Fürst, Brodgasse 13.

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The Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz at night, Salzburg

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Prague, Czech Republic

Best for a market that runs to Epiphany

Prague's Old Town Square market grows around a tree chosen each year from a different region of the country, with a daily program of music and folklore from 4 to 7 pm, per Prague City Tourism. It runs from Saturday, November 28, 2026 to Wednesday, January 6, 2027, daily 10 am to 10 pm. From the airport, trolleybus 59 meets metro line A, about 15 minutes each, and Staroměstská is the nearest station.

December brings highs of 6.2 °C (43 °F), lows of 1.7 °C (35 °F) and 41 mm (1.6 in) of rain, the driest of the 17. The Central Europe itinerary stops here.

• Things to do: Prague Castle, which Guinness lists as the largest ancient castle in the world; the 30 statues of Charles Bridge; the 63.5 m Petřín Lookout Tower, built in 1891.
• Christmas: hours for December 24 to 26 are not published on the official sites.
• Season: peak. Prague's overnight stays in December 2025 were 1.20 times the average month (Eurostat).
• Daily budget: about $140 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Trade-off: crowds, and trdelník stands that some locals call tourist traps for selling the pastry as Czech tradition.
• Eat and drink: svařák, mulled wine; hot mead; Prague ham roasted on a spit.
• Buy: glass and straw ornaments from Czech makers on the market stalls.

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The Old Town Square market from above at night, Prague

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Budapest, Hungary

Best for a basilica light show and warm thermal baths

Advent Bazilika on St. Stephen's Square puts a light show on the basilica's facade and nearly a hundred Hungarian artisans on its stalls, per the market. It runs from Friday, November 13, 2026 to Friday, January 1, 2027. The second big market, on Vörösmarty Square, keeps different hours.

December brings highs of 5.7 °C (42 °F), lows of 0.9 °C (34 °F) and 43 mm (1.7 in) of rain over about six wet days, the fewest of the 17. The 4-day Budapest itinerary covers the city.

• Things to do: the outdoor pools of Széchenyi Thermal Bath, at 27 to 38 °C; the Holy Crown on a tour of the Hungarian Parliament; the lookout terraces of Fisherman's Bastion on Castle Hill.
• Christmas: open 11 am to 3 pm on December 24 and 11 am to 8 pm on December 25 and 26, per the market.
• Season: peak. Budapest's overnight stays in December 2025 were 1.20 times the average month (Eurostat).
• Daily budget: about $129 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: forralt bor, mulled wine often made from Egri Bikavér; kürtőskalács, chimney cake; bejgli, the Christmas poppy-seed or walnut roll.
• Buy: ceramics, jewelry and leather work from the market's own artisans.

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The Advent market in front of St Stephen's Basilica, Budapest

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Zagreb, Croatia

Best for a citywide Advent festival on a small budget

Advent Zagreb is a festival across the city rather than one market, with main stages on Ban Jelačić Square and Zrinjevac Park, and it runs from Saturday, November 28, 2026 to Thursday, January 7, 2027, the latest close of the 17, per the festival. Bus 290 runs from the airport, and the main station is 1 km south of the main square.

December brings highs of 7.0 °C (45 °F), lows of 0.8 °C (33 °F) and 63 mm (2.5 in) of rain. The Croatia guide covers the country.

• Things to do: the Museum of Broken Relationships in the Upper Town; the 64-second ride on the Zagreb Funicular; the arcades of Mirogoj Cemetery, a cemetery park.
• Christmas: 2026 hours are not yet published.
• Season: shoulder. Zagreb's overnight stays in December 2025 were 1.07 times the average month (Eurostat).
• Daily budget: about $101 a person, mid-range, the lowest of the 17 (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: kuhano vino, mulled wine; paprenjaci, peppery gingerbread biscuits; štrukli, cheese pastry.
• Buy: a licitar heart, the red honey-dough heart on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2010.

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Ban Jelačić Square lit for Advent, Zagreb

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Belgium, the Netherlands and the north

Bruges, Belgium

Best for Winter Glow lights and the mildest December here

Bruges's market fills the Markt under the 83 m Belfry, a UNESCO site, and Simon Stevinplein, from Friday, November 20, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027, part of the city's Winter Glow season, per Visit Bruges. It opens 11 am to 10 pm Sunday to Thursday and to 11:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The station is a 20-minute walk from the Markt, and Brussels Airport is about an hour by train.

December brings highs of 8.7 °C (48 °F), lows of 4.1 °C (39 °F), the mildest of the 17, and 77 mm (3.0 in) of rain.

• Things to do: Flemish painting from Jan van Eyck onward at the Groeningemuseum; the two chapels of the Basilica of the Holy Blood on Burg square; Michelangelo's marble Madonna and Child in the Church of Our Lady.
• Christmas: hours for December 24 and 25 are not on the official page.
• Season: peak. Bruges's overnight stays in December 2025 were 1.21 times the average month (Visit Flanders).
• Daily budget: Budget Your Trip's figure ($183) is left out: its mid-range double room sits below the same page's hotel prices.
• Eat and drink: Brugse Zot, the beer brewed at De Halve Maan; Belgian waffles.
• Buy: handmade Bruges lace from the Kantcentrum shop, Balstraat 16.

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Christmas market stalls on the Markt, Bruges

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Valkenburg, Netherlands

Best for Christmas markets underground, whatever the weather

Valkenburg holds its markets underground: the Gemeentegrot calls its market, held since 1986 in a marl cave, Europe's largest underground Christmas market, per the market, and the Fluweelengrot cave has wall paintings and an 18th-century chapel. Both run from Friday, November 13 to Wednesday, December 30, 2026, and entry costs from €9 online. Valkenburg station, on the Maastricht to Heerlen line, is the oldest station building in the Netherlands.

December brings highs of 7.9 °C (46 °F), lows of 3.1 °C (38 °F) and 91 mm (3.6 in) of rain, and the market itself is underground.

• Things to do: a guided tour of the Coal Mine Valkenburg, with daily tours from November 2 until the Christmas holidays begin; the saunas and pools of Thermae 2000, open daily 10 am to 10 pm, though its Christmas Day hours are not published; the ruin of Valkenburg Castle, the only Dutch castle built on a hill.
• Christmas: the Gemeentegrot opens 11 am to 6 pm on December 24, closes on December 25 and reopens December 26, per its ticket page.
• Season: low for Limburg province. Overnight stays there in December 2025 were 0.76 times the average month (Eurostat); the province's figures are driven by summer holiday parks, so the town may differ.
• Daily budget: Budget Your Trip has no Valkenburg or Maastricht page, so no figure is given.
• Eat and drink: Limburgse vlaai, the region's fruit tart, protected in the EU since 2024.

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A nativity scene in the Gemeentegrot cave market, Valkenburg

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Copenhagen, Denmark

Best for Tivoli lights, gløgg and æbleskiver

Christmas in Tivoli runs from Friday, November 13, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027, with all rides open and a free ice rink by the Nimb Hotel, per Tivoli. The gardens opened in 1843 and sit next to Central Station; metro line M2 reaches the center from the airport in about 15 minutes. Entry is from 200 DKK.

December brings highs of 6.6 °C (44 °F), lows of 3.0 °C (37 °F) and 66 mm (2.6 in) of rain. The 4-day Copenhagen itinerary covers the city.

• Things to do: the Crown Jewels in the treasury of Rosenborg Castle; the spiral ramp up the Round Tower to its platform 34.8 m above ground; the free viewing platform in the tower of Christiansborg Palace.
• Christmas: hours for December 24 and 25 are not published in a readable form.
• Season: shoulder. Copenhagen's hotel nights in December 2025 were 0.99 times the average month (Statistics Denmark).
• Daily budget: Budget Your Trip's figure ($274) is left out: its mid-range double room sits below the same page's hotel prices.
• Eat and drink: gløgg, served with raisins and almonds in the glass; æbleskiver, round pancakes eaten with gløgg; risalamande.
• Buy: Royal Copenhagen porcelain, which has made a Christmas plate every year since 1895, at its flagship store, Amagertorv 6.

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Tivoli Gardens lake lit for Christmas, Copenhagen

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Tallinn, Estonia

Best for a medieval square in real winter cold

Tallinn's market on Town Hall Square runs from Friday, November 20, 2026 to Wednesday, January 6, 2027, every day 10 am to 8 pm, per the market, and a public Christmas tree has stood on the square since 1441, per Visit Tallinn. Santa's house opens daily from noon. Trams T2 and T4 run from the airport, 5 km from the center.

December brings highs of 3.0 °C (37 °F), lows of −1.3 °C (30 °F), the coldest of the 17 and the only one with an average low below freezing.

• Things to do: the artillery tower museum of Kiek in de Kök; the viewing platforms of Toompea, with views over the city; the 1936 submarine Lembit at the Seaplane Harbour maritime museum.
• Christmas: the market lists no holiday closures, but shorter Christmas Eve hours are not confirmed.
• Season: peak. Tallinn's overnight stays in December 2025 were 1.16 times the average month (Statistics Estonia).
• Daily budget: about $138 a person, mid-range (Budget Your Trip).
• Eat and drink: glögi, in flavors from cranberry-cherry to pumpkin; blood sausage, elk sausage and sauerkraut.
• Buy: dog- and alpaca-wool socks from the market's knitwear stalls.

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The Christmas market and Town Hall at night, Tallinn

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Edinburgh, UK

Best for a market below the castle and Hogmanay after it

Edinburgh's Christmas markets have filled East Princes Street Gardens, below the castle and beside the Scott Monument, since 1999, with a big wheel and an 80 m Starflyer, and entry is free, per Edinburgh's Christmas. They run from Saturday, November 14, 2026 to Sunday, January 3, 2027, daily 10 am to 10 pm. Waverley station is beside the gardens, and the tram runs from the airport.

December brings highs of 8.0 °C (46 °F), lows of 2.3 °C (36 °F) and 92 mm (3.6 in) of rain over about 13 wet days. The 3-day Edinburgh itinerary and the Scotland guide cover the city.

• Things to do: Dolly the sheep at the National Museum of Scotland; the city views from Calton Hill; the Royal Yacht Britannia, entered through Ocean Terminal in Leith.
• Christmas: open 10 am to 8 pm on December 24, closed December 25, reopening at noon on December 26.
• Season: shoulder. City hotel occupancy in December 2024 was 0.96 times the year's average (City of Edinburgh Council).
• Daily budget: Budget Your Trip's figure ($226) is left out: its mid-range double room sits below the same page's hotel prices.
• Eat and drink: mulled wine or hot chocolate; shortbread, long tied to Christmas and Hogmanay in Scotland.
• Buy: single malt Scotch from Cadenhead's, 172 Canongate.

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Edinburgh's Christmas in East Princes Street Gardens at night

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Which Christmas markets are open on Christmas Day?

Which Christmas markets run into January?

Zagreb runs to January 7, 2027; Prague and Tallinn to January 6; Bruges, Copenhagen's Tivoli, Edinburgh, Colmar's gourmet market and Basel's Wienachtsdorf to January 3; and Salzburg and Budapest to January 1. For January trips beyond the markets, see where to go in January.

Which Christmas markets suit kids?

Colmar has a children's market in Petite Venise, Tallinn's Santa's house opens every day from noon, Tivoli keeps all its rides open, and Vienna's market serves Kinderpunsch, an alcohol-free punch.

How the markets were chosen

The 17 markets are the ones named by three or more of the top nine search results for Europe's best Christmas markets, checked in October 2026, less two village markets (Winchester and the Ravenna Gorge), plus Edinburgh, and kept where the market or city had published 2026 dates. December highs, lows and rain are monthly averages for 2013 to 2022 from MonkeyEatingMango's city climate records, with temperatures from TerraClimate and rain from the ERA5 reanalysis.

• Dates and hours: read off each market's or city's own site on October 25, 2026. Where a market had not published its Christmas hours, the page says so.
• Daily budget: Budget Your Trip's mid-range average per person per day, from traveler-reported costs (a share of a double room, food, local transport and entertainment; flights excluded), pages updated July to September 2026. Where its mid-range double room fell below 90% of the same page's off-season hotel price, the figure is left out.
• Season: December divided by the average month of 2025 (2024 for Edinburgh) in official tourism statistics, from city figures where they exist and regional ones where not, as each entry states. Peak is 1.10 or more, shoulder 0.90 to 1.10, low below 0.90.
• Photos: from Wikimedia Commons, with the photographer and license on each.

The same climate records feed the weather section of every MonkeyEatingMango trip plan, and the free packing list generator uses them to pick the gear for a destination's month.

Pick the markets and the dates, and the planner writes the days, with a time and a cost on every stop: plan a Christmas market trip.

Last updated October 2026.