When do Christmas markets open in 2026?

Vienna's Rathausplatz market opens first, on Fri 13 November. Cologne's cathedral market follows on 16 November, Aachen on 20 November, Colmar and Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt on 23 November, Leipzig on 24 November, Dresden on 25 November, Nuremberg and Strasbourg on 27 November and Prague's Old Town Square on 28 November.

Are Christmas markets open on 25 and 26 December?

Some are. Strasbourg is not: its page says no chalet opens on 25 December, and its season ends on the 24th. Colmar opens 10:00–20:00 on both days, Vienna's Rathausplatz runs to 26 December, Prague's Old Town Square to 6 January and Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt to 31 December. Nuremberg and Dresden end on 24 December at 14:00.

Why is the Cologne cathedral market closed on 22 November?

22 November 2026 is Totensonntag, a quiet holiday, and the market's official page lists it as a closed day. Aachen's market opens that evening only, 18:00–21:00.

Which Christmas markets stay open after Christmas?

Prague's Old Town Square market runs to 6 January 2027, Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt to 31 December (hours on the 31st aren't published yet), Colmar to 29 December and Vienna's Rathausplatz to 26 December.

Most markets are free to walk into, but we only say so when the page does. The Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin charges €2 (free Monday to Friday 11:00–14:00 except 24, 25, 26 and 31 December; under 12 free). Aachen's page says entry is free. Everywhere else the card says the fee isn't stated on the official page.

How do you check the dates?

We read each market's own organiser, city or tourism-board page and keep the sentence that holds the 2026 dates. A market only counts as confirmed when that sentence is on the page word for word and its dates match. The pages are re-checked every week; each card shows the link and the day we checked.

Why does a market say "2026 not published"?

Its organiser hasn't put the 2026 dates online yet, or its site refused our check. Munich's city page only says "until 24 December", and Salzburg's organiser site blocks automated requests. We don't copy last year's dates; the map updates when the official page does.

Which Christmas markets are open on your day?

Pick a day and a city. Only the stalls open that day glow on the map.

Europe

Tue 3 Nov: none open yet

This weekend (7–8 Nov): 2 open. First: Berlin, Holzmarktstraße 25, Fri 6 Nov.

Dates and hours from the official page, checked 2026-11-03. Organisers can change them, so check the official link before you go. Not affiliated with any market.

Heissa Holzmarkt Winterfestival

Holzmarktstraße 25 · Berlin

Closed

Hours on Tue 3 Nov: opens 6 Nov
2026 dates: 6 Nov–20 Dec
Entry: Fee not stated on the official page
Nearest station: Berlin Ostbahnhof, 543 m

Official page ↗Directions ↗

Holzmarktstraße 25, 10243 Berlin · source · checked 2026-11-03

Opening next

List

The famous twelve

Painted from the real squares. Tap one for its dates and hours.

How this map works

Rules, sources and credits

Open on your day

Each market keeps its 2026 dates, its weekly hours and its exceptions (opening day, Christmas Eve, Totensonntag) as the official page writes them. For the day you pick, a market is open if the day falls in its season and that day has hours. An exception always beats the weekly rule.

The line on the map counts the markets open that day in your city and gives the latest closing time. If none is open, it says when the next one opens. "Today" is the date in Central Europe, even if your phone is set to another time zone.

Unknown stays unknown

If a page doesn't give the hours for a day (Gendarmenmarkt on 31 December, for example), the map says "check" instead of guessing. If an organiser hasn't published 2026 yet, the pin sits in fog and the card says so. We never copy last year's dates into this year.

Berlin's and Vienna's open-data lists still describe the 2025 season. Those markets show their 2025 dates, marked as last season, until their own page publishes 2026.

Near me and the trip planner

Near me measures the straight-line distance from where your browser says you are. The position stays on your device: it isn't sent, stored or put in the link. The trip planner takes up to four stops with dates and shows every day as a numbered turn with its closing time.

Where the dates come from

Market	City	2026	Official page
Aachener Weihnachtsmarkt	Aachen	20 Nov–23 Dec	aachen-tourismus.de
Augsburger Christkindlesmarkt	Augsburg	23 Nov–24 Dec	augsburgerchristkindlesmarkt.com
Berliner Weihnachtszeit am Roten Rathaus	Berlin	23 Nov–3 Jan	visitberlin.de
Christmas Garden Berlin	Berlin	18 Nov–10 Jan	visitberlin.de
Heissa Holzmarkt Winterfestival	Berlin	6 Nov–20 Dec	visitberlin.de
Historischer Weihnachtsmarkt auf dem Gelände des RAW	Berlin	12 Nov–22 Dec	visitberlin.de
Lichtenrader Lichtermarkt und 650 Jahre Lichtenrade	Berlin	29 Nov–29 Nov	berlin.de
Weihnacht to go im Kranoldkiez	Berlin	12 Dec–12 Dec	meinlila.de
Weihnachten an der Spree	Berlin	16 Nov–30 Dec	weihnachten-an-der-spree.de
Weihnachtsmarkt am Schloss Charottenburg	Berlin	23 Nov–27 Dec	visitberlin.de
Weihnachtsmarkt am Tempelhofer Hafen	Berlin	23 Nov–30 Dec	hauptstadtkultur.berlin
Weihnachtsmarkt auf der Dicken Linda	Berlin	23 Nov–26 Dec	visitberlin.de
WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt	Berlin	23 Nov–31 Dec	weihnachtsmarkt-berlin.de
Wintermarkt Schlossplatz am Humboldt Forum	Berlin	18 Nov–3 Jan	visitberlin.de
Christmas market in Chemnitz	Chemnitz	27 Nov–23 Dec	weihnachtsmarkt-chemnitz.de
Marchés de Noël de Colmar	Colmar	23 Nov–29 Dec	noel-colmar.com
Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom	Cologne	16 Nov–23 Dec	koelnerweihnachtsmarkt.com
Dresdner Striezelmarkt	Dresden	25 Nov–24 Dec	striezelmarkt.dresden.de
Mittelalter-Weihnachtsmarkt im Stallhof	Dresden	25 Nov–23 Dec	mittelalter-weihnacht.de
Frankfurt Christmas Market	Frankfurt	23 Nov–22 Dec	frankfurt-tourismus.de
Advent in Graz	Graz	20 Nov–24 Dec	graztourismus.at
Leipziger Weihnachtsmarkt	Leipzig	24 Nov–23 Dec	leipzig.de
Magdeburger Weihnachtsmarkt	Magdeburg	23 Nov–29 Dec	weihnachtsmarkt-magdeburg.de
Marché de Noël de Montbéliard	Montbéliard	21 Nov–24 Dec	lumieres-de-noel.fr
Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt	Nuremberg	27 Nov–24 Dec	christkindlesmarkt.de
Vánoční trhy na Staroměstském náměstí	Prague	28 Nov–6 Jan	trhypraha.cz
Prenzlauer Weihnachtsmarkt	Prenzlau	23 Nov–22 Dec	visitberlin.de
Marché de Noël de Strasbourg	Strasbourg	27 Nov–24 Dec	noel.strasbourg.eu
Christmas Market, Stuttgart	Stuttgart	25 Nov–23 Dec	stuttgarter-weihnachtsmarkt.de
38. Altwiener Christkindlmarkt	Vienna	14 Nov–23 Dec	altwiener-markt.at
Adventmarkt Favoriten	Vienna	6 Nov–24 Dec	vzfm.at
Weihnachtsmarkt am Spittelberg	Vienna	13 Nov–23 Dec	spittelberg.at
Weihnachtsmarkt im Park	Vienna	13 Nov–23 Dec	weihnachtimpark.at
Weihnachtsmarkt Schloss Schönbrunn	Vienna	6 Nov–6 Jan	weihnachtsmarkt-schoenbrunn.at
Wiener Christkindlmarkt	Vienna	13 Nov–26 Dec	christkindlmarkt.at

Credits

Dates and hours: each market's official organiser, city or tourism-board page (linked on every card).
Open data: Stadt Wien – data.wien.gv.at (CC BY 4.0) · Land Berlin, berlin.de Weihnachtsmärkte · Wikidata (CC0).
Illustrations: AI-generated (Gemini) and edited, plusbeauxjours.
Reference photos (Unsplash): Nuremberg by Luis Fernando Felipe Alves, Munich by Daniel Seßler, Berlin by Sharon Yanai, Strasbourg by Filiz Elaerts, Colmar by Cedric Letsch, Vienna by hoch3fotografie, Salzburg by Sebastien Devocelle, Prague by Mikhail Mamaev, Leipzig by Ben Kupke

Questions

When do Christmas markets open in 2026?: Vienna's Rathausplatz market opens first, on Fri 13 November. Cologne's cathedral market follows on 16 November, Aachen on 20 November, Colmar and Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt on 23 November, Leipzig on 24 November, Dresden on 25 November, Nuremberg and Strasbourg on 27 November and Prague's Old Town Square on 28 November.
Are Christmas markets open on 25 and 26 December?: Some are. Strasbourg is not: its page says no chalet opens on 25 December, and its season ends on the 24th. Colmar opens 10:00–20:00 on both days, Vienna's Rathausplatz runs to 26 December, Prague's Old Town Square to 6 January and Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt to 31 December. Nuremberg and Dresden end on 24 December at 14:00.
Why is the Cologne cathedral market closed on 22 November?: 22 November 2026 is Totensonntag, a quiet holiday, and the market's official page lists it as a closed day. Aachen's market opens that evening only, 18:00–21:00.
Which Christmas markets stay open after Christmas?: Prague's Old Town Square market runs to 6 January 2027, Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt to 31 December (hours on the 31st aren't published yet), Colmar to 29 December and Vienna's Rathausplatz to 26 December.
Do I pay to get in?: Most markets are free to walk into, but we only say so when the page does. The Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin charges €2 (free Monday to Friday 11:00–14:00 except 24, 25, 26 and 31 December; under 12 free). Aachen's page says entry is free. Everywhere else the card says the fee isn't stated on the official page.
How do you check the dates?: We read each market's own organiser, city or tourism-board page and keep the sentence that holds the 2026 dates. A market only counts as confirmed when that sentence is on the page word for word and its dates match. The pages are re-checked every week; each card shows the link and the day we checked.
Why does a market say "2026 not published"?: Its organiser hasn't put the 2026 dates online yet, or its site refused our check. Munich's city page only says "until 24 December", and Salzburg's organiser site blocks automated requests. We don't copy last year's dates; the map updates when the official page does.

Sources: official organiser, city and tourism-board pages · Stadt Wien – data.wien.gv.at · Land Berlin · Wikidata · OpenStreetMap · checked 2026-11-03 · Lighthouse advent calendar