Einsiedeln
47°08′ N 8°45′ ETownPop. 15,867Switzerland
Einsiedeln suits a day trip from Zurich for anyone who wants a big village market in front of a Baroque abbey, and its trade-off is a ten-day season: the 2026 market runs only from 27 November to 6 December. More than 140 stalls line the Klosterplatz and the Hauptstrasse, and the abbey's Christmas Masses follow later in the month.
Photo Daniel Kraft · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Most visitors come for the day, since the market's lower entrance is two or three minutes' walk from the station. Stay overnight if you want the abbey's Christmas liturgy, with a midnight Mass at 23:00 on 24 December 2026 and a Pontifical High Mass at 10:30 on Christmas Day.
Einsiedeln is a pilgrimage village built around a Benedictine abbey, and the market's organizers point out that the abbey forecourt is the second-largest church forecourt in Europe. The stalls run from that forecourt down the Hauptstrasse toward the station. The organizers ask visitors to come by train because the main car park closes for the market.
Worth knowing
- ZVV runs a direct train from Zurich HB to Einsiedeln and back on selected market days, according to the market's travel page.
- The market's opening day, Friday 27 November 2026, starts only at 17:00.
Quick answers about Einsiedeln
When is the Einsiedeln Christmas market in 2026?
The Einsiedeln Christmas market runs from Friday 27 November to Sunday 6 December 2026. It opens at 17:00 on the first day, then 11:00 to 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and 11:00 to 19:30 from Sunday to Thursday.
Is Einsiedeln a good place to stay?
Most visitors come for the day, since the market's lower entrance is two or three minutes' walk from the station. Stay overnight if you want the abbey's Christmas liturgy, with a midnight Mass at 23:00 on 24 December 2026 and a Pontifical High Mass at 10:30 on Christmas Day.
