Christmas markets in Europe 2026

Most of Europe’s big Christmas markets open between mid and late November 2026, and the official sites for eight of the nine markets below have already published full 2026 dates. Vienna, Budapest and Copenhagen’s Tivoli open first, on 13 November. Cologne’s cathedral market starts on 16 November and closes on 23 December. Several others, including Prague, Brussels and Zagreb, run into January 2027. Strasbourg has announced its opening day but not its closing date yet. The table has the details, and the rest of this guide covers getting between cities, packing and booking.

2026 dates at a glance

All dates below come from each market’s official or organizer website, checked on 19 October 2026. Dates can still change, so check the official site again shortly before you travel.

City	Market	2026 dates	Official site
Strasbourg	Christkindelsmärik and the city-center markets	Opens Friday 27 November 2026. Closing date not yet announced (the 2025 edition ran to 24 December)	noel.strasbourg.eu
Vienna	Wiener Christkindlmarkt, Rathausplatz	13 November to 26 December 2026	christkindlmarkt.at
Nuremberg	Christkindlesmarkt	27 November to 24 December 2026	christkindlesmarkt.de
Cologne	Christmas market at Cologne Cathedral, Roncalliplatz	16 November to 23 December 2026 (closed 22 November)	koelnerweihnachtsmarkt.com
Prague	Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square markets	28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027	trhypraha.cz
Budapest	Advent Bazilika Christmas Market, Szent István Square	13 November 2026 to 1 January 2027	adventbazilika.hu
Copenhagen	Christmas in Tivoli	13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027	tivoli.dk
Brussels	Winter Wonders	27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027	plaisirsdhiver.be
Zagreb	Advent in Zagreb	28 November 2026 to 7 January 2027	adventzagreb.hr

The markets, city by city

Strasbourg. Strasbourg calls itself the Capital of Christmas, and its market is spread across the old town rather than one square. The official site lists the Christkindelsmärik on Place Broglie and a market around the cathedral covering Cathedral Square and Castle Square. The 2026 edition opens on Friday 27 November. The closing date for 2026 has not been published yet. Last year’s market ran from 26 November to 24 December 2025, so a run to Christmas Eve is the usual pattern, but wait for the official date before booking a late-December trip around it.

Vienna. The Wiener Christkindlmarkt fills Rathausplatz, the square in front of the City Hall. It runs from 13 November to 26 December 2026, daily from 10:00 to 22:00. On 24 December it closes early, at 18:30. It is one of the few big markets that stays open past Christmas Day.

Nuremberg. The Christkindlesmarkt runs from 27 November to 24 December 2026. The official opening ceremony is on 27 November at 5:30 pm. If you want to see it, arrive early that evening, because the main market square gets crowded.

Cologne. The market in front of Cologne Cathedral, on Roncalliplatz, runs from Monday 16 November to Tuesday 23 December 2026. The organizer notes it is closed on 22 November (Totensonntag, a German day of remembrance). It closes before Christmas Eve, so plan a Cologne stop for earlier in your trip. Cologne has several other Christmas markets with their own dates. Check each one’s site if you are staying longer.

Prague. The two main markets, on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, both run from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, open 10:00 to 22:00, according to the organizer. Prague City Tourism lists smaller neighborhood markets too, with different dates, some of which end on 24 December.

Budapest. The Advent Bazilika Christmas Market sets up on Szent István Square in front of St Stephen’s Basilica, from 13 November 2026 to 1 January 2027. Budapest has other markets as well, including the one on Vörösmarty Square, but we could not find official 2026 dates for it at the time of writing.

Copenhagen. Christmas in Tivoli turns the Tivoli Gardens amusement park into a winter market with stalls, lights and rides. Tivoli lists its Christmas season as 13 November to 3 January, placed between Halloween 2026 and Easter 2027 on its seasons page. Tivoli is a ticketed park, so check its site for entrance tickets and daily opening hours before you go.

Brussels. Winter Wonders runs from Friday 27 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. The organizers say the full program will be published from November 2026.

Zagreb. Advent in Zagreb runs from 28 November 2026 to 7 January 2027, the latest closing date on this list. It is a good choice if you want a market trip after New Year.

Photo by Daniels Joffe on Unsplash

Getting between cities by train

Trains are usually the easiest way to visit more than one market, since most of them sit in or near the historic center, close to the main station. Some pairings work well because the cities are near each other, such as Nuremberg and Cologne within Germany, Cologne and Brussels, or Vienna, Budapest and Prague in Central Europe.

You can book single tickets on each country’s national rail site, or travel on a rail pass. The Interrail Global Pass covers a network of 33 countries, and the passes on offer depend on your country of residence, so set your location on Interrail’s site to see the right ones. Interrail also notes that most high-speed and night trains require a seat reservation at an additional cost, even with a pass. December weekends are busy, so reserve seats on popular routes as soon as you know your dates.

A few tips:

• Plan market visits for late afternoon and evening, when the lights are on, and travel between cities in the morning.
• Weekday evenings are usually quieter than Saturdays at the most popular markets.
• Check the closing dates in the table before you build a route. Finishing in Cologne on 24 December would mean missing its market, while Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Copenhagen, Brussels and Zagreb all stay open after Christmas.

What to pack

You will spend hours standing outside in the evening, so dress for the cold rather than for the photos.

• Warm layers: a thermal base layer, a sweater or fleece, and a windproof, waterproof coat.
• Warm, waterproof shoes with good grip. Cobbled squares can be wet or icy.
• Hat, scarf and gloves. Touchscreen gloves help if you use your phone for maps and tickets.
• A small crossbody bag or a zipped pocket for your phone and cards. Busy markets attract pickpockets.
• Some cash and a card. Many stalls take cards, but carry a little cash in the local currency in case one does not. Remember that Czechia, Hungary and Denmark do not use the euro, while Croatia does.
• A power bank, since cold weather and heavy map use drain phone batteries quickly.
• A reusable bag for gifts and food you buy along the way.

Staying online on a multi-country trip

On a trip through several countries, your phone is your map, train ticket and translator, so make sure it keeps working at every border. Check your home carrier’s roaming rates for each country before you leave, because they can differ from country to country.

A travel eSIM that covers all of Europe is often simpler. Compare options in our list of the top 5 eSIMs for Europe. One of them is Pelesim Europe, a prepaid data-only eSIM. You install it before you fly, and the plan starts when it first connects at your destination. Pelesim refunds within 30 days of purchase if the eSIM has not been activated, and you can share the connection by hotspot with a travel companion.

A data-only eSIM does not give you a phone number. If you need to call a hotel, a restaurant or a landline at home, see our guide on how to call home from abroad.

Book hotels early

Hotels in the most popular market cities can fill up early for December weekends, and the best-located rooms usually go first. If your dates are fixed, book as soon as you can, ideally with a free-cancellation rate so you can still change plans if the closing dates or train times do not fit.

Staying a short walk or tram ride from the market saves time on cold evenings. If a city’s center is full or expensive, look at a nearby town on the same rail line and come in by train. Our guide on how to book hotels covers when to book and how to compare rates, and our list of the top 5 hotel booking sites compares where to look.

Before you go

• Recheck each market’s official site a week or two before you travel, especially for Strasbourg’s closing date.
• Note closure days and early closings, such as Cologne on 22 November and Vienna’s early finish on 24 December.
• Check opening hours on 24, 25 and 26 December for anywhere you plan to be over Christmas.
• Reserve train seats for high-speed and night trains.
• Sort out your phone data before you board the first flight.

If you are flying in, our guide on how to find cheap flights and our top 5 flight search sites can help with the first leg of the trip.