Best Christmas markets in Europe: dates, cities and travel from the UK

The best Christmas markets in Europe for a trip from the UK are the historic ones of Strasbourg, Nuremberg, Dresden, Cologne and Vienna, joined by Salzburg, Colmar, Brussels, Prague, Budapest and Copenhagen's Tivoli. In 2026 the first opens on 13 November and the last closes on 6 January 2027.

We kept eleven markets that meet three tests: each has published its 2026 dates on an official site, each is a short flight or a train ride from the UK, and each offers something you will not find at home, from Dresden's Christstollen to an ice rink in front of Vienna's City Hall. Every date below was read on the organiser's or the tourist board's site on 29 October 2026. Where a 2026 date was not published, we say so rather than guess.

Nuremberg is the classic choice: its Christkindlesmarkt runs from 27 November to 24 December 2026, open every day from 10am to 9pm, with the opening ceremony on 27 November at 5.30pm, according to its official site. The organisers call it one of the oldest and most famous Christmas markets in the world.

Its wooden stalls sell traditional, often handmade decorations, Nuremberg gingerbread and Spekulatius biscuits, and the city's own bratwurst, a sausage no longer than a finger that Nuremberg has made for more than 700 years. The market's figure is the Christkind, the Christ child who brings presents on Christmas Eve in the German tradition.

Dresden's Striezelmarkt, on the Altmarkt square, holds its 592nd edition from 25 November to 24 December 2026, and the city presents it as the oldest Christmas market in Germany. More than 200 traders take part, with demonstration workshops for the wooden crafts of the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge) and for the Dresdner Christstollen, the city's famous fruit loaf. It opens at 4pm on 25 November, then runs from 10am to 9pm, and closes at 2pm on Christmas Eve.

Cologne's market sits on Roncalliplatz, at the foot of the cathedral, from 16 November to 23 December 2026, its organisers say, with one closed day on 22 November. More than 120 stalls sell crafts, gifts and food, and the central stage hosts over 100 free events under a canopy of lights. It is open from 11am to 9pm Sunday to Wednesday, until 10pm on Thursday and Friday, and from 10am to 10pm on Saturday.

Strasbourg calls itself the Christmas Capital: its market runs for four weeks, from 27 November to 24 December 2026, in a tradition dating back to 1570, according to the city's Christmas site. It is one of the oldest traditions on our list, and the city's site presents its markets in the plural, spread through the centre.

Colmar, also in Alsace, holds six Christmas markets from 23 November to 29 December 2026, the Colmar tourist office says. The villages around it run their own: Eguisheim and Turckheim from 27 November to 30 December, Riquewihr from 27 November to 20 December, and Kaysersberg on four weekends only (27 to 29 November, 4 to 6, 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 December).

Brussels has the advantage of the train. Its Winter Wonders festival runs from Friday 27 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, and the organisers will publish the full programme in November. A Eurostar from London reaches Brussels in under 2 hours, so it works as a long weekend or even a day out.

Driving to Alsace? Strasbourg's low-emission zone applies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and covers 33 towns, so a UK car needs a Crit'Air sticker there: our Crit'Air guide explains how to order it from the official site.

Because they open first and close late: the Vienna Christmas Market on Rathausplatz runs from 13 November to 26 December 2026, every day from 10am to 10pm, and until 6.30pm on Christmas Eve, according to its official site. It sits between the Burgtheater and the City Hall, and the organisers present it as one of the biggest in Europe.

Vienna adds an ice rink, the Ice Dream, open from 13 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, with the same hours and a closed day on 31 December. Salzburg's market on Domplatz and Residenzplatz, in the old town, opens on 19 November 2026 and stays until 1 January 2027, and the ice rink on Mozartplatz runs from 12 November 2026 to 31 January 2027, the Salzburg organisers say.

Opening in November means you can go before December starts, and both are still open on 26 December, when the German markets on this list have closed.

Prague's Old Town Square market runs from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, the latest closing date on our list, according to VisitCzechia, the Czech national tourist board. The Wenceslas Square market keeps the same dates, while Republic Square opens earlier, on 25 November, and closes on 24 December.

In Budapest, the Vörösmarty Classic Xmas market on Vörösmarty tér is open every day from 13 November 2026, its organiser says. On 29 October 2026 its site did not give the 2026 closing date, so check it before booking a trip after Christmas.

Copenhagen's Christmas in Tivoli runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, in the Tivoli Gardens, according to Tivoli and Visit Copenhagen. Tivoli is an amusement park with a ticketed entrance, so it is a different outing from the open city squares of Germany and Austria.

Go between 28 November and 23 December 2026 if you want every market in this guide open at the same time: Prague's Old Town Square is the last to open, on 28 November, and Cologne the first to close, on 23 December. Budapest is the one exception, as its closing date was not yet published.

For the earliest trip, the weekend of 13 to 15 November 2026 already has three markets open: Vienna, Budapest and Tivoli in Copenhagen. For a trip between Christmas and New Year, choose from the markets in the table above that stay open after 25 December.

The UK bank holidays shape the Christmas window. In England and Wales, Christmas Day falls on Friday 25 December 2026 and Boxing Day is moved to Monday 28 December, then New Year's Day is on Friday 1 January 2027, according to GOV.UK. Our holiday ideas hub lists the bank holidays for the year ahead.

• Use the crowd forecasts
  The Colmar region publishes a calendar of expected attendance at its Christmas markets, day by day.
• Check Christmas Eve hours
  Some markets close early on 24 December: Dresden at 2pm, Vienna at 6.30pm. Cologne closes the day before, on the 23rd.
• Check the closed days
  Cologne Cathedral's market is closed on 22 November 2026, and Kaysersberg opens on four weekends only.
• Check the late opening days
  Cologne stays open until 10pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, an hour later than from Sunday to Wednesday.

By train for Brussels and the French markets, by car or ferry for Alsace, and by air for Germany, Austria, Prague, Budapest and Copenhagen. Eurostar runs direct from London St Pancras to Brussels in under 2 hours and to Paris in 2 hours 16 minutes, according to its route pages.

If you drive, our guides to the ferry to France and to driving in Europe cover the crossings, the licence, the UK sticker and the country rules. For flights, routes and airports change by season, so check what serves your city from your nearest UK airport before you plan the dates.

A British passport that was issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive and that expires at least 3 months after the day you leave, GOV.UK says. Every country in this guide is in the Schengen area, so no visa is needed for a tourist trip of up to 90 days in any 180.

Allow extra time at the border. GOV.UK warns that EES checks can take each passenger longer than the old passport stamp, and that at airports they may take place before you reach the gate on the way home. A short market weekend leaves little margin, so arrive early for the return flight.

Travelling by car? Bring your UK driving licence, the vehicle's log book (V5C) and a UK identifier on the car, and check each country's rules in our driving in Europe guide.

• When do the Christmas markets in Europe open in 2026?

  Vienna, Budapest and Copenhagen’s Tivoli open on 13 November 2026, Cologne on 16 November, Salzburg on 19 November, Colmar on 23 November, Dresden on 25 November, Strasbourg, Nuremberg and Brussels on 27 November and Prague’s Old Town Square on 28 November, according to their official sites.

• Which Christmas market in Europe opens first?

  Of the markets in this guide, three open on 13 November 2026: the Vienna Christmas Market on Rathausplatz, the Vörösmarty Classic Xmas market in Budapest and Christmas in Tivoli in Copenhagen.

• Which European Christmas markets are open after Christmas?

  Vienna until 26 December, Colmar until 29 December, Salzburg until 1 January, Brussels and Tivoli until 3 January and Prague’s Old Town Square until 6 January 2027. Strasbourg, Nuremberg and Dresden close on 24 December, Cologne on 23 December.

• What is the oldest Christmas market in Europe?

  Dresden’s Striezelmarkt holds its 592nd edition in 2026 and the city presents it as the oldest in Germany. Strasbourg’s market dates back to 1570, according to the city.

• Can I get to a Christmas market by train from London?

  Yes. Eurostar runs direct from London St Pancras to Brussels, for Winter Wonders, in under 2 hours, and to Paris in 2 hours 16 minutes, from where French trains continue to Strasbourg and Colmar.

• Do I need a visa to visit Christmas markets in Europe?

  No, not for a tourist trip of up to 90 days in any 180-day period: all the countries in this guide are in the Schengen area. Your British passport must be under 10 years old on arrival and valid for 3 months after you leave.

• What is the EES check when I travel to a Christmas market?

  The EU’s Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and a photo on your first entry to the Schengen area. It is free and lasts 3 years. From St Pancras, Dover or Folkestone it is done before you leave the UK.

• Are the Christmas markets open on Christmas Eve?

  Several are: 24 December is the last day for Strasbourg, Nuremberg and Dresden, which closes at 2pm that day, and Vienna closes at 6.30pm. Cologne closes the day before, on 23 December 2026.

• When does the Budapest Christmas market close in 2026?

  The organiser of the Vörösmarty Classic Xmas market had not published the 2026 closing date on 29 October 2026; the market opens on 13 November. Check its site before booking a trip after Christmas.

• Do I need a Crit'Air sticker to drive to Strasbourg's Christmas market?

  Yes for a UK car inside Strasbourg’s low-emission zone, which applies 24 hours a day across 33 towns. The sticker costs €5.11 (about £4) on the official French site; our Crit’Air guide explains how to order it.