Which Christmas markets in Europe are open on Christmas Day?

Forty-four of the 182 Christmas markets on this site open on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026. Colmar has six of them and Vienna five, and Riga and Tallinn keep their full daily hours. We ran every market file through the date engine behind our Christmas Day page and then read each organizer's notes on holiday hours, because several markets keep their run going over Christmas without saying what time they open on the 25th. A date marked confirmed comes from the organizer's own page. Announced means a tourism board published it, and projected means nobody has yet, so the date comes from past seasons.

Market	City	Country	Christmas Day hours	2026 dates
Vienna Christmas Market at Rathausplatz	Vienna	Austria	10:00–22:00	Confirmed
Schonbrunn Palace Christmas Market	Vienna	Austria	10:00–19:00	Confirmed
Stephansplatz Christmas Market	Vienna	Austria	11:00–19:00	Confirmed
Maria-Theresien-Platz Christmas Village	Vienna	Austria	11:00–16:00	Confirmed
Schwarzenbergplatz Christmas Market	Vienna	Austria	11:00–16:00	Confirmed
Salzburg Christkindlmarkt	Salzburg	Austria	11:00–18:00	Confirmed
Mirabellplatz Christmas Market	Salzburg	Austria	11:00–18:00	Announced
Innsbruck Maria-Theresien-Strasse Christmas Market	Innsbruck	Austria	11:00–21:00 (no holiday closure listed)	Confirmed
Innsbruck Hungerburg Christmas Market	Innsbruck	Austria	12:00–18:00	Confirmed
Kitzbuhel Advent	Kitzbuhel	Austria	14:00–20:00	Confirmed
Colmar Ancienne Douane Christmas Market	Colmar	France	10:00–20:00	Confirmed
Colmar Koifhus Indoor Craft Market	Colmar	France	10:00–20:00	Confirmed
Colmar Petite Venise Children's Christmas Market	Colmar	France	10:00–20:00	Confirmed
Colmar Place des Dominicains Christmas Market	Colmar	France	10:00–20:00	Confirmed
Colmar Place Jeanne d'Arc Christmas Market	Colmar	France	10:00–20:00	Confirmed
Colmar Gourmet Christmas Market	Colmar	France	11:00–22:00	Confirmed
Berliner Weihnachtszeit at the Rotes Rathaus	Berlin	Germany	12:00–22:00	Confirmed
Christmas Market at Charlottenburg Palace	Berlin	Germany	12:00–22:00	Confirmed
WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt	Berlin	Germany	12:00–23:00 (Friday hours)	Announced
Christmas Market at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church	Berlin	Germany	Not out yet (2025: 13:00–21:00)	Announced
Potsdamer Weihnachtszauber	Potsdam	Germany	11:00–18:00 (2025 hours)	Announced
Baden-Baden Christkindelsmarkt	Baden-Baden	Germany	Daily 11:00–21:00; no Christmas Day hours published	Confirmed
Cologne Harbour Christmas Market	Cologne	Germany	Not published for 25 December	Announced
Christmas in Tivoli	Copenhagen	Denmark	11:00–23:00, fireworks at 20:45	Confirmed
Christmas Village Amsterdam	Amsterdam	Netherlands	12:00–19:00	Confirmed
Magisch Maastricht Vrijthof	Maastricht	Netherlands	11:00–18:00	Confirmed
Advent Bazilika	Budapest	Hungary	11:00–20:00	Confirmed
Vorosmarty Square Christmas Market	Budapest	Hungary	12:00–18:00	Confirmed
Budapest Christmas Market at Varoshaza Park	Budapest	Hungary	Not published	Projected
Prague Old Town Square Christmas Market	Prague	Czechia	Not out yet (2025: 12:00–22:00)	Confirmed
Prague Wenceslas Square Christmas Market	Prague	Czechia	Not out yet (2025: 12:00–22:00)	Confirmed
Cesky Krumlov Christmas Market	Cesky Krumlov	Czechia	10:00–19:00 (Friday hours)	Confirmed
Brno Christmas Market on Zelny trh	Brno	Czechia	Not published	Confirmed
Brussels Winter Wonders	Brussels	Belgium	Daily 12:00–22:00; nothing published for 25 December	Confirmed
Bruges Christmas Market	Bruges	Belgium	Fewer stalls, shorter hours; times not published	Announced
Ghent Winter Festival	Ghent	Belgium	Not published	Confirmed
Selestat Christmas Market	Selestat	France	Not published	Announced
Riga Christmas Market	Riga	Latvia	10:00–21:00	Confirmed
Tallinn Christmas Market	Tallinn	Estonia	10:00–20:00	Confirmed
Trento Christmas Market	Trento	Italy	16:00–20:00 (the FAQ says from 15:00)	Confirmed
Advent Zagreb	Zagreb	Croatia	Not published	Confirmed
Krakow Christmas Market	Krakow	Poland	Not published	Announced
Ljubljana Festive Fair	Ljubljana	Slovenia	Not published	Projected
Vilnius Christmas Town	Vilnius	Lithuania	Not published	Projected

Where do you get the most choice on Christmas Day?

Colmar has six markets open and Vienna has five. In Vienna the Vienna Christmas Market at Rathausplatz keeps its full 10:00 to 22:00, because the organizer names Christmas Eve as the only short day of its run to 26 December. It suits a first visit to Vienna and anyone who wants to stay out into the evening. The drawback is the crowd, since the organizer counts close to three million visitors a year, so come after the 10:00 opening if you want room to move. The Schonbrunn Palace Christmas Market opens 10:00 to 19:00 from Christmas Day to 6 January, and the Stephansplatz Christmas Market by the cathedral goes to 19:00. Maria-Theresien-Platz and Schwarzenbergplatz both close at 16:00.

Colmar's tourism site confirms all six of its markets for Christmas Day. Five open from 10:00 to 20:00, and the gourmet market runs on to 22:00. If you want Alsace on the 25th, this is the town to stay in, since the Strasbourg markets are projected to close on the 24th. The organizer says the stalls close on the minute, so finish your shopping a few minutes early.

Berlin has three markets with Christmas Day hours on record. Families do best at the Berliner Weihnachtszeit at the Rotes Rathaus, where an ice rink and a big wheel stand beside the stalls from 12:00 to 22:00 and the fairground noise comes with them. The Christmas Market at Charlottenburg Palace keeps the same hours in front of the baroque palace. WeihnachtsZauber Gendarmenmarkt has its Friday hours of 12:00 to 23:00 on the visitBerlin listing, and the €2 entry charge applies on 25 December 2026 because the free lunchtime window is suspended that day.

Where else in Europe can you find a market on Christmas Day?

The Baltic capitals keep going. The Riga Christmas Market on Dome Square opens from 10:00 to 21:00 on 25 December, and its organizer has confirmed the run to 3 January 2027. It suits families with young children and anyone shopping for Latvian makers, and the whole market sits on one square, so you can walk it between dinner and the hotel. The Tallinn Christmas Market keeps its daily 10:00 to 20:00 on Town Hall Square right through Christmas. The square gets tight around the tree during the weekend stage programme.

In northern Italy the Trento Christmas Market opens for the evening. Its home page gives 16:00 to 20:00 on Christmas Day and its FAQ says 15:00, so aim for 16:00. It suits food lovers, with 77 huts on Piazza Fiera and Piazza Mostra. Kraków and Zagreb have Christmas Day inside their 2026 runs, and Ljubljana and Vilnius do on our projections. None of them has published hours for the day yet.

Which markets close on Christmas Day and open again on the 26th?

Several markets that open on Christmas Eve take the 25th off. Dusseldorf Christmas Markets close on 25 December and reopen on the 26th from 14:00 to 21:00, according to Düsseldorf Tourismus. The Bern Star Market by the Federal Palace closes on Christmas Day and comes back on the 26th until 22:00. In Alsace the Mulhouse Christmas Market and the Obernai Christmas Market close on the 25th and reopen on the 26th. The Turckheim Elves' Christmas Market does the same and trades from 10:00 to 20:00 on the Saturday.

Valkenburg's two cave markets and WinterGlow also close on Christmas Day. The Bolzano Christmas Market and the Merano Christmas Market close on Christmas Day and reopen on the 26th, and the Brixen Christmas Market does the same. The Christmas fair in Hyde Park closes on the 25th alone, and Edinburgh's Christmas Market returns from 12:00 to 20:00 on Boxing Day. The Wroclaw Christmas Market closes on both 24 and 25 December and reopens at 13:00 on the 26th. Heinzels Wintermarchen (Cologne Old Town) closes on the 24th and 25th and reopens on the Heumarkt on 26 December for a run to 10 January 2027. Our Boxing Day page lists everything open on the 26th, and the guide to markets open after Christmas follows the week through.

What happens at Tivoli on Christmas Day?

Christmas in Tivoli reopens on Christmas Day from 11:00 to 23:00 after closing on the 24th, and Christmas fireworks go up at 20:45 on 25 and 26 December 2026. It suits families who want rides and stalls behind one gate on a day when Copenhagen goes quiet. The catch is the ticket: Tivoli's published entry starts at 180 DKK for anyone aged eight and up in 2026, and the rides need a separate pass. Copenhagen's square markets have closed by then, and Nytorv and Gammeltorv end on 21 December (Denmark).

Is anything else open in these countries on Christmas Day?

Plan on shops being shut. Christmas Day and 26 December are public holidays in every German state (Germany) and in Austria, Hungary, Czechia and the Netherlands. Christmas Day is a public holiday across France, and Alsace and Moselle keep 26 December as a holiday too (France). In Belgium Christmas Day is the only official public holiday of the season (Belgium). Eat at the markets or book a restaurant table before you travel.

How firm are the Christmas Day hours?

The Vienna organizers and Colmar's tourism site print the 25th separately, so their hours are the firmest. Some entries need a caveat. Prague's organizer Taiko publishes 10:00 to 22:00 daily for 2026 and no holiday hours yet; in 2025 Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square opened at 12:00 on 25 December. Baden-Baden's organizer lists special-day hours as to be confirmed, and nobody published Christmas Day hours there in 2025 either. The Brussels organizer gives 12:00 to 22:00 daily and says nothing about the 25th. Visit Bruges says the market opens with fewer stalls and shorter hours without giving the times.

Two markets have Christmas inside their run and still stay shut on the 25th. Advent on the Neumarkt, Dresden pauses from 24 to 26 December, according to Dresden's tourism pages, and the Mosel Wine Christmas Market (Traben-Trarbach) opens on weekends only, so it stays shut on Friday the 25th. Check our Christmas Day page in December, when more organizers will have posted their hours.

Quick answers

Are any Christmas markets open on Christmas Day in Europe?

Yes. Forty-four of the 182 markets on this site open on Friday 25 December 2026, led by six in Colmar and five in Vienna.

Is the Vienna Christmas market open on Christmas Day?

Yes. The Vienna Christmas Market at Rathausplatz opens from 10:00 to 22:00 on 25 December 2026, and the organizer has confirmed it.

Are German Christmas markets open on Christmas Day?

A handful are, mostly in Berlin. The Berliner Weihnachtszeit at the Rotes Rathaus and the Christmas Market at Charlottenburg Palace open from 12:00 to 22:00 on 25 December 2026. The big markets in Nuremberg and Munich close on the 24th.

Is Tivoli open on Christmas Day?

Yes. Christmas in Tivoli opens from 11:00 to 23:00 on 25 December 2026, with fireworks at 20:45, after closing on Christmas Eve.

Are the Colmar Christmas markets open on 25 December?

Yes. All six Colmar markets open on 25 December 2026, five from 10:00 to 20:00 and the Colmar Gourmet Christmas Market from 11:00 to 22:00.

Is the Prague Christmas market open on Christmas Day?

Yes. The Prague Old Town Square Christmas Market runs through Christmas to 6 January 2027, and its 2026 Christmas Day hours aren't out yet; in 2025 it opened from 12:00 to 22:00 on 25 December.