--- title: "Christmas Markets, the best in Europe for 2026 | Wimup" description: "Ten Christmas markets ranked on setting, local craft and how long they run, from Strasbourg and Nuremberg to Tallinn and Sibiu, with 2026 dates." url: https://wimup.com/christmas-markets type: Themed list updated: 2026-10-26 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Christmas markets, the ones worth the trip. By Wimup desk · 10 picks · 4 films · ≈ 4 min read The markets worth a winter trip, ranked on the square they fill, how much of what they sell is made nearby, and how long they stay open. Ten cities, mapped, with this season's dates. Every European city now has a Christmas market, and many sell the same imported ornaments. We ranked these ten on the market itself: its setting, how much of it is local craft and food, and how long it runs. Dates are the organisers' own for 2026 where published, the usual window where not. ## Christmas markets, the ones worth the trip. ### 1. Strasbourg, France Alsace · France Held as the Christkindelsmärik since 1570 and spread across the old town rather than penned into one square. Start at the stalls of Alsace's own small producers, then walk to the great tree on Place Kléber. - **Best for:** Alsace producers - **Where:** Broglie · Kléber - **Runs:** From 27 Nov Links: [France guide](https://wimup.com/country/france.md) ### 2. Nuremberg, Germany Franconia · Germany The market the others are measured against: one square below the Frauenkirche, and a range kept traditional on purpose, with high-tech goods and war toys barred from the booths. Eat a Rostbratwurst at the grill, then queue for gingerbread. - **Best for:** Tradition - **Where:** Hauptmarkt - **Runs:** 27 Nov–24 Dec Links: [Germany guide](https://wimup.com/country/germany.md) ### 3. Colmar, France Alsace · France Six markets across a half-timbered old town, and three in four sellers came from Alsace in 2024. Buy at the craft market inside the Koïfhus, the old customs house, and browse the squares outside. - **Best for:** Crafts · setting - **Where:** Six old-town squares - **Runs:** 23 Nov–29 Dec Links: [View the Top 10](https://wimup.com/city/colmar.md) ### 4. Vienna, Austria Vienna · Austria Not one market but a city of them, led by the Christkindlmarkt in front of the neo-Gothic Rathaus. For crafts over crowds, the smaller markets at Spittelberg and Karlsplatz are where the makers sell. - **Best for:** Variety - **Where:** Rathausplatz - **Runs:** 13 Nov–26 Dec Links: [View the Top 10](https://wimup.com/city/vienna.md) · [Watch the Vienna film](https://wimup.com/watch/vienna.md) ### 5. Tallinn, Estonia Old Town · Estonia A medieval square under a Gothic town hall, where the city dates its public Christmas tree to 1441. It also outlasts most of the list, running from 20 November to Epiphany. - **Best for:** Medieval square - **Where:** Town Hall Square - **Runs:** 20 Nov–6 Jan Links: [View the Top 10](https://wimup.com/city/tallinn.md) ### 6. Sibiu, Romania Transylvania · Romania Transylvania's Saxon main square, with more than 120 sellers drawn from 36 Romanian counties and abroad. Its organisers hold the 2026 Excellent European Christmas Market seal, and it runs into January. - **Best for:** Long season - **Where:** Piața Mare - **Runs:** 13 Nov–3 Jan Links: [View the Top 10](https://wimup.com/city/sibiu.md) ### 7. Regensburg, Germany Upper Palatinate · Germany A ticketed market in the courtyard of St. Emmeram, the Thurn und Taxis family's palace, given over to regional craftspeople. Go on a weekday evening, when the courtyard is lit and the crowd is thinner. - **Best for:** Crafts · palace - **Where:** Schloss St. Emmeram - **Runs:** Advent Links: [View the Top 10](https://wimup.com/city/regensburg.md) · [Watch the Regensburg film](https://wimup.com/watch/regensburg.md) ### 8. Graz, Austria Styria · Austria The draw is the ice nativity in the Landhaushof, carved from about 35 tonnes of ice and in its thirtieth year in 2026. The old-town markets around it open on 20 November. - **Best for:** Ice nativity - **Where:** Landhaushof - **Runs:** From 20 Nov Links: [View the Top 10](https://wimup.com/city/graz.md) ### 9. Bruges, Belgium Flanders · Belgium Two squares, the Markt under the belfry and Simon Stevinplein, inside the Winter Glow light trail that runs to the end of January. The market is small, so pair it with an evening walk along the canals. - **Best for:** Canals · lights - **Where:** Markt · Stevinplein - **Runs:** Late Nov–early Jan Links: [View the Top 10](https://wimup.com/city/bruges.md) · [Watch the Bruges film](https://wimup.com/watch/bruges.md) ### 10. Prague, Czechia Bohemia · Czechia The most photographed setting here, Old Town Square under the towers of the Týn church. It ranks last on the stalls, which lean to souvenirs, so come for the square at dusk rather than for the shopping. - **Best for:** The square - **Where:** Old Town Square - **Runs:** Late Nov–early Jan Links: [View the Top 10](https://wimup.com/city/prague.md) · [Watch the Prague film](https://wimup.com/watch/prague.md) ## FAQs ### When do Europe's Christmas markets open in 2026? Most open in the last week of November: Strasbourg and Nuremberg on 27 November, Colmar on 23 November. Vienna's Rathausplatz and Sibiu start earlier, on 13 November, and Tallinn and Sibiu run into January. ### Which Christmas market is the most traditional? Nuremberg's, by its own rules: the city keeps the range traditional and bars high-tech goods and war toys from the booths. Strasbourg's has the longer history, held as the Christkindelsmärik since 1570. ### Can I see several markets on one trip? Alsace makes it easy. Colmar is about half an hour from Strasbourg by train, and the villages around Colmar, among them Eguisheim, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg, run markets of their own. ### Do Christmas markets charge admission? Almost none do. Regensburg's market in the Thurn und Taxis palace courtyard is the exception on this list and sells tickets at the gate; the rest, Sibiu included, are free to walk into. ### What should I eat at a Christmas market? What the region makes: Rostbratwurst and gingerbread in Nuremberg, bredele biscuits in Alsace, Punsch in Vienna. Mulled wine is everywhere, and most markets charge a deposit on the mug, refunded when you return it. ## Sources - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.