A Guide to Europe and Beyond
I’ve spent more than 20 years visiting Christmas markets across Europe, and I built this site to share everything I’ve learned. Ultimate Christmas Markets covers 300+ destinations with dates, locations and honest recommendations, all verified and updated monthly so you can plan with confidence.
Dates: 27th November to 24th December 2026
Most Christmas markets open in the days leading up to the start of Advent. Many continue past Christmas Eve into the new year, and some run as late as Epiphany on 6th January. Check our individual destination guides for confirmed dates and opening hours for each market.
Ultimate Christmas Markets is brought to you by Andrea Anastasakis, the Australian travel blogger behind the European road trip travel blog Rearview Mirror. — I moved to Europe in 1999 to study French for a year and ended up staying for more than two decades. I've lived and worked in France, the UK, Hungary, Albania and several other countries, and I've been visiting Christmas markets across the continent for ...
Most German cities give you one market and one mood. The Hanover Christmas Market runs four at once, from a Lappish tent serving ...
The lights came first. Essen has been staging its Lichtwochen (Light Weeks) since 1950, and the Essen Christmas Market now sets up ...
After several seasons exiled to Bebelplatz while the square was rebuilt, the Gendarmenmarkt Christmas Market is finally back where it ...