A Guide to Europe and Beyond
I’ve spent more than 20 years visiting Christmas markets across Europe, and I built this site to share everything I’ve learned. Ultimate Christmas Markets covers 300+ destinations with dates, locations and honest recommendations, all verified and updated monthly so you can plan with confidence.
Dates: 27th November to 24th December 2026
Most Christmas markets open in the days leading up to the start of Advent. Many continue past Christmas Eve into the new year, and some run as late as Epiphany on 6th January. Check our individual destination guides for confirmed dates and opening hours for each market.
Ultimate Christmas Markets is brought to you by Andrea Anastasakis, the Australian travel blogger behind the European road trip travel blog Rearview Mirror. — I moved to Europe in 1999 to study French for a year and ended up staying for more than two decades. I've lived and worked in France, the UK, Hungary, Albania and several other countries, and I've been visiting Christmas markets across the continent for ...
Having lived in Montpellier, I can tell you the weather is what sets the Montpellier Christmas Market apart. December here usually brings ...
I still think about the hot chocolate at the Bordeaux Christmas Market, which was incredibly thick and rich. The rest of the menu plays to ...
Forget Alsace: the Toulouse Christmas Market is a southern affair, with aligot stretched straight from the pan and cassoulet by the bowl. ...