Christmas Market Dates 2026: 10 European Markets and How to Link Them by Train

European Christmas markets do not all open on the same day, and they do not all close on Christmas Eve. In 2026 the first of the big ones opens on November 13 and the last of them is listed to run until January 6, 2027, a window of almost eight weeks. Pick the wrong week and you can land in a city the day after its market packed up, or two days before it opens. This guide lists the 2026 dates for ten of the best-known markets in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic, in the order they open, then shows three train loops that link them and the dates when every market on each loop is open at the same time.

How these dates were checked. Every date and opening time below comes from the market's own site or the city's official page, checked in October 2026, and each one is cited. Two details were not yet published when this was written: Strasbourg's closing date and Colmar's daily hours. For those, the guide says so instead of guessing. Hours can still change, so check the official page the week before you travel.

The 2026 calendar in one paragraph. Thanksgiving falls on Thursday, November 26 [21], so a long Thanksgiving weekend overlaps with the opening days of most of these markets. The first Sunday of Advent is November 29. In Germany, the Sunday before that, November 22, is Totensonntag, a quiet day of remembrance, and some German markets close for it. Christmas Eve is a Thursday, and most German markets close in the early afternoon that day.

1. Vienna, Rathausplatz: November 13 to December 26. The Wiener Christkindlmarkt in front of City Hall is the first big market to open. It runs from Friday, November 13 to Saturday, December 26, 2026, daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., closing early at 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve [2]. Because it opens so early and stays open through St. Stephen's Day, Vienna is the easiest market city to fit around a fixed vacation. Vienna also has several smaller markets in other squares and palace courtyards, each with its own dates.

2. Cologne, Cathedral market: November 16 to December 23. The market on Roncalliplatz, right in front of the cathedral, runs from Monday, November 16 to Wednesday, December 23, 2026, and is closed on Sunday, November 22 (Totensonntag) [8]. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday [8]. Note the closing date: it shuts on December 23, not Christmas Eve. Cologne sits apart from the other German markets here; the fastest train to Nuremberg takes about 3 hours 16 minutes [19].

3. Salzburg, Domplatz and Residenzplatz: November 19 to January 1. The Salzburger Christkindlmarkt opens on Thursday, November 19 and runs until Friday, January 1, 2027 [9]. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sundays and holidays [9]. Unlike most markets on this list, it stays open over Christmas: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on December 24, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on December 25 and 26, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on New Year's Day [9]. If your only free days are between Christmas and New Year, Salzburg is one of the few classic markets still running.

4. Munich, Marienplatz: November 20 to December 24. The Münchner Christkindlmarkt starts earlier than it used to: from 2026 it opens on the Friday before Totensonntag, which this year is November 20, and it runs to December 24 [6]. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, with a 2 p.m. close on Christmas Eve [7].

5. Colmar: November 23 to December 29. Colmar's six Christmas markets run from Monday, November 23 to Tuesday, December 29, 2026 [4]. The town is small, and the markets are spread through the old town within walking distance of each other. The 2026 daily hours were not yet posted when this was written, so check the official Christmas site before you plan your evenings. Colmar is also one of the few markets on this list that stays open after Christmas.

6. Dresden, Striezelmarkt: November 25 to December 24. Dresden's market on the Altmarkt holds its 592nd edition in 2026. It opens on Wednesday, November 25 at 4:30 p.m. and runs daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. until Thursday, December 24, when it closes at 2 p.m. [10].

7. Basel, Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz: November 26 to December 23. Basel's market fills two squares from Thursday, November 26 to Wednesday, December 23, 2026, daily from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. [5]. On the last day, Barfüsserplatz closes at 8 p.m. and Münsterplatz at 6 p.m. [5]. Like Cologne, it is closed by Christmas Eve.

8. Strasbourg: opens November 27. Strasbourg's official Christmas site gives the 2026 opening as Friday, November 27 [3]. The 2026 closing date was not yet posted when this was written; last year's edition ran from November 26 to December 24, 2025 [3], so plan on the market ending around Christmas Eve and confirm on the official site. The city spreads its markets across several squares, with the historic Christkindelsmärik on Place Broglie and the big tree on Place Kléber.

9. Nuremberg, Hauptmarkt: November 27 to December 24. The Christkindlesmarkt runs from Friday, November 27 to Thursday, December 24, 2026, daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., ending at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve [1]. Opening night is the one to plan around: the market pauses from 5:30 to 6 p.m. for the opening ceremony and its traditional prologue, and then stays open until 10 p.m. [1].

10. Prague, Old Town Square: November 28 to January 6. Visit Czechia, the national tourism board, lists the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square markets from Saturday, November 28, 2026 to Wednesday, January 6, 2027, with several smaller neighborhood markets, some opening as early as November 20, running until December 24 [11]. Its own FAQ still showed last season's dates when this was written, so confirm on the official page before you book. If the listing holds, Prague is the market on this list that runs latest into January.

Which markets are open over Thanksgiving weekend. If you fly out on Thanksgiving night and land on Friday, November 27, all ten markets are open or opening that weekend. Vienna, Cologne, Salzburg, Munich, Colmar, Dresden, and Basel are already running by Thanksgiving Day; Strasbourg and Nuremberg open on Friday, November 27; and Prague's main squares open on Saturday, November 28 [11]. Earlier in the week, skip Cologne on Sunday, November 22, when it is closed [8].

Which markets close early, and which stay open after Christmas. Two close before Christmas Eve: Cologne and Basel both end on Wednesday, December 23 [8] [5]. On December 24, Nuremberg, Munich, and Dresden close at 2 p.m., Salzburg at 3 p.m., and Vienna's Rathausplatz at 6:30 p.m. [1] [7] [10] [9] [2]. After Christmas, your options are Vienna until December 26, Colmar until December 29, Salzburg until January 1, and Prague's Old Town Square, listed until January 6 [2] [4] [9] [11].

Loop 1: Strasbourg, Colmar, and Basel (3 to 4 days). This is the shortest loop on the list, with trains that run often. Strasbourg to Colmar takes about 31 minutes on average and 26 minutes on the fastest train [12], and Colmar to Basel about 48 minutes on average and 44 minutes at best [13]. All three markets are open at once from Friday, November 27 to Wednesday, December 23, assuming Strasbourg again runs to around Christmas Eve. Many people stay in one place and do the others as day trips; Colmar is small, so an afternoon and an evening there is plenty.

Loop 2: Nuremberg, Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna (6 to 8 days). The fastest train from Nuremberg to Munich normally takes a little over an hour [14]. In 2026, though, Deutsche Bahn has scheduled construction between the two cities from October 30 to December 12, with cancellations, detours, and longer journeys: some ICE lines that usually run to Munich will start or end in Nuremberg instead, and others are rerouted and take about 30 minutes longer [15]. Check the timetable for your exact date. From Munich, the fastest trains to Salzburg take about 1.5 to 1.75 hours [16], and the fastest train from Salzburg to Vienna about 2 hours 25 minutes [17]. All four markets are open together from November 27 to December 24. Run the loop in reverse from Vienna and you can start earlier, as long as you reach Munich on or after November 20 and Nuremberg on or after November 27. If your trip runs past Christmas, end in Salzburg or Vienna, not in Germany.

Loop 3: Dresden and Prague (3 to 5 days). The fastest train from Dresden to Prague takes about 2 hours 13 minutes, with up to five direct trains a day [18], so this pairing works best with a night in each city. Both markets are open together from Saturday, November 28 to Thursday, December 24. Go in that order if you can: Dresden closes at 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve [10], while Prague's Old Town Square is listed until January 6 [11].

Book trains once your route is set. Deutsche Bahn's Sparpreis saver fares start at €21.99 in second class, are only valid on the train you book, can be bought up to 12 months ahead, and are priced by availability [20], so the cheapest seats go first. Weekends in December are when everyone else is traveling too. A good order of operations is to fix your dates around the market calendar above, book flights and rooms, and then book the long-distance trains as soon as your route is settled.

Crowds: go early, go midweek. Popular markets are at their busiest on weekend evenings, and the closer you get to Christmas, the fuller they get. If you can, see the big ones on a weekday morning or late afternoon, and save Saturday night for a smaller market or a neighborhood one. Opening nights are lively too, so if you want to watch Nuremberg's opening ceremony on November 27, get to the Hauptmarkt early.

At a glance, the 2026 dates. Vienna Rathausplatz: November 13 to December 26. Cologne Cathedral: November 16 to December 23, closed November 22. Salzburg: November 19 to January 1. Munich Marienplatz: November 20 to December 24. Colmar: November 23 to December 29. Dresden Striezelmarkt: November 25 to December 24. Basel: November 26 to December 23. Strasbourg: from November 27, closing date to be confirmed. Nuremberg: November 27 to December 24. Prague Old Town Square: listed November 28 to January 6. Best overlap for a multi-city trip: November 28 to December 23, when every market on this list is scheduled to be open (Strasbourg's closing date still to be confirmed).

Getting a group to agree on the week. A Christmas market trip with friends or family usually stalls on two questions: which cities, and which week. Start with the calendar above, then put two or three loops in a Jettova room and let everyone vote on the route and the dates. Each person can book their own flight from their own city and meet the group at the first market. For help choosing between cities, our guide to European Christmas market trips covers what each market is like.

Ready to plan it? Open the Jettova trip planner, enter your dates and budget, and start from Strasbourg or any city on this list. Our AI drafts a day-by-day plan with estimated costs and real booking links, so you can check that your market nights line up with the dates before you spend a dollar.