Wanderlust · 6 min read · October 13, 2026

The best Christmas markets to visit in 2026

The music and the lights and the smell of roasting nuts and glühwein. It's what Christmas markets are all about, and we've put together a list of your (and our) favourites in time for the season to start.

All dates below are for 2026 and can change, so check each market's website before you travel.

Bruges | Belgium

Bruges is magical all year round but the magic really peaks at Christmas, when the market springs up in Grote Markt, watched over by the iconic belfry tower and gabled buildings. This year it runs from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.

You'll find pretty, brightly lit stalls piled high with seasonal goodies, and the market is part of the city's Winter Glow festival, which brings a light trail and an ice rink in Koning Albert I Park nearby. Plus think of all that Belgian chocolate and beer.

For a quieter browse, head to Simon Stevinplein, a smaller and more intimate market just a five minute walk away, with cafes and chocolatiers close by.

Innsbruck | Austria

High in the Alps in the Austrian Tyrol, Innsbruck is the classic Christmas you imagined as a kid.

Enchanting medieval buildings are crowned by the sparkling Golden Roof, and the Old Town market has around 70 wooden stalls bursting with Christmas decorations, handicrafts and tempting food gifts, all with the snow-dusted mountains as a constant backdrop. It runs from 15 November to 23 December 2026.

For something to eat, pick up some Tyrolean kiachl. It's a kind of flat doughnut often topped with sauerkraut or cranberry jam, and it goes great with glühwein too.

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Copenhagen | Denmark

Copenhagen boasts a choice of Christmas markets that spring up throughout the city, including the postcard waterfront market at Nyhavn, which usually opens in early to mid November and runs until shortly before Christmas. Most of the street markets are free to enter.

Tivoli Gardens also hosts a magnificently magical market complete with twinkling lights and decorated Christmas trees. This year it runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closing on Christmas Eve, and unlike the street markets you'll need a ticket to get in.

Copenhagen Zoo has also put on a Christmas event in recent years, with Santa's house, reindeer and hundreds of decorated trees, so you can make the most of the festive magic alongside the animals. Make sure to try the mulled glögg too, which you can find pretty much everywhere.

Edinburgh | Scotland

You don't have to go far to find a real winter wonderland, as Edinburgh has a pretty magical market which appears every festive season. This year Edinburgh's Christmas runs from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.

Find it in the heart of the city in East Princes Street Gardens, beneath the Scott Monument and the castle, where around 70 stalls sit alongside the LNER Big Wheel. The market itself is free to enter.

Have a go on some of the fairground rides in West Princes Street Gardens or simply grab a hot chocolate and absorb the festive atmosphere. There is an ice rink on George Street too.

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Bad Homburg | Germany

This town just outside Frankfurt has a modest market which jostles around the town's castle. It's ideal if you're after something a bit more authentic and not as commercialised as the bigger cities.

The Romantic Christmas Market at the castle runs on the four Advent weekends in 2026 (27 to 29 November, 4 to 6 December, 11 to 13 December and 18 to 20 December), with more than 70 wooden stalls and a little steam train. The wider Christmas City programme, including an ice rink, runs from 19 November to 10 January.

Ice rinks, sparkling trees, plus plenty of beer, cockle-warming mulled wine and tasty stollen make this little town a real Christmas market contender.

Cologne | Germany

Cologne has a collection of Christmas markets all within walking distance of each other. One of the most popular is at Roncalliplatz, where well over 100 stalls gather around a huge Christmas tree in the shadow of the city's mighty, twin-spired Gothic cathedral. It runs from 16 November to 23 December 2026.

There's a stage programme here with over 100 free events, so you've a good chance of hearing your favourite carols and festive bops (Mariah, anyone?). And if you're feeling brave enough you can scale the 533 steps to the top of the cathedral tower for jaw-dropping views over the city and its markets.

Don't forget to take home one of the souvenir mugs your glühwein comes in.

Freiburg | Germany

Freiburg sits on the edge of the Black Forest, and its mild climate means you're more likely to be browsing in a light jacket than battling snow. This year the market runs from 19 November to 23 December 2026.

More than 120 wooden chalets fill the squares of the old town, with the heart of it at Rathausplatz, where the surrounding historic houses make a perfect backdrop.

Look out for wooden toys and crafts from the Black Forest and hand-painted baubles, then warm up with glühwein, hot chestnuts and candied almonds. If you fancy something a bit different, the Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market in the Black Forest is nearby too.

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Colmar | France

With its colourful half-timbered houses and the canals of Petite Venise, Colmar looks like it was designed for Christmas. Rather than one market, it has six, each with its own character, spread across the old town along a trail of around a kilometre.

This year the markets run from 23 November to 29 December 2026, and they're all free to enter. The biggest is around the former Dominican church at Place des Dominicains, and the fairground rides and Ferris wheel at Place Rapp stay open until 3 January 2027. Not every market keeps the same dates, so check Colmar's official website before you go.

Tuck into Alsatian specialities at the Gourmet Market, then take home one of the collectible Colmar mugs your glühwein comes in.

York | England

York's medieval feel and the romantic higgledy-piggledy atmosphere of the iconic Shambles slot perfectly into the joyful, cosy, crazy and slightly chaotic magic of Christmas. The St Nicholas Fair runs from 12 November to 21 December 2026.

Alpine chalets line Parliament Street and St Sampson's Square, and the nearby Shambles Market has charming independent traders selling anything from a classic Yorkshire flat cap to freshly baked cakes. Plus there's an entire globe's worth of street food at the Shambles Food Court, from Moroccan wraps to Thai treats.

Make sure you have a go on the vintage carousel in King's Square as well, followed by a warming cup of something mulled and delicious.

Prague | Czech Republic

It's the home of Good King Wenceslas. Does it really get any more festive than this? With two main markets, one in Wenceslas Square and one in Old Town Square, around ten minutes' walk from each other, there's plenty here to get you in the festive mood. Both run from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, and it's even better when the snow is deep and crisp and even.

But one of the biggest attractions of the markets in Prague is the food, the true meaning of Christmas, really. Look out for roasted chestnuts, sausages, dumplings, grilled chicken and spicy gingerbread.

If that makes you thirsty then opt for some mulled wine, honey wine or the perennial favourite pilsner.

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Bern | Switzerland

At the foot of Bern Minster you'll find the Münsterplatz Christmas Market, which focuses on handmade crafts from makers in Bern and the surrounding areas and runs from late November to Christmas Eve.

Then head over to Waisenhausplatz (Orphanage Square), Bern's main Christmas market, home to more than 50 stalls with souvenirs, decorations, roasted almonds and mulled wine. It runs from late November to 3 January, and all of it is nestled in a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

If it's food and drink you're after then be sure to head to the Berner Sternenmarkt at Kleine Schanze, which runs from 19 November to 27 December and is a great place to warm up with raclette and fondue.