Last updated: 22 October 2026
Germany's big Christmas markets open between 16 November and 27 November 2026 and most close on 23 or 24 December. Cologne's cathedral market opens first, on 16 November, Munich on 20 November and Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt on Friday 27 November. Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt stays open to 31 December and Cologne's old town market to 10 January 2027. Every date below comes from the city's or the organizer's own site.
2026 dates at a glance
| Market | 2026 dates | Daily hours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nuremberg, Christkindlesmarkt (Hauptmarkt) | Fri 27 November to Thu 24 December | 10 am to 9 pm; 24 December until 2 pm | Opening ceremony 27 November at 5:30 pm |
| Cologne, cathedral market | Mon 16 November to Wed 23 December | 2026 hours not published yet | One of 13 Cologne markets |
| Cologne, Heinzels Wintermärchen (old town) | Mon 23 November 2026 to Sun 10 January 2027 | 11 am to 10 pm | Closed 24 and 25 December |
| Munich, Christkindlmarkt (Marienplatz) | Fri 20 November to Thu 24 December | Mon to Sat 10 am to 9 pm; Sun 10 am to 8 pm; 24 December until 2 pm | Closed Sunday 22 November |
| Dresden, Striezelmarkt (Altmarkt) | Wed 25 November to Thu 24 December | 10 am to 9 pm; opening day 4:30 pm to 9 pm; 24 December until 2 pm | The 592nd market |
| Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Reiterlesmarkt | Fri 20 November to Wed 23 December | Sun to Thu 11 am to 7 pm; Fri and Sat 11 am to 8 pm | Closed on Totensonntag |
| Stuttgart, Weihnachtsmarkt | Wed 25 November to Wed 23 December | Sun to Thu 11 am to 9 pm; Fri and Sat 11 am to 10 pm | Opens 5 pm on 25 November |
| Aachen, Weihnachtsmarkt | Fri 20 November to Wed 23 December | 11 am to 9 pm | Exceptions below |
| Berlin, WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt | Mon 23 November to Thu 31 December | Sun to Thu 11 am to 10 pm; Fri and Sat 11 am to 11 pm; 24 December noon to 6 pm | Entry 2 euros |
| Frankfurt, Weihnachtsmarkt (Römerberg) | Mon 23 November to Tue 22 December | Mon to Sat 10 am to 9 pm; Sun 11 am to 9 pm |
Planning a week? Our Germany page sells the Europe plans, which also cover Austria, Switzerland, France and the Czech Republic for side trips: $11.99 for 7 days with 1.5 GB a day, or $19.99 for 15 days.
Nuremberg: the Christkindlesmarkt
The City of Nuremberg says the Christkindlesmarkt runs on the Hauptmarkt from 27 November to 24 December 2026, daily from 10 am to 9 pm, closing at 2 pm on Christmas Eve (nuernberg.de). The market opens on the Friday before Advent with the Christkind's prologue from the balcony of the Frauenkirche: on 27 November trading pauses from 5:30 pm to 6 pm for the ceremony. The children's market, the Kinderweihnacht, stays open until 30 December 2026.
Cologne: thirteen markets in one city
Cologne is the easiest city for a market crawl, with several large markets a few minutes' walk apart. koeln.de lists these 2026 dates (koeln.de):
- Cathedral market (Roncalliplatz): 16 November to 23 December
- Heinzels Wintermärchen, the old town market on Alter Markt and Heumarkt: 23 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, daily 11 am to 10 pm, closed 24 and 25 December. The Alter Markt part closes on 23 December; the Heumarkt with its ice rink stays open into January (details)
- Neumarkt: 16 November to 23 December
- Nikolausdorf on Rudolfplatz: 16 November to 23 December
- Harbor market at the Rheinauhafen: 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027
- Stadtgarten: 13 November to 23 December
The cathedral market had not published its 2026 hours by 22 October 2026.
Munich: Marienplatz opens earlier this year
From 2026 the city's Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz starts on the Friday before Totensonntag, so it runs from 20 November to 24 December 2026 (muenchen.de). It is open Monday to Saturday 10 am to 9 pm and Sunday 10 am to 8 pm, closes on Totensonntag (22 November) and shuts at 2 pm on 24 December.
Dresden: the Striezelmarkt
The City of Dresden's call for traders sets the 592nd Striezelmarkt on the Altmarkt from Wednesday 25 November to Thursday 24 December 2026: 4:30 pm to 9 pm on opening day, 10 am to 9 pm after that, and 10 am to 2 pm on Christmas Eve (dresden.de, PDF). It is one of Germany's oldest Christmas markets and is named after the Striezel, the old word for Dresden's Christmas stollen.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber: the Reiterlesmarkt
Rothenburg Tourismus lists the Reiterlesmarkt on the Marktplatz from Friday 20 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026, Sunday to Thursday 11 am to 7 pm and Friday and Saturday 11 am to 8 pm, closed on Totensonntag (rothenburg-tourismus.de). The town's page still prints last year's day for that closure; in 2026 Totensonntag falls on Sunday 22 November, and the 2026 day list on the same page skips it. Call the tourist office (+49 9861 404800) if you plan to visit that weekend.
Rothenburg is small and is filled by day-trip coaches on weekends. Stay the night, or arrive early on a weekday.
Stuttgart, Aachen, Berlin and Frankfurt
- Stuttgart: 25 November to 23 December 2026 around the Schlossplatz, Marktplatz, Schillerplatz and Karlsplatz, Sunday to Thursday 11 am to 9 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 10 pm. On opening day the stalls open at 5 pm and the ceremony is at 6 pm in the courtyard of the Old Castle (stuttgarter-weihnachtsmarkt.de).
- Aachen: 20 November to 23 December 2026, daily 11 am to 9 pm, except Sunday 22 November (6 pm to 9 pm), Saturday 12 December (until 10 pm) and Wednesday 23 December (until 8 pm) (aachenweihnachtsmarkt.de). Aachen is the market for Printen, the city's spiced gingerbread, and sits under the cathedral.
- Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt: the WeihnachtsZauber runs from 23 November to 31 December 2026 on the Gendarmenmarkt, Sunday to Thursday 11 am to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 11 pm, and noon to 6 pm on 24 December. Entry is 2 euros, free for children under 12 and free for everyone Monday to Friday from 11 am to 2 pm, except on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December (visitBerlin).
- Frankfurt: 23 November to 22 December 2026 on the Römerberg and the squares around it, Monday to Saturday 10 am to 9 pm and Sunday 11 am to 9 pm (visitfrankfurt).
Getting between them by train
Deutsche Bahn's ICE trains link Frankfurt, Cologne, Nuremberg, Munich, Stuttgart, Dresden and Berlin. Rothenburg is on a regional branch line; Aachen is on the ICE line between Cologne and Brussels. Book ICE tickets in the DB Navigator app, where the cheapest fares are tied to one train.
The Deutschlandticket is usually not the visitor's ticket. It costs 63 euros a month and covers local and regional trains, buses and trams across Germany, but it is not valid on ICE, IC or EC trains, and it is sold only as a monthly subscription: cancel by the 10th of a month and it ends that month; cancel later and you pay for the next month too (Deutsche Bahn). DB says the price rises to 66.80 euros on 1 January 2027. It pays off for a long stay with lots of regional travel, not for a market week built on ICE trips.
The German Rail Pass is DB's pass for visitors whose place of residence is outside Germany (DB). The Flexi version gives 3 to 15 travel days within a month on DB's trains, ICE included. Compare it with advance fares for your exact trips before you buy.
Your phone has a real job on these trips: German trains are often late or rerouted, and DB Navigator is where the live changes appear. Signal still drops on some rail lines through forests and hills, and train Wi-Fi uses the same mobile networks, so it drops in the same places. More in will my phone work in Germany?
Market tips: the mug deposit, cash and crowds
- Pfand. Mulled wine (Glühwein) comes in a ceramic mug with a deposit. Hand the mug back to any stall of the same market for your deposit, or keep it as a souvenir. Each market has its own mug.
- Cash. More stalls take cards every year, but not all of them, especially the small food stalls. Carry some euros.
- Crowds. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are calmest. Friday and Saturday evenings are the busiest everywhere.
- Totensonntag. On Sunday 22 November 2026 several markets stay closed or open late (Munich and Aachen among them), because the day is a day of remembrance in Germany.
Staying online
Most of a market trip runs on your phone: train tickets and delays in DB Navigator, city transit tickets in local apps, maps between markets and photos. US carriers charge by the day for that: Verizon and AT&T $12 a day per line, while T-Mobile's Experience plans include a few gigabytes. UK readers: many UK plans already include Germany (giffgaff, iD Mobile and SMARTY do, within limits), while EE, Vodafone and Three charge a daily fee on most recent plans. Check your own plan first: giffgaff, iD Mobile, SMARTY.
If you are paying by the day, a travel eSIM is cheaper. Our Germany page sells the Europe plans (prices on 22 October 2026, data only):
- A week of markets: 1.5 GB a day for 7 days, $11.99
- Two weeks, or Germany plus Austria or Prague: 1.5 GB a day for 15 days, $19.99
- Heavy use or sharing your connection: unlimited for 7 days, $19.99
Your US number stays on for calls and texts, and the days start when the eSIM first connects in a covered country. Install it before you fly: iPhone or Android.
Going on to Strasbourg? See Christmas markets in France 2026. Heading on to Austria or the Czech Republic? See Vienna Christmas markets 2026 and Prague Christmas market 2026.
FAQ
When do the German Christmas markets open in 2026?
Between 16 and 27 November 2026, depending on the city. Cologne's cathedral market opens on 16 November, Munich and Aachen on 20 November, Frankfurt and Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt on 23 November, Dresden and Stuttgart on 25 November and Nuremberg on 27 November.
What is the best Christmas market in Germany?
It depends on what you want. Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt is the most famous and traditional, Dresden's Striezelmarkt one of the oldest, Cologne has the most markets close together, and Rothenburg's Reiterlesmarkt is the small medieval-town market. For a first trip, Nuremberg and Cologne are the easiest to combine by ICE.
When do German Christmas markets close?
Most close on 23 or 24 December 2026. Nuremberg, Munich and Dresden close at 2 pm on 24 December; Stuttgart, Aachen and Rothenburg on 23 December and Frankfurt on 22 December. Berlin's Gendarmenmarkt runs to 31 December and Cologne's Heumarkt to 10 January 2027.
Is the Nuremberg Christmas market open on Sundays?
Yes. It is open every day from 27 November to 23 December 2026, 10 am to 9 pm, and from 10 am to 2 pm on 24 December, according to the City of Nuremberg.
Can tourists buy the Deutschlandticket?
Deutsche Bahn sells it as a monthly subscription at 63 euros, which you cancel by the 10th of a month. It does not cover ICE, IC or EC trains, so for a trip between market cities it rarely beats advance ICE fares or the German Rail Pass, which DB sells to people who live outside Germany.
Do I need cash at German Christmas markets?
Bring some. Many stalls take cards, but some small food and drink stalls are cash only, and the mug deposit is often easiest in cash.
Does my phone work in Germany?
Yes, any recent US phone works there, but Verizon and AT&T charge $12 a day per line. A Europe eSIM costs $11.99 for 7 days with 1.5 GB a day and keeps your US number on for calls and texts.
Facts checked on 22 October 2026 against nuernberg.de, koeln.de, muenchen.de, the City of Dresden's 2026 Striezelmarkt call for traders, rothenburg-tourismus.de, stuttgarter-weihnachtsmarkt.de, aachenweihnachtsmarkt.de, visitBerlin, visitfrankfurt.travel, Deutsche Bahn (int.bahn.de) and our own catalogue. Cologne's cathedral market had not published 2026 hours. Hours can change: check the official site the week you go.