Leipzig Christmas Market 2026 from the UK: No Flights, So Here's How

People keep searching for Leipzig's Christmas market. Fair enough, it's one of the biggest in Germany. The problem is getting there. This winter there isn't a single scheduled flight from the UK to Leipzig.

Can you fly to Leipzig from the UK?

Not this winter. Leipzig/Halle airport's winter list has 11 destinations in 6 countries and none of them are in the UK, per the local paper Blick on 23 September 2026. Ryanair's old Stansted route has gone.

So you fly to Berlin and take the train. easyJet from Gatwick on Tuesday 1 December, out at 07:45, landing at 10:40, home at 21:30. £79 was the cheapest same-day return on Google Flights for that date, checked on 7 October 2026.

Berlin from Gatwick on Tue 1 Dec: times and today's price

How long is the train from Berlin airport to Leipzig?

The fastest is 1 hour 27 minutes, with at least one change, and there are about 30 a day, per Deutsche Bahn. We haven't priced the train. Fares move with demand, so check bahn.de before you book the flight.

Our rough timing, not a timetable: through the airport by about 11:15, in Leipzig around 13:00, back on a train by about 18:15 to be at the airport two hours before the flight. That's roughly four and a half to five hours in Leipzig. Check the exact trains for your date.

When is the Leipzig Christmas market 2026?

24 November to 23 December 2026, per Leipzig's tourist board. It's one city-run market spread over the old town squares, with the main part on the Markt in front of the Old Town Hall. The tourist board says over 300 stalls this year, and the city says more than two million people came in 2025.

From Leipzig's main station it's about a ten minute walk, or the S-Bahn stops right under the Markt. Sunset on 1 December is just after four, so you get the lights for your last couple of hours.

What's on, square by square

It's one of the oldest Christmas markets in Germany, going back to 1458, and the whole old town becomes one market you can walk end to end.

The Markt is the main square, with a tree about 20 metres high, around 3,000 lights and a stage with something on every day. Right behind the Old Town Hall, a minute or two away, the Naschmarkt has the medieval market, Alt Leipzig. Nikolaikirchhof is about four minutes on. Augustusplatz, about seven minutes east along Grimmaische Straße, has the Finnish village, the South Tyrol village, the fairytale corner and the big wheel.

Opening hours

Sunday to Thursday 11:00 to 21:00, Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 22:00, per the organiser. On a Tuesday it's open the whole time you're there. The city says Saturdays are the busiest, then Fridays, so a Tuesday is about as quiet as it gets.

What it costs once you're there

A mulled wine was about €5 last year, roughly £4.25, plus a €4 mug deposit. For a cheap lunch, the university canteen Mensa am Park near Augustusplatz takes guests, with mains at €5.90 to €8.15 on its 2024 prices. Flame-grilled salmon in a bun, Flammlachs, is the thing to try.

December averages a high of 4.5°C and a low just below freezing, per the German weather service. Wrap up.

Is it worth it for four and a half hours?

If Leipzig is the one you want, yes, just about. If you only want a German Christmas market, stay in Berlin. Same flight, no train, and the Gendarmenmarkt market is open from 23 November. You'd get about 7.7 hours in the city instead.

Berlin's Christmas markets in a day

The Leipzig Christmas market guide

Good to know: mugs at the market carried a €4 deposit in 2024. Germany uses the euro.

BudgetBro founders pay £19 a year, for as long as they stay, and every checked trip is open to them. See the founders offer

Photo credits. Top: Xxlfussel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Old Town Hall: Dguendel, CC BY 3.0.