Lyon and the Alps
Rhône-Alpes45°42′ N 5°24′ EFrance1 market1 town3 events5 stays
Lyon builds its December around the Fête des Lumières, when the city lights up with free installations from 5 to 8 December 2026 and about 2 million visitors pour in, so book a bed early. The Christmas market on Place Carnot beside Perrache station fills an hour or two and closes early on festival nights. Outside those four nights you come to Lyon for the food.
Photo Myrabella · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
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Christmas markets
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Events and seasons
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- What's open in Europe on Christmas Eve?
Seventy-nine markets open on 24 December 2026, and most of them close by 18:30, so do your last shopping before dark.
- 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.
- When is Lyon's Festival of Lights in 2026?
The Fête des Lumières lights Lyon from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December 2026, and on the last night many Lyonnais set candles in their windows.