Aachen Christmas Market 2026: Go for the Gingerbread

Aachen does gingerbread differently, and the Aachen Christmas Market is the easiest place to taste the difference. Printen (gingerbread) come soft or firm, plain or coated in chocolate, and the stalls are close enough together to sample your way round in one easy loop.

Aachen Christmas Market 2026

Dates

Status: Confirmed
Aachen dates: 20th November to 23rd December 2026
Last checked: October 2026

Update: Dates were announced in January. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of changes.

Source: Verified by Ultimate Christmas Markets via Aachener Weihnachtsmarkt.

Plan Your Visit

Location and Times

Location: Aachen Cathedral and Town Hall
Opening times: 11am to 9pm
Sunday of the Dead: 6pm to 9pm
12th December: 11am to 10pm
23rd December: 11am to 8pm
Christmas Day: Closed

Travel and Accommodation

Recommended Tour: cathedral and old town walk
Parking: Please take public transport to help limit congestion.
Where to stay: Hotel 3 Könige is 1-minute from the centre.

Amenities and Attractions

Admission: Free
Lights switch-on: Not announced
Santa: No
Ice skating: No
Reason to visit: Unique location between Cathedral and Town Hall. Famed for traditional Aachen Printen gingerbread.

Dietary Options

Vegetarian: Plenty of options.
Vegan: Plenty of options.
Gluten-free: Yes, but limited.
Specialities: Aachen Printen gingerbread; potato pancakes; marzipan bread.

Accessibility

Accessible: Fully accessible.
Pet-friendly: Dogs are allowed on a lead.

Convenient Hotels

I suggest staying in the Altstadt, the city’s historic centre. This area places you right in the midst of the festive action, within walking distance of the market and other key attractions. The highly rated Hotel 3 Könige is an excellent option in this area.

Read our guide to the best Christmas markets in Germany.

Recommended Tours

Aachen cathedral was Charlemagne’s own chapel and is the oldest in northern Europe, which the city has never explained particularly well to visitors. The cathedral and old town walk fixes that in two hours. Worth having behind you before you start on the Printen.

Visitor Feedback

What Visitors Loved

• The setting wins people over: stalls sit between the cathedral and the town hall, and you can see the lot in a single loop on foot.
• Visitors single out the handmade crafts, which feel more considered than the usual mass-produced stock.
• Printen is the thing everyone takes home, and tasting it fresh at the stalls is a highlight.
• Several visitors noticed a local crowd rather than tour groups, especially outside weekends.

Common Complaints

• Food and drink prices feel high to many visitors, and Glühwein is the biggest sticking point.
• Weekends get properly busy, so the relaxed feel mostly belongs to weekdays.
• Some found the stalls repetitive, with a lot of mulled wine and sausage and fewer varied craft stands.

The Bottom Line

The Aachen Christmas Market is at its best as an unhurried weekday loop, with Printen as the souvenir. Buy it from a dedicated Printen baker rather than a general stall, and keep your Glühwein budget in check.

Event Location

What to Expect

The stalls spread across the main square in front of the Town Hall, the Katschhof courtyard that links the Town Hall to the cathedral, and Münsterplatz, with smaller clusters along Krämer Street (Krämerstraße) and Holzgraben. It is easy to cover in a single loop on foot. Alongside the food stands, the handmade decorations are a draw, with many items made locally.

Regional Specialties

• Aachener Printen: The city’s spiced gingerbread, baked without fat and sold soft (Weichprinten) or firm (Hartprinten), plain, herb-spiced (Kräuterprinten) or coated in chocolate. The name is protected, so genuine Printen come from Aachen and its surroundings.
• Sauerbraten: Marinated beef pot roast, a Rhineland classic that leans sweet and sour.

At the Food Stalls

• Reibekuchen: Rhineland potato fritters, crisp outside and soft inside, served with apple sauce.
• Glühwein: The Öcher Glühwein-Treff is described as the oldest mulled wine stand in Aachen. At the Hexenhof you can drink it from a boot-shaped cup that gets a new design each year.
• Flammkuchen: Not an Aachen dish, since it comes from Alsace, but the Hexenhof’s alpine-hut menu includes it as a savoury alternative to sausage.
• Marzipanbrot: Marzipan shaped like a small loaf of bread and entirely sweet.

What to Buy

• Printen in tins: Decorative tins make them easy to carry home, and Nobis Printen, baking in Aachen since 1858, is one of the long-established names to look for.
• Handmade decorations: Wooden nutcrackers, glass baubles and straw stars, with many items made locally.
• Pottery: Handmade ceramic mugs, bowls and plates.
• Lace: Doilies, table runners and delicate ornaments.

Sustainability Tips

• Use the Park+Ride: Aachen runs five permanent Park+Ride sites, the largest at the Tivoli stadium, and a return bus ticket into the centre covers up to five people for a flat five euros.
• Arrive by train: Aachen Hauptbahnhof is about a ten minute walk from the market, and Cologne is under an hour away by train.
• Take the bus: ASEAG lines 7, 17, 27, 37, 47 and 147 serve the centre, with a bus roughly every 7.5 minutes on weekdays until 8pm.
• Check the cup deposit: The Pfand (deposit) varies from stall to stall, from 50 cents at the Öcher Glühwein-Treff to several euros elsewhere, so ask what you are paying and how to get it back when you order.
• Keep a Hexenhof boot cup: The boot-shaped Glühwein cups are made to be collected, so one souvenir cup beats picking up a separate mug.
• Try Brand’s neighbourhood market: The Brander Adventsmarkt in the Brand district is a smaller local alternative, with an ice rink on Brander Markt.