When Do the Christmas Markets Open in 2026? Opening Dates for 22 European Cities
Most European Christmas markets open between 13 and 28 November 2026. Vienna, Hamburg and Sibiu open first. Nuremberg opens Fri 27 Nov. Amsterdam and Antwerp wait until December. Cheapest day trip we found: Wroclaw for £83 all in (checked October 2026).
See the day trip to Dusseldorf
Christmas market dates change every year, and the big ones do not all open on the same weekend. Below is every market city on our board, in the order they open, with the official 2026 dates and the cheapest same-day trip we've checked from a UK airport.
Open by mid November
- Vienna: Schönbrunn Palace Christmas Market opens Fri 6 Nov, markets run until Wed 6 Jan. Cheapest day trip: £127 from London Stansted. Dates
- Hamburg: Santa Pauli (Spielbudenplatz) opens Mon 9 Nov, markets run until Wed 23 Dec. Cheapest day trip: £125 from London Gatwick. Dates
- Sibiu: Sibiu Christmas Market opens Fri 13 Nov, markets run until Sun 3 Jan. Dates
- Innsbruck: Old Town Christmas Market opens Fri 13 Nov, markets run until Wed 6 Jan. Cheapest day trip: £199.25 from London Gatwick. Dates
- Budapest: Advent Bazilika opens Fri 13 Nov, markets run until Fri 1 Jan. Cheapest day trip: £126 from London Stansted. Dates
Opening 16 to 22 November
- Cologne: Markt der Herzen (Cathedral) opens Mon 16 Nov, markets run until Sun 10 Jan. Cheapest day trip: £110 from London Stansted. Dates
- Dusseldorf: Dusseldorf Christmas Market (7 zones) opens Thu 19 Nov, markets run until Wed 30 Dec. Cheapest day trip: £175 from London Heathrow. Dates
- Prague: Náměstí Míru Christmas Market opens Fri 20 Nov, markets run until Wed 6 Jan. Cheapest day trip: £96 from London Gatwick. Dates
- Gdansk: Gdansk Christmas Market opens Fri 20 Nov, markets run until Wed 23 Dec. Cheapest day trip: £165 from Edinburgh. Dates
- Wroclaw: Wroclaw Christmas Market opens Fri 20 Nov, markets run until Thu 7 Jan. Cheapest day trip: £83 from London Stansted. Dates
- Bruges: Bruges Christmas Market opens Fri 20 Nov, markets run until Sun 3 Jan. Cheapest day trip: £194 from London Heathrow. Dates
- Lyon: Lyon Christmas Market opens Sun 22 Nov, markets run until Thu 24 Dec. Cheapest day trip: £102 from London Gatwick. Dates
Opening 23 to 30 November
This is the big weekend. Nuremberg, the most famous of them, only opens on Fri 27 Nov, so a trip before then will miss it.
- Frankfurt: Frankfurt Christmas Market opens Mon 23 Nov, markets run until Tue 22 Dec. Cheapest day trip: £191 from London Heathrow. Dates
- Berlin: WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt opens Mon 23 Nov, markets run until Thu 31 Dec. Cheapest day trip: £128 from London Gatwick. Dates
- Leipzig: Leipzig Christmas Market opens Tue 24 Nov, markets run until Wed 23 Dec. Dates
- Basel: Basel Christmas Market opens Thu 26 Nov, markets run until Wed 23 Dec. Cheapest day trip: £103 from London Gatwick. Dates
- Bratislava: Bratislava Christmas Markets opens Thu 26 Nov, markets run until Sun 3 Jan. Cheapest day trip: £121 from London Stansted. Dates
- Nuremberg: Christkindlesmarkt opens Fri 27 Nov, markets run until Thu 24 Dec. Cheapest day trip: £121 from London Stansted. Dates
- Stockholm: Skansen Christmas Market opens Fri 27 Nov, markets run until Sun 20 Dec (weekends only). Dates
- Brussels: Plaisirs d'Hiver opens Fri 27 Nov, markets run until Sun 3 Jan. Dates
Want to see where your money actually goes? BudgetBro tracks it in any currency, free.
Opening in December
- Amsterdam: Ice Village Museumplein opens Thu 3 Dec, markets run until Sun 27 Dec. Cheapest day trip: £137 from London Gatwick. Dates
- Antwerp: Winter in Antwerpen (5 squares) opens Fri 4 Dec, markets run until Sun 3 Jan. Dates
When to go
Cheapest: a weekday. The markets are quieter, and the cheapest dates on our board are mostly midweek.
Busiest: the weekends from late November to Christmas. Go early in the day.
Too late: Frankfurt closes on 22 December, Hamburg, Leipzig and Basel on 23 December. Vienna, Prague, Cologne, Budapest, Bratislava and Brussels keep going into the new year.
Want one that's already open when the others aren't? Vienna's first market opens on Fri 6 Nov.
Where the dates come from
Each date is from the market's or the city's official page, listed on our city pages. Some markets inside a city open on different days, so we show the first one to open and the last to close.
Flight prices are real fares for that exact date, checked 6 to 19 October 2026, plus BudgetBro's cost for the day on the ground. Fares move daily, so each trip page shows today's price.
All Christmas market day trips. Photos: BudgetBro library.
Day trips in this article
- Day trip to Dusseldorf
- Day trip to Bratislava
- Day trip to Amsterdam
- Day trip to Frankfurt
- Day trip to Nuremberg
- Day trip to Stockholm
- Day trip to Brussels
- Day trip to Budapest
- Day trip to Cologne
- Day trip to Hamburg
- Day trip to Wroclaw
- Day trip to Berlin
- Day trip to Vienna
- Day trip to Gdansk
- Day trip to Prague
- Day trip to Basel
- Day trip to Lyon
The cheapest day trips of the week, by email
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.
Related Articles
Christmas Market Day Trips From London 2026: 17 Markets, Cheapest First
Every Christmas market you can fly to and back from London in one day this year, cheapest first, with the flight, the day on the ground and the hours you get.
· 2 min read
Day Trip to Paris From London: Eurostar or Fly, and What the Day Really Costs
Paris in a day from London, two ways: Eurostar from St Pancras or a morning flight from Luton. What each costs once you add the day on the ground.
· 2 min read
Christmas Market Day Trips from Bristol 2026: Prague, Amsterdam or Berlin?
Three Christmas markets you can fly to and back from Bristol in a day, compared on cost and time. Prague comes in cheapest at about £127 all in.
· 1 min read
Latest Articles
View all articles
Lisbon in Winter as a Day Trip: Every Pound Added Up
Stansted to Lisbon for £57 return on Monday 7 December, six hours in the city and about £91 for the whole day. Here's where every pound goes.
· 1 min read
Half Term Day Trips Abroad 2026: What a Family of Four Really Pays
Six same-day trips abroad in October half term from Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol, with the full cost for a family of four. Cheapest: Dublin from Birmingham at about £344.
· 2 min read
Nice in November as a Day Trip: Our Honest Take
Gatwick to Nice for £62 return on Wednesday 4 November, with about six hours on the Riviera. Worth it? Here's what we think.
· 1 min read