Amiens Christmas Market 2026: Day Trip from Paris

Amiens rarely makes France’s most popular lists, which is exactly why it’s worth the trip. The Amiens Christmas Market runs past Christmas Day, through the pedestrian streets, with the cathedral lit up in colour after dark. It’s an easy train ride from Paris, but staying the night means you won’t be racing the last train home.

Amiens Christmas Market 2026

Dates

Status: Confirmed
Amiens dates: 20th November to 30th 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 Marché de Noël d’Amiens.

Plan Your Visit

Location and Times

Location: 2km stretch from Place René Goblet to Place de l’Hôtel de Ville
Opening times:
Sunday to Thursday: 11am to 7:30pm
Friday and Saturday: 11am to 9pm
Christmas Eve: 11am to 5pm
Christmas Day: Closed
30th December: 11am to 5pm

Travel and Accommodation

Recommended tour: Somme battlefields day trip
Parking: Please take public transport to help limit congestion. On-street parking in the centre is free from 5:30pm.
Public transport: Trains from Paris take about 1hr to 1hr 30mins.
Where to stay: Mercure Amiens Cathédrale is located 100 metres from the square.

Amenities and Attractions

Admission: Free
Lights: Evening Chroma light show at Notre-Dame Cathedral, 7pm
Santa: Yes, at the Town Hall courtyard
Ice skating: Square Saint-Denis
Reason to visit: UNESCO cathedral backdrop, 130 chalets, Father Christmas for kids, mulled beer for adults.

Dietary Options

Vegetarian: Some options.
Vegan: Some options.
Gluten free: Limited.
Specialities: Waffles, chocolate pancakes, tartiflette.

Accessibility

Accessible: Yes.
Pet-friendly: Yes, but not recommended during busy periods.

Convenient Hotels

The historic city centre is the best area to stay for quick access to Place Notre-Dame. A convenient choice is the Mercure Amiens Cathédrale, well located near the market.

Read our complete France Christmas Markets guide.

Recommended Tours

A full day on the Somme battlefields with a guide who knows the ground and the order things happened in. Driving yourself gets you to the same fields with none of the explanation. It leaves from Paris, not Amiens. If you are Australian, ask about Villers-Bretonneux when you book.

Visitor Feedback

What Visitors Loved

• The sheer length of it surprises people. Two kilometres of pedestrian streets lined with chalets feels far bigger than most expect, and some visitors rate it alongside the better-known markets in Alsace.
• The Chroma show on the cathedral is the moment most visitors single out, and it costs nothing to watch.
• Arriving by train is easy, with the market streets a short walk from the station and no parking to worry about.
• Families find plenty for children beyond the stalls, from Father Christmas to the merry-go-rounds and the parades that wind through town.

Common Complaints

• Saturday afternoons and parade days get very crowded, with long waits at the most popular food stalls.
• Some visitors feel the Picardy produce is diluted by international and generic stalls, so the local food takes a little hunting.
• The distance, the cobbles and the damp northern cold wear people down faster than they expect.
• Driving into the centre in December is slow going, and visitors who used the park and ride or the train had an easier time.

The Bottom Line

Amiens rewards a patient visitor: walk the full length, eat something Picard, and time your evening around the cathedral show. Come on a weekday afternoon, stay until after dark, and leave the car at the edge of town.

Location

What to Expect

Notre-Dame Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in France and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the backdrop that sets Amiens apart. Its Chroma light show projects the colours the west front was once painted in back onto the carved stone, and it is the main event of any evening visit.

The market’s more than 100 chalets line the main pedestrian shopping streets, so you browse it as a long walk rather than a single square. It pairs well with the Somme battlefields: spend the day on the old front line, then come back into town for the evening, when the market is at its liveliest.

For children there’s Father Christmas and a few merry-go-rounds, and the food stalls lean towards Picardy specialities rather than the usual market fare. Leave time for the Saint-Leu quarter below the cathedral, where the canal-side restaurants along Quai Bélu make a warmer place for dinner than a chalet counter.

Picardy Regional Specialties

• Macarons d’Amiens: Soft almond pastries that originated in Amiens, often flavoured with honey or fruit.
• Ficelle picarde: Ham and mushroom crêpes baked in cream sauce.
• Pâté de canard d’Amiens: Duck pâté baked whole in a pastry crust, a city speciality.
• Gâteau battu: A tall, buttery Picard brioche baked in a fluted mould.
• Tuiles amiénoises: Thin chocolate biscuits with orange peel, made by the city’s confectioners.
• Locally made mulled beer: Local beer combined with warming spices.
• Picardy cheeses: Look for Rollot, a small washed-rind cheese from the Somme, and the pungent Maroilles.
• Tartiflette: An Alpine import rather than a Picard dish, but potatoes, reblochon, lardons and onions baked together are hard to beat on a cold night.

Gifts and Souvenirs

• Picardy pottery: Hand-painted ceramics with local landscape designs.
• Lace: Doilies, tablecloths and clothing from local artisans.
• Macarons and tuiles: Boxed macarons d’Amiens and chocolate tuiles travel well and make an edible gift that is genuinely from here.
• Local honey: Jars from Picardy producers in a range of flavours.
• Lafleur puppets: Lafleur is the cheeky valet of Amiens’ traditional puppet theatre (Chés Cabotans d’Amiens), and a puppet or figurine of him is a souvenir no other city can offer.
• Wooden toys: Traditional toys crafted by local artisans.
• Gourmet food baskets: Local produce, including cheeses, sausages and jams.
• Regional drinks: Picardy beers, ciders and liqueurs.

Sustainability Tips

• Low-energy illuminations: The market’s lights have been completely renewed and now run only on low-energy LEDs, and the street illuminations along the pedestrian axis switch off overnight.
• Sort your waste: Dedicated bins across the site separate paper, plastic, glass and food waste, so use the right one when you finish your ficelle.
• Secondhand decorations: More than half of the street decorations were bought secondhand and reworked rather than made new.
• Charity chalets: Several chalets are given over to local associations and community projects, which makes them a good place to spend your gift budget.
• Free Saturday buses: The whole Ametis bus network is free on Saturdays, the market’s busiest day.
• Park and ride: Four free park-and-ride car parks on the edge of the city (Grand A Amiens Glisy, IUT, Shopping Promenade and Pôle Licorne) connect to the centre on the Nemo rapid bus lines.
• Train and Vélam bikes: Direct trains from Paris Gare du Nord arrive a short walk from the market streets, and Vélam bike-share stations at Gambetta and Alsace-Lorraine cover the rest of the centre.