20 Best Christmas Markets in Germany, With 2026-2027 Dates

Germany’s 20 biggest Christmas markets open between 16 and 27 November 2026, and most of them close on 22, 23 or 24 December, with Berlin, Düsseldorf, Lübeck and Braunschweig carrying on into the week after Christmas. Every date on this page comes from that market’s own site or from its city’s tourism office rather than from a listings aggregator, because several German markets still show last year’s dates on pages that read as current. This guide to Germany’s 20 largest Christmas markets gives each one its city, its 2026 opening and closing dates, its opening hours and the one thing that separates it from the market in the next city.

2026 dates for all 20 markets

The table below lists each market’s German name, its city, its 2026 dates and its federal state. All 20 dates are published by the market or the city itself. The Berlin row lists the Gendarmenmarkt WeihnachtsZauber, and Berlin’s Alexanderplatz market runs from 23 November to 26 December 2026.

Why German Christmas markets open when they do

German Christmas markets set their opening date from the first Sunday of Advent, which falls on 29 November in 2026, and most of them open in the week or two before it. The Sunday before that, 22 November 2026, is Totensonntag, a day of remembrance in the German Protestant calendar, and Cologne, Rothenburg and Trier all close completely for it while Aachen and Düsseldorf cut their hours. Closing dates cluster on 22, 23 and 24 December, because a market that trades on Christmas Eve usually stops at lunchtime. Four of the 20 keep going after Christmas: Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt to 31 December, Düsseldorf and Lübeck to 30 December, and Braunschweig to 29 December.

1. Nuremberg Christmas Market

The Nuremberg Christkindlesmarkt runs from 27 November to 24 December 2026 on the Hauptmarkt, open daily from 10am to 9pm and closing at 2pm on Christmas Eve. Nuremberg’s Christkind opens the market with a spoken prologue from the balcony of the Frauenkirche, and the wooden huts with their red-and-white cloth roofs give the market its nickname, the little town of wood and cloth. What sets this one apart is the strictness of the trading rules: the goods are deliberately traditional, so the stalls sell Nuremberg Lebkuchen, fruit bread, gold-foil angels, nativity figures and carved wooden ornaments rather than the general gift stock found elsewhere. City archive researchers re-read the market’s oldest surviving evidence, an inscribed wooden chip box held by the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, and moved the first documented year from 1628 to 1678, so the market is around 350 years old and not the 400 that many older write-ups still claim. Nuremberg has also already published its 2027 dates, 26 November to 24 December 2027, which is unusual this far ahead. Our full Nuremberg Christmas Markets guide covers the Sister Cities Market and the children’s Kinderweihnacht separately.

2. Dresden Christmas Market

The Dresden Striezelmarkt runs from 25 November to 24 December 2026 on the Altmarkt, and 2026 is its 592nd edition. Dresden’s market is the oldest documented Christmas market in Germany, first recorded in 1434, which is where the 592 comes from. Its distinguishing feature is Saxon craft: the Erzgebirge mountains an hour south are where wooden nutcrackers, incense-smoking figures and turned Christmas pyramids are made, and Dresden is where they are sold at source. The other local speciality is Dresdner Christstollen, a butter-heavy fruit loaf whose name is legally protected and which is sold under a certification seal during the market. Our full Dresden Christmas Market guide covers the Altmarkt, Neumarkt and Augustusmarkt sections individually.

3. Cologne Christmas Market

Cologne’s Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom runs from 16 November to 23 December 2026 on Roncalliplatz, and those dates are now final. Cologne closes this market completely on Totensonntag, 22 November 2026, and opens Sunday to Wednesday from 11am to 9pm, Thursday and Friday from 11am to 10pm and Saturday from 10am to 10pm. The 16 November start makes Cologne the earliest of the big-city markets in this guide by three days. The city’s other main draw is that its markets are walkable as a set: Heinzels Wintermärchen on the Heumarkt and Alter Markt, which adds an open-air ice rink, opens on 23 November, and the harbour market sits by the Chocolate Museum on the Rhine. Our full Cologne Christmas Market guide covers all of them.

4. Berlin Christmas Market

Berlin’s WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt runs from 23 November to 31 December 2026 and is the one market in this guide that charges to get in. Berlin sets that entry fee at €2 ($2, £2), waives it Monday to Friday between 11am and 2pm except on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December, and lets children under 12 and visitors with a German disability card in free throughout. The market opens daily from 11am to 10pm and until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, sits on the square between the Deutscher Dom, the Französischer Dom and the Konzerthaus, and runs a ticketed New Year’s Eve programme at €9 ($10, £8). Berlin’s second big market, on Alexanderplatz, runs from 23 November to 26 December 2026 under a new concept with no fairground, open daily from 11am to 10pm with free entry. Berlin also has the country’s longest festive season: the Weihnachts-Rummel at Landsberger Allee opens on 31 October 2026, and the Wintermarkt at the Humboldt Forum runs from 18 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Our full Berlin Christmas Markets guide covers Spandau and the Nikolaiviertel as well.

5. Frankfurt Christmas Market

The Frankfurter Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 23 November to 22 December 2026, open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 9pm and Sunday from 11am to 9pm. Frankfurt spreads its market over six connected squares and quaysides, Römerberg, Paulsplatz, Mainkai, Hauptwache, Roßmarkt and Friedrich-Stoltze-Platz, so it is one long walk rather than a single square. Römerberg, framed by the half-timbered Ostzeile houses, carries the main Christmas tree and the stage, and brass players still perform from the balcony of the Nikolaikirche during the market. The local things to eat and drink are specific to this city and hard to find at other German markets: Bethmännchen, a marzipan cookie marked with three almond halves, Quetschemännchen, little figures made from dried plums, and hot Apfelwein, Frankfurt’s mulled apple wine, in place of the usual Glühwein. Frankfurt is also the easiest of these 20 cities to reach from abroad, because the airport connects to the Hauptwache stalls by direct S-Bahn in under 20 minutes.

6. Hamburg Christmas Market

Hamburg’s flagship market, Roncalli’s Historischer Weihnachtsmarkt, runs from 23 November to 23 December 2026 on the Rathausmarkt in front of the neo-Renaissance city hall. Hamburg hands the square to the Roncalli circus family, and that is what makes it different: the stalls are styled as a nostalgic fairground, and a costumed Santa flies over the crowd on a sleigh rig several times a day rather than sitting in a grotto. The market’s craft stalls lean towards traditional trades, including glassblowing, wood carving and candle making, and the food stalls serve northern German dishes such as roast goose, kale stew and smoked fish alongside the usual roasted almonds. Hamburg runs several other markets in the same weeks, including one on the Jungfernstieg beside the Binnenalster lake, so the Rathausmarkt is a starting point rather than the whole trip. The setting, canals on one side and the brick warehouses of the Speicherstadt a few minutes’ walk away, gives it a maritime feel that the inland markets do not have.

7. Munich Christmas Market

Munich’s Christkindlmarkt runs from 20 November to 24 December 2026 around Marienplatz, open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 9pm, Sunday from 10am to 8pm and until 2pm on Christmas Eve. Munich licensed 137 stalls for the 2026 market, and the tree on Marienplatz stays lit until Epiphany on 6 January, well after the stalls have gone. The city’s own tourism office dates the market’s documented roots to the 17th century and notes that it has stood on Marienplatz in its present form since 1972. What marks it out is the live Advent music played from the town hall balcony from Sunday to Thursday, with Bavarian folk ensembles, brass groups and choirs performing above the square rather than on a stage inside it. The 20 November opening also makes Munich one of the few large markets running a full nine days before the first Advent Sunday.

8. Stuttgart Christmas Market

The Stuttgarter Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 25 November to 23 December 2026 across Schlossplatz, Marktplatz and the streets between them. Stuttgart drew about 3.5 million visitors in 2025, which puts it among the busiest in the country. Its signature is the roof decoration: stallholders compete to build the most elaborate scene on top of their hut, with model villages, moving figures and lit landscapes above head height, and the city has judged and awarded them for decades. The market wraps around the Altes Schloss, whose Renaissance courtyard hosts the opening concert, and an ice rink and a children’s area sit on the neighbouring Schlossplatz. Our full Stuttgart Christmas Market guide covers each square individually.

9. Leipzig Christmas Market

The Leipziger Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 24 November to 23 December 2026, open Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 9pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 10pm. Leipzig traces its market to a charter of 1458, which makes it the second oldest in this guide after Dresden. The market is split across several themed areas in the old town rather than concentrated on one square, including a medieval market at the Naschmarkt, a Finnish village and a children’s area, with the main tree on Augustusplatz. Opening day works differently here: stalls may open from 11am, must be open by 2pm, and the formal opening happens around 5pm. Our full Leipzig Christmas Market guide covers each of the areas in detail.

10. Heidelberg Christmas Market

The Heidelberger Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 23 November to 22 December 2026 across Marktplatz, Universitätsplatz, Kornmarkt and Bismarckplatz. Heidelberg then keeps two parts of it open past Christmas: the Bismarckplatz stalls and the Kornmarkt fir-tree grove run to 1 January 2027, and the ice rink stays open to 10 January 2027. That makes Heidelberg one of the few places in this guide with something festive still standing in the first week of January. The setting is the reason to come, since Kornmarkt sits directly beneath the red sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle, and the ice rink runs at the foot of the old town rather than out in a suburb. Our full Heidelberg Christmas Market guide covers each square separately.

11. Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas Market

The Rothenburg Reiterlesmarkt runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026 on the Marktplatz and the streets around it, and closes for Totensonntag on 22 November. Rothenburg is the smallest place in this guide and the only one still enclosed by its complete medieval wall, so the market fills a walled town rather than a city square. The Reiterle the market is named after is a figure from local folklore, a rider who was once thought to lead the souls of the dead and who now opens the market on horseback. Rothenburg’s other year-round draw is its Christmas museum and the Käthe Wohlfahrt shop below it, which sells decorations in December and in July alike. Our full Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas Market guide covers the walled-town setting in more depth.

12. Lübeck Christmas Market

Lübeck’s main Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 23 November to 30 December 2026 on the Markt in front of the brick-Gothic Rathaus, one of the longest runs in this guide. Lübeck stacks several separate markets into the same weeks on the same old-town island, so the dates differ by a few days each: the Historischer Weihnachtsmarkt beside St Mary’s Church closes on 23 December, the Maritimer Weihnachtsmarkt on 29 December and the main market on 30 December. The city sells itself as the Christmas city of the north, and its distinguishing product is marzipan, made in Lübeck by Niederegger since 1806 and sold in Christmas shapes at the market and in the company’s own café on Breite Straße. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the walk between market squares passes the Holstentor gate and the salt warehouses on the canal. Lübeck is about 70 km (43.5 mi) north-east of Hamburg, which makes it an easy day trip by regional train if you are already at the Rathausmarkt.

13. Aachen Christmas Market

The Aachener Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 20 November to 23 December 2026 and opens daily from 11am to 9pm. Aachen wraps its stalls around the cathedral, the Rathaus and the Katschhof square between the two, so the market sits inside the historic core rather than beside it. The cathedral is Charlemagne’s burial place and was the first site in Germany added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, which gives this market the strongest historical backdrop of any in the guide. The food to try here is Aachener Printen, a hard spiced gingerbread baked in the city since the early 19th century and sweetened with sugar beet syrup rather than honey, which is why it tastes noticeably different from Nuremberg’s Lebkuchen. Aachen sits at the point where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet, so it is a common first or last stop on a multi-country market trip.

14. Düsseldorf Christmas Market

The Düsseldorfer Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 19 November to 30 December 2026, open Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 8pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 9pm. Düsseldorf opens earlier than any other market in this guide except Rüdesheim and keeps trading until 30 December, which gives it one of the longest seasons in Germany. Rather than one large market, the city runs a chain of smaller themed ones through the Altstadt and along the Kö shopping boulevard, each with its own hut design, so walking between them is the point. The Rhine promenade sits at the end of that walk, and the Altstadt behind it has the highest density of brewpubs serving Altbier in the country. Our full Düsseldorf Christmas Market guide covers each of the themed markets.

15. Erfurt Christmas Market

The Erfurter Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 24 November to 22 December 2026 on the Domplatz, and 2026 is its 176th edition. Erfurt puts its market on a wide square at the foot of a staircase leading up to two churches, the Gothic cathedral and St Severus, which are floodlit above the stalls, and the city’s tourism office counts more than a million visitors a year. The set pieces are a hand-carved nativity scene with life-size figures and a large Christmas pyramid, both permanent fixtures of the Domplatz layout. Thuringia is sausage country, so Thüringer Rostbratwurst grilled over pine cones is the thing to eat here, alongside Erfurter Schittchen, the local version of stollen. Erfurt is compact enough to combine with the medieval Krämerbrücke, a bridge lined with inhabited shops, a few minutes’ walk from the market.

16. Bremen Christmas Market

Bremen runs two markets side by side from 23 November to 23 December 2026: the traditional Weihnachtsmarkt on the Marktplatz and the Schlachte-Zauber on the river. The Marktplatz market surrounds the Rathaus, the Roland statue and the Bremen Town Musicians sculpture, all of which sit on the same square, and the Rathaus and Roland together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Schlachte-Zauber is the one that makes Bremen different: it runs along the Weser promenade with a Hanseatic and maritime theme, wooden ships moored at the quay, open fires, and traders in period dress, and it opens Sunday to Thursday from 11am to 8.30pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 9.30pm. The walk between the two takes about ten minutes. The local Christmas bake is Bremer Klaben, a dense fruit loaf heavier on raisins than stollen and traditionally eaten in slices with butter.

17. Braunschweig Christmas Market

The Braunschweiger Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 25 November to 29 December 2026 around the Dom St. Blasii and the Platz der Deutschen Einheit, opening at 5.45pm on the first evening. Braunschweig sets its market on Burgplatz, a square ringed by a Romanesque cathedral, the Dankwarderode castle and the bronze lion Henry the Lion had cast in 1166, which is a more compact historical set than most cities can offer. Trading past Christmas to 29 December puts it among the four markets in this guide still open in the week between the holidays. The regional drink is Braunschweiger Mumme, a thick malt extract brewed here since the Middle Ages and used in the market’s mulled drinks and cakes rather than drunk straight. Our full Braunschweig Christmas Market guide covers the surrounding medieval quarter in more depth.

18. Münster Christmas Market

Münster runs six separate Christmas markets from 23 November 2026, four of them closing on 23 December and two, the Lichtermarkt and the Giebelhüüskesmarkt, closing a day earlier on 22 December. Münster’s markets all sit within a 15-minute walk of each other in the old town, which is what the city means when it advertises a market walk rather than a market. The six are the Rathaus market in the arcaded courtyard behind the historic town hall, the Aegidii market around a wooden pyramid with a half-hourly carillon, the Lichtermarkt with its blue-roofed huts at the foot of St Lamberti church, the Giebelhüüskesmarkt outside the Liebfrauen-Überwasserkirche, the Kiepenkerl village among half-timbered houses, and the X-MS market on Harsewinkelplatz, which stocks only local and regional makers. The Rathaus market is the oldest and largest of them, with around 90 stalls split roughly 70% crafts to 30% food, and the city expects about a million visitors across the six. Our full Münster Christmas Market guide covers each one individually.

19. Rüdesheim Christmas Market

The Rüdesheimer Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen runs from 19 November to 23 December 2026, open Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 11am to 8pm and Friday and Saturday from 11am to 9pm. Rüdesheim gives this market a theme no other German market uses: the stalls represent nations from several continents, so the goods and the food are Peruvian, Nepalese, Finnish and Hungarian as often as they are German. The town itself is small and sits in the Rhine Gorge among vineyards, and the market runs through the Drosselgasse and the narrow streets around it rather than on an open square. A cable car climbs from the edge of town over the vines to the Niederwald monument, which is worth doing in daylight before the market opens. Our full Rüdesheim Christmas Market guide covers the nation-by-nation stalls in more depth.

20. Trier Christmas Market

The Trierer Weihnachtsmarkt runs from 20 November to 22 December 2026 on the Hauptmarkt and the Domfreihof, closes for Totensonntag on 22 November, and 2026 is its 46th edition. Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded by the Romans, and the market sits between a medieval market square and the cathedral, the oldest in the country. A large lit Christmas pyramid stands at the centre of the Hauptmarkt and is the market’s landmark. Trier is also a Mosel wine town, so the mulled wine here is made from local Riesling rather than bought in, and the market runs tastings from a dedicated stall. Our full Trier Christmas Market guide covers both squares separately.

Which is Germany’s oldest Christmas market?

Dresden’s Striezelmarkt is Germany’s oldest documented Christmas market, first recorded in 1434 and holding its 592nd edition in 2026. Leipzig comes next with a charter dated 1458. Nuremberg is often assumed to be the oldest because it is the most famous, but its earliest confirmed record is 1678, which makes it roughly 350 years old rather than the 400 that older guides repeat.

Which German Christmas market is the largest?

No single market holds that title, because German cities measure size differently and several count multiple markets as one. Stuttgart reported about 3.5 million visitors in 2025, Erfurt and Münster each count around a million, and Dresden, Frankfurt and Leipzig all spread across several squares rather than one. Nuremberg is the most internationally recognised of them without being the biggest by stall count.

Which German Christmas market suits families with kids?

Nuremberg is the easiest market for families, because it runs a separate children’s market, the Kinderweihnacht, beside the main Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt. Its stalls sell toys, sweets and children’s clothing, and the programme includes puppet shows, a carousel and a lantern procession through the old town. Heidelberg, Stuttgart and Cologne are the next easiest with children, because each has an ice rink within the market itself.

What should you eat and drink at a German Christmas market?

Glühwein, bratwurst and lebkuchen are what almost every stall sells, but the regional items below are the ones worth planning a stop for.

1. Glühwein. Red wine mulled with cinnamon, cloves and citrus, served in a keepsake mug that carries a deposit you can reclaim or keep as a souvenir. Trier makes its version from local Mosel Riesling, and Frankfurt serves hot Apfelwein instead.
2. Stollen. A dense butter-and-fruit loaf dusted with icing sugar. Dresden’s Christstollen has protected status and is sold with a certification seal, while Bremen’s Klaben is the northern equivalent.
3. Lebkuchen. Spiced gingerbread pressed into hearts and rounds. Nuremberg’s Elisenlebkuchen is made with a high nut content and almost no flour, and Aachen’s Printen is a harder, syrup-sweetened version.
4. Bratwurst. Grilled pork sausage in a roll with mustard, sold everywhere. Thuringia’s Rostbratwurst in Erfurt and Nuremberg’s finger-sized Rostbratwürstl are the two regional versions worth ordering by name.
5. Reibekuchen. Fried grated-potato pancakes served with apple sauce, most common at the North Rhine-Westphalian markets in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Aachen and Münster.
6. Feuerzangenbowle. Mulled wine served under a rum-soaked sugar loaf set alight over the bowl, poured once the sugar has caramelised into it.

Do you have to pay to get into a German Christmas market?

Almost all German Christmas markets are free to enter, and 19 of the 20 in this guide charge nothing at the gate. Berlin’s WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt is the exception: entry costs €2 ($2, £2), it is free Monday to Friday from 11am to 2pm except on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December, and children under 12 get in free at any time. Everywhere else you pay only for what you buy, plus extras inside the market such as ice rinks, rides and Glühwein mug deposits.

Do German Christmas markets still sell handmade goods?

Yes, several of the crafts sold at German Christmas markets are still made by the workshops that have always made them. Erzgebirge wood turning and carving, the source of the nutcrackers, smoking figures and Christmas pyramids sold from Dresden to Münster, is a recognised craft tradition on Germany’s national inventory of intangible cultural heritage. Nuremberg licenses its stalls on the condition that the goods stay traditional, and Münster’s Rathaus market runs at roughly 70% crafts to 30% food, which is a much higher craft share than a typical market.

Fun facts about German Christmas traditions

Four Christmas customs now used worldwide started in Germany, and each one is named below with the region or period it came from.

1. The decorated Christmas tree is a German invention. German households were hanging apples, candles and paper ornaments on evergreen firs by the 16th century, long before the custom reached Britain or the United States.
2. The Advent calendar started with German Lutherans. 19th-century families counted down the days to Christmas with chalk marks and printed sheets, which became the printed door-and-picture calendar sold worldwide today.
3. The nutcracker figure comes from one small mountain region. The carved soldier was developed by woodworkers in the Erzgebirge on the Czech border in the late 16th century, and the same family workshops still supply the markets.
4. The Christkind, not Santa, brings the presents in southern Germany. Nuremberg’s market is named after the Christkind for that reason, and the figure opens the market in person each year.

Getting between Germany’s Christmas markets

Germany’s rail network reaches every market in this guide, and in most cities the market is a short walk from the main station. Deutsche Bahn runs the intercity services, and German rail tickets are cheapest booked well ahead on fixed-time fares. For local and regional travel there is the Deutschlandticket, a monthly subscription that costs €63 ($73, £54) as of August 2026 and covers buses, trams, U-Bahn, S-Bahn and regional trains nationwide, though not the fast ICE and IC services. If you are combining several cities, compare trains and coaches on one search, because a coach often undercuts the train on long legs such as Cologne to Dresden. Book beds early, since market weekends fill months ahead: hotels across Germany go fast in Nuremberg, Rothenburg and Dresden in particular. For long-haul visitors, flights into Frankfurt, Munich or Berlin put you within two hours of most of this list, and our guide to traditional German food covers what to eat once the stalls have closed for the night.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

The 5 tips below come from checking all 20 markets against their own sites for the 2026 season, and each one changes which dates you book.

1. Keep Sunday 22 November clear. That date is Totensonntag in 2026, and Cologne, Rothenburg and Trier close completely for it while Aachen and Düsseldorf cut their hours. A weekend trip planned around 21 and 22 November loses half its markets.
2. Budget €2 for Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt, or go on a weekday morning. It is the only market in this guide with a gate fee, and entry is free Monday to Friday between 11am and 2pm except on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December.
3. Travel between Christmas and New Year for the quiet version. Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt runs to 31 December, Düsseldorf and Lübeck to 30 December and Braunschweig to 29 December, while the other 16 markets have already packed up.
4. Expect a new look at Alexanderplatz. Berlin’s Alexanderplatz market runs from 23 November to 26 December 2026 under a new concept with no fairground, so its old rides are not part of the 2026 edition. The Gendarmenmarkt, Humboldt Forum and RAW markets also have confirmed dates.
5. Start in Cologne if you want a market in mid-November. Cologne opens on 16 November, ahead of every other big city here, with Düsseldorf and Rüdesheim on 19 November and Munich, Aachen, Rothenburg and Trier on 20 November. Everything else waits for the week before Advent.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh. The team covers Germany’s Christmas markets for independent travellers, including the trains, coaches and hotels worth booking between Nuremberg, Dresden, Cologne and the rest of this list, and rechecks every date on this page against the market’s own site each season.