Christmas markets 2026: opening dates by city

The Christmas markets 2026 season in Germany's big cities starts in mid-November, when the first of the big city-centre markets opens in Cologne on Friday, 13 November. Most of the famous markets follow in the week of 23 November. We checked the official city and organiser pages for 2026: the opening dates listed here are confirmed there, while some opening hours and entry details were not yet final at the end of October. The markets are grouped by region from south to north.

One date shapes the calendar this year: Totensonntag, the Protestant Sunday of remembrance for the dead, falls on 22 November 2026. It is a protected quiet day under the holiday laws of most federal states, so many markets either open on the Monday after it or close for that single Sunday. The first Sunday of Advent follows on 29 November.

Christmas markets 2026: when the season starts

Cologne opens early among the big cities. Its harbour Christmas market at the Rheinauhafen opens on 13 November, and the markets at the cathedral and on the Neumarkt follow on 16 November. Munich moves its main market forward this year to Friday, 20 November, and Düsseldorf starts on Thursday, 19 November. Markets in a large group of cities, including Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Bremen and Hannover, open on Monday, 23 November, with Leipzig, Dresden, Stuttgart and finally Nuremberg following later that week.

Some smaller winter markets are open even earlier. According to the travel magazine Travelbook, the Wandsbeker Winterzauber in Hamburg opened on 31 October. Most of the traditional city-centre markets, however, close on 22, 23 or 24 December, and only a few stay open between Christmas and New Year. If you plan to visit several Christmas markets 2026 in different cities, check the closing dates as carefully as the opening dates.

Southern Germany: Munich, Nuremberg and Stuttgart

The Münchner Christkindlmarkt around Marienplatz opens on Friday, 20 November, and runs until Thursday, 24 December. The city says it now starts on the Friday before Totensonntag instead of the Monday before the first Sunday of Advent as in earlier years. All stalls stay closed on 22 November and reopen the next day. The market is open from 10:00 to 21:00 Monday to Saturday and from 10:00 to 20:00 on Sundays, and on Christmas Eve from 10:00 to 14:00. Mayor Dominik Krause will open it on 20 November, according to a city press release. Next to St. Peter's Church, the Kripperlmarkt sells nativity scenes and figures with the same opening hours.

Nuremberg retains its traditional later start. The Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt opens on Friday, 27 November, with the festive prologue at 17:30, and runs until 24 December. It is open daily from 10:00 to 21:00, until 22:00 on the opening day and until 14:00 on Christmas Eve. In Stuttgart, the Christmas market opens on Wednesday, 25 November, when stalls start at 17:00 and the official opening follows at 18:00 in the inner courtyard of the Old Castle. It runs until 23 December, from 11:00 to 21:00 Sunday to Thursday and until 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Western Germany: Cologne, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt

Several large Cologne markets have different dates. The harbour market at the Rheinauhafen near the chocolate museum runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, an unusually long season. The market at Cologne Cathedral opens on Monday, 16 November, and closes on Wednesday, 23 December. It is open from 11:00 to 21:00 Sunday to Wednesday, until 22:00 on Thursdays and Fridays, and from 10:00 to 22:00 on Saturdays, and it stays closed on Totensonntag. The Markt der Engel on the Neumarkt has the same dates and is also closed on 22 November.

Düsseldorf spreads its Christmas market across several squares in the city centre from Thursday, 19 November, to Wednesday, 30 December. Visit Düsseldorf lists opening hours of 11:00 to 20:00 Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 to 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. The market is closed on Totensonntag and on 25 December, opens from 11:00 to 15:00 on Christmas Eve and from 14:00 to 21:00 on 26 December. In Frankfurt, the Christmas market on the Römerberg and the surrounding squares, including Paulsplatz, Mainkai and Hauptwache, runs from Monday, 23 November, to Tuesday, 22 December. Opening hours are 10:00 to 21:00 Monday to Saturday and 11:00 to 21:00 on Sundays, and Mayor Mike Josef opens it on the Römerberg on the first evening.

Eastern Germany: Berlin, Leipzig and Dresden

Berlin has dozens of Christmas markets. The best-known, the WeihnachtsZauber on the Gendarmenmarkt, runs from Monday, 23 November, to 31 December, as both visitBerlin and the city portal berlin.de confirm. It is one of the few big markets that charge admission. According to visitBerlin, entry costs 2 euros, children under 12 go free, and entry is free around lunchtime on weekdays, with exceptions over the Christmas holidays. The exact free-entry hours and daily opening times were not yet final on every official page at the end of October, so check the organiser's website before you go.

Leipzig opens its Christmas market on Tuesday, 24 November, at 17:00, and it runs until 23 December. According to the city's tourism office, more than 300 stalls fill seven areas of the old town, and the market's tradition goes back to 1458. Dresden's Striezelmarkt on the Altmarkt, which the city counts as the 592nd edition, opens on Wednesday, 25 November, from 16:30 and runs until 24 December. The city lists daily opening hours of 10:00 to 21:00 and a short last day from 10:00 to 14:00 on Christmas Eve.

Northern Germany: Hamburg, Bremen and Hannover

In Hamburg, the historic Christmas market on the Rathausmarkt in front of the city hall runs from Monday, 23 November, to Wednesday, 23 December, and the city portal hamburg.de lists daily opening hours of 11:00 to 21:00. Bremen's Schlachte-Zauber on the Weser promenade has the same dates, 23 November to 23 December, according to the city's official tourism site.

Hannover's Christmas market in the old town around the Marktkirche runs from 23 November to 22 December, with daily opening hours from 11:00 to 21:00, as listed on the city portal hannover.de. It stretches from the Platz der Weltausstellung to the Ballhofplatz and includes a Finnish village and a historical market. Entry is free. All three cities begin their Christmas markets 2026 on the same Monday.

Christmas markets 2026: practical tips for expats

Apart from a few exceptions such as the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin, entry to the Christmas markets 2026 listed here is free, and you only pay for what you eat and drink. Mulled wine (Glühwein) is usually served in a ceramic mug with a deposit, the Pfand. Return the mug to the stall and you get the deposit back, or keep the mug as a souvenir and leave the deposit behind. Prices and deposit amounts differ from market to market, so carrying some coins and small notes can help.

Weekday afternoons are the most relaxed time to visit. On Friday and Saturday evenings and on Advent weekends, the big markets in Cologne, Munich, Nuremberg and Dresden get very crowded, so use public transport and watch your bag. Remember that Totensonntag on 22 November means closed stalls in several cities, and that most markets end early on Christmas Eve. For more about the season and how Germans celebrate it, read our guide to seasonal and holiday celebrations in Germany and our overview of public holidays and customs.