Bernkastel-Kues Christmas Market
Weihnachtsmarkt Bernkastel-Kues49°55′ N 7°04′ EBernkastel-Kuesfrom Nov 20Seasonal
The Bernkastel-Kues Christmas Market runs from 20 November to 20 December 2026 (confirmed) in the half-timbered old town on the Moselle, and suits couples and wine lovers on a slow trip. It is small, with 38 stalls, and the town has no railway station.
Photo René Bongard · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Bernkastel-Kues Christmas Market runs November 20, 2026 to December 20, 2026 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
Dates and hours
- November 20, 2026 to December 20, 2026Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
Hours · Sun–Thu 11:00–19:00; Fri–Sat 11:00–21:00
- Nov 22, 2026 · closed (Totensonntag)
- Dec 5, 2026 · (Torch swim on the Moselle, with St Nicholas by boat.)
- Dec 19, 2026 · (Fireworks with music over the Moselle.)
Bernkastel's 38 stalls tuck into the lanes around the Marktplatz, under the slate roofs and carved timber fronts of the wine town. Each evening at 17:30 a window opens on the half-timbered Advent calendar house, with a short performance below it. The Moselle runs along the edge of the old town, and that is where the two big set pieces happen: the torch swim on 5 December and the fireworks on 19 December.
Bernkastel-Kues has no railway station, so you arrive by bus from Wittlich Hbf or by car. Traben-Trarbach's cellar market lies downriver and makes a second evening on a weekend.
Worth knowing
- Time your evening for 17:30 to see the Advent window open on the Marktplatz.
- The market ends on 20 December, a few days earlier than most German markets.
Quick answers about Bernkastel-Kues Christmas Market
When is the Bernkastel-Kues Christmas market 2026?
The Bernkastel-Kues Christmas market runs from Friday 20 November to Sunday 20 December 2026. It is closed on 22 November and opens 11:00 to 19:00, and to 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
When is the torch swim in Bernkastel-Kues?
The torch swim on the Moselle at Bernkastel-Kues takes place on Saturday 5 December 2026, with more than 100 divers and St Nicholas following by boat.
When does Bernkastel-Kues Christmas Market open in 2026?
Bernkastel-Kues Christmas Market opens on November 20, 2026 and closes on December 20, 2026. Those dates are confirmed by the organizer.
In the journal and guides
Read more about Bernkastel-Kues Christmas Market
Guide · 9 min read
Are German Christmas markets open on Sunday?
Every Advent Sunday is a market day in Germany. The two Sundays before Advent are different, and on 22 November 2026 most markets that have already opened stay shut.
Guide · 10 min read
When do Christmas markets open in Germany in 2026?
Totensonntag falls on 22 November in 2026. Most German markets open in the week after it, and the date of a city's market comes from a rule you can read ahead.
Guide · 23 min read
When do Europe's Christmas markets open and close in 2026?
Vienna and Copenhagen open first, on 6 November 2026, and Cologne's Heumarkt keeps its stalls up until 10 January 2027. Every row below names who published the date.