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A lit carousel and Christmas tree at the Christkindlmarkt in front of Vienna's Rathaus

Seasonal

Christmas markets 2026: Vienna, Munich, Prague and Berlin

Team Jourigo · 4 min · 2026-11-01

Published 2026 dates, the best squares, what to eat and drink, and the train links that join four of Central Europe's great Christmas cities.

Four of Central Europe's best Christmas cities sit a few hours apart by train, which makes Vienna, Munich, Prague and Berlin the easiest market trip on the continent to plan. The dates below are the ones the cities and organisers have published for 2026. The sweet spot is 28 November to 23 December, when every main market in all four cities is open at once.

Vienna

The lit Christmas tree and carousel at the Christmas market in front of Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, at night
The market in front of Schönbrunn Palace, the first in Vienna to open.

Vienna starts first. The big Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz runs from 13 November to 26 December, open 10:00 to 22:00 daily and until 18:30 on Christmas Eve, with the Eistraum ice rink in the Rathauspark lasting until 6 January. It is the one everyone photographs, so treat it as a first stop rather than the whole evening.

For a better Viennese night, walk to Spittelberg in the 7th district, where stalls fill the Biedermeier lanes from 13 November to 23 December (from 14:00 on weekdays, 11:00 at weekends). The Altwiener Christkindlmarkt on the Freyung, Am Hof and the art market in front of the Karlskirche are all close to the Ring. Schönbrunn Palace opens earliest, on 6 November.

Order Punsch rather than only Glühwein, buy a bag of roast chestnuts, and expect a deposit on your mug that you get back when you return it.

Munich

Crowds and lit stalls at the Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz, Munich, with the Christmas tree, the New Town Hall and the Mariensäule behind
Marienplatz, with the tree in front of the New Town Hall.

The Christkindlmarkt fills Marienplatz and the Rindermarkt from 20 November to 24 December, starting earlier than usual this year. It closes on Sunday 22 November for Totensonntag, then opens 10:00 to 21:00 Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 20:00 on Sundays and 10:00 to 14:00 on Christmas Eve.

Look for the Kripperlmarkt nativity stalls in front of Alter Peter, and listen for the live music from the Town Hall balcony at 17:15 from Sunday to Thursday. If you are in town on Sunday 13 December, the Krampus run takes over the square from 15:00 to 17:00.

Prague

Christmas market stalls and the decorated tree on Old Town Square, Prague, below the Old Town Hall tower
Old Town Square, with the giant tree beside the Old Town Hall tower.

The two main markets, on Old Town Square and the lower end of Wenceslas Square, open on 28 November and run until 6 January, daily from 10:00 to 22:00. Old Town Square has the giant tree and a stage; Wenceslas Square adds craft demonstrations and an ice rink. Both get very busy after dark, so come in the morning or see them on the way to somewhere quieter.

That somewhere is náměstí Míru in Vinohrady, where a neighbourhood market runs in front of the Church of St Ludmila from 20 November to 24 December, 10:00 to 20:00. Drink svařák (mulled wine) or hot medovina (mead), and eat klobása or Prague ham carved from the spit. Skip the trdelník: the sugared chimney cake is sold everywhere in the old town, but it is a recent tourist favourite, not a Czech Christmas tradition.

Berlin

Striped market huts in the forecourt of Schloss Charlottenburg, Berlin, at dusk
The market in the forecourt of Schloss Charlottenburg.

The season officially starts after Totensonntag. The WeihnachtsZauber on Gendarmenmarkt runs from 23 November to 31 December, 11:00 to 22:00 (23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, 18:00 on Christmas Eve). Entry costs €2, but it is free from 11:00 to 14:00 Monday to Friday, except 24 to 26 and 31 December. Inside you will find a heated food hall and a tent where woodcarvers and other craftspeople work.

For something gentler, take the bus out to Schloss Charlottenburg, where the market in front of the floodlit palace runs from 23 November to 27 December. It is free to enter, opens 13:00 to 22:00 Monday to Thursday and 12:00 to 22:00 Friday to Sunday, and stays shut on Christmas Eve. Combine it with the Museum Berggruen or the Bröhan-Museum across the road.

Getting between the cities

The trains make the route:

  • Munich to Vienna: about four hours on the railjet via Salzburg.
  • Vienna to Prague: about four hours via Brno, with up to nine direct trains a day.
  • Prague to Berlin: around four hours on the EuroCity via Dresden, following the Elbe through the sandstone cliffs of Saxon Switzerland, the best stretch of scenery on the trip.
  • Munich to Prague: about five and a half hours. Leo Express takes over that line from 13 December.

A one-week route

A good week runs Munich, Vienna, Prague and Berlin in that order, with two nights in each of the middle two. Visit the headline squares at opening time and save your evenings for Spittelberg, náměstí Míru and Charlottenburg.

Practical tips

  • Go between 28 November and 23 December if you want every main market open.
  • Pack proper gloves: by mid-December the temperature after dark is often close to freezing.
  • Opening hours can still change, so check each market's own site the week before you travel.
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