More than 600 stars hang above the old town in Advent, and they don’t just glow: they run through a light sequence made for this city. The St Gallen Christmas Market sits right in the middle of it, a small cluster of huts selling handmade gifts. You’ll find yourself looking up as often as you look at the stalls.
St Gallen Christmas Market 2026
Dates
Status: Confirmed
St Gallen dates: 26th November to 24th December 2026
Last checked: October 2026
Update: Dates were announced in May. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of changes.
Source: Verified by Ultimate Christmas Markets via Sternenstadt.
Plan Your Visit
Location and Times
Location: Gallusplatz, Vadian at Marktplatz, Bohl and Bärenplatz
Opening times:
Gift and Food Stalls (Gallusplatz):
Monday to Friday: 11am to 7pm
Saturday and Sunday: 11am to 6pm
Food and Mulled Wine Stalls (Vadian):
Monday to Wednesday: 11am to 9pm
Thursday: 11am to 10pm
Friday and Saturday: 11am to 9pm
Sunday: 11am to 7pm
Opening day: 11am to 8pm
Christmas Eve: 11am to 4pm
Christmas Day: Closed
Travel and Accommodation
Recommended Tour: abbey and old town tour
Parking: Please take public transport to help limit congestion.
Where to stay: Hotel Walhalla is a popular hotel, 8 minutes from the centre square.
Amenities and Attractions
Admission: Free
Santa: Chlausritt (St Nicholas procession), 3rd December 2026, 5:30pm to 7:50pm at the Reithalle.
Ice skating: No
Reason to visit: A UNESCO World Heritage Site providing a historical backdrop.
Dietary Options
Vegetarian: Plenty of options.
Vegan: Some options.
Gluten-free: Limited.
Food specialities: St Gallen bratwurst, biberli gingerbread, raclette and schüblig sausages.
Accessibility
Accessible: Yes.
Pet-friendly: Yes, but not recommended.
Convenient Hotels
A great place to stay is Hotel Walhalla, which has excellent ratings and an enviable location near Waaghaus.
For a round-up of the most popular places to visit, read my guide to the Christmas markets in Switzerland.
Recommended Tours
The Abbey Library is UNESCO-listed and one of the finest Baroque interiors anywhere. Walk in without a guide and you’ll look at it for four minutes and leave. The abbey and old town tour covers the precinct and the cathedral properly. Time it to finish under the Sternenstadt lights.
Location
What to Expect
During Advent, St Gallen becomes the Star City (Sternenstadt). More than 600 stars hang over the old town and the UNESCO-listed Abbey District, and they don’t simply shine: they run through a light sequence designed for this city, switched on at a small ceremony on the opening evening.
The market itself is compact, just over two dozen wooden huts on Gallus Square (Gallusplatz) beside the abbey, selling handmade gifts and decorations. The food and mulled wine stalls are a few minutes’ walk away around the Vadian monument, which is where people gather once it’s dark.
A tall decorated tree stands on the abbey square in front of the cathedral’s baroque towers. When the lanes get busy, the cathedral and St Laurence’s Church are both close by for a few quiet minutes.
On two Saturdays early in the season, the Christkindlimarkt brings small makers and private sellers to Gallus Square and the lanes around it, which makes those the days to come for one-off handmade gifts.
Don’t miss the St Gallen wrapping paper, a local favourite sold at the Tourist Information and Boutique Späti. It’s a small way to take a piece of the Star City home with you.
Regional Specialties
- St Gallen Bratwurst: A pale veal sausage made with milk, mace and nutmeg, grilled and served with a bürli, a crusty Swiss bread roll. It’s traditionally eaten without mustard.
- Biberli: Small gingerbread cakes filled with sweet almond paste, often embossed with a design on top. A St Gallen and Appenzell speciality that travels well.
- Raclette: Semi-hard cheese melted and scraped over boiled potatoes, pickles and onions.
- Schüblig: A large sausage of beef and bacon, sometimes with veal, and unlike the bratwurst it comes with hot mustard.
At the Food Stalls
- Glühwein: Mulled wine, the drink most people carry while they wander the lanes under the stars.
- Swiss chocolate: Dark, milk and filled chocolates, including creations from local chocolatiers that are easy to pack.
- Apfelküchlein: Swiss apple fritters, rings of apple dipped in batter, deep-fried and dusted with icing sugar.
- Cervelat: Switzerland’s everyday sausage, grilled with its ends scored so they curl open, and a cheaper alternative to the bratwurst.
What to Buy
- St Gallen lace and embroidery: The city built its name on fine embroidered textiles, and the work turns up as tablecloths, table runners, handkerchiefs and doilies.
- Appenzeller cheese: Hard cow’s milk cheese from the nearby Appenzell region, washed in a herbal brine and sold at different ages.
- Wooden toys: Handcrafted puzzles, games and music boxes.
Comment below if you want to leave a Xmas review, have any questions or would like to report any inaccuracies.
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Recommendations are independently chosen based on personal travel experiences and extensive research. While we make every effort to provide accurate information, the dates and details listed here should not be relied upon as definitive. Please consult the official website before booking your trip or planning a visit.
We just went to the St. Gallen Christmas Market after reading the commentary here. It was a total disappointment. There were mainly food & drink stalls, but only a handful of stalls selling crafts or Christmas items. Even a waitress at a local establishment commented that their market was “sad!”
Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it will be better this year.