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The 2027 Christmas market season is shaped by a late Advent. Advent Sunday falls on 28 November 2027, so most German and Austrian markets open in the week before it – broadly 22 to 26 November – and the majority close on 23 or 24 December. A handful run into early January, and those are the ones worth knowing if you are travelling between Christmas and New Year.
With Christmas Day on a Saturday, the final market weekend is 18–19 December, and it will be the busiest of the year.
How the season actually works
- Opening is tied to Advent, not to a fixed date. Because Advent Sunday is 28 November 2027, the season starts later than in years when Advent falls in the third week of November. Do not assume mid-November travel will find markets open.
- Most close before Christmas, not after. German markets typically end on 23 December, Austrian ones on 24 or 26 December. Visiting on 27 December expecting markets is the classic mistake.
- The ones that run into January are generally in France, Italy, Spain and parts of central Europe, often tied to Epiphany on 6 January.
- Weekdays are a different experience entirely. A Tuesday afternoon in Nuremberg and a Saturday evening in Nuremberg are not the same place. If you have any flexibility, use it on the day of the week rather than the city.
The traditional German heartland
- Nuremberg runs the Christkindlesmarkt, the most famous in Germany and the strictest about what may be sold – no plastic, no mass-produced tat. It is small, dense and extremely crowded at weekends, and the surrounding old town carries the overflow well.
- Dresden has the Striezelmarkt, first recorded in 1434 and the oldest in Germany. The Stollen is the point, and the setting in the rebuilt Baroque centre is the best of any large German market.
- Cologne spreads across several markets, the main one under the cathedral. It is the easiest to reach from the UK and the Low Countries and consequently among the busiest.
- Munich pairs a central Marienplatz market with a cluster of smaller, better ones – the medieval market at Wittelsbacherplatz is the one locals recommend.
Austria, Czechia and central Europe
- Vienna has the grandest setting, in front of the Rathaus, plus quieter and better-quality markets at Spittelberg and Karlsplatz. Vienna is the strongest single choice if you want markets plus a full city.
- Salzburg is the compact alternative, dramatic under the fortress and walkable end to end in an afternoon.
- Prague puts its main market in the Old Town Square, which is spectacular and almost impassable at peak hours. Go at opening or after nine in the evening.
- Budapest is the value pick. The Vorosmarty Square market has a genuine food focus rather than trinkets, and the city is markedly cheaper than its western neighbours.
France, the Alps and the quieter options
- Strasbourg calls itself the capital of Christmas and has run a market since 1570. It is the best combination of scale, setting and food in France, and the Alsace villages around it – Colmar, Riquewihr, Eguisheim – make the better base if you dislike crowds.
- Colmar spreads six small markets through a half-timbered old town and is the most photogenic in Europe. It is also the most photographed, so mornings matter.
- Tallinn puts a single market in a medieval square and is the one most likely to deliver snow. It is small, and that is the appeal.
- Zagreb is the underrated one – an Advent programme spread through the whole city centre rather than penned into one square, with far fewer foreign visitors than the German circuit.
Practical things that change the day
- Mulled wine mugs carry a deposit. You pay for the mug and get the money back on return, or keep it as a souvenir. This is standard and is not an overcharge.
- Many German markets are cash-preferred despite the country’s broader move to cards. Carry notes.
- Dress for standing still. You will be outdoors and stationary for hours, which is colder than walking. Boots and a proper coat matter more than an extra layer on top.
- Combine two cities by train. Nuremberg and Prague, Vienna and Salzburg, or Strasbourg and Colmar are all short hops and give a much better trip than one city for four nights.
- Book by late summer for December weekends. Central accommodation in Strasbourg, Vienna and Prague is the constraint, not flights.
Frequently asked
- When do Christmas markets open in 2027? Most open in the week before Advent Sunday, which falls on 28 November 2027 – so broadly 22 to 26 November.
- When do they close? Most German markets close on 23 December and Austrian ones on 24 or 26 December. Only a minority run past Christmas.
- Which is the single best market? Strasbourg for scale and atmosphere, Nuremberg for tradition, Vienna if you want a full city alongside it, and Budapest for value.
- Which is best for snow? Tallinn, Krakow and the Alpine markets have the best odds. Nothing is guaranteed.
- When is the busiest weekend? 18–19 December 2027, the last full weekend before Christmas Day on the Saturday.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
