Trento
46°04′ N 11°07′ ECityPop. 119,359Trentino and Northern Italy
Trento (Trient in German) is the capital of Trentino and suits travellers who want an Italian city with a Christmas market that opens on Christmas Day, though it lies south of the South Tyrol markets. In 2026 the Trento Christmas market runs from 20 November to 6 January 2027, daily 10:00–20:00.
Who should base here
Trento opens its Christmas market on 20 November 2026, earlier than the South Tyrol markets, and keeps it open on Christmas Day. Stay here for an Italian-speaking city with a Renaissance centre and mountain food, and take the Brenner line north for the South Tyrol markets.
Trento hosted the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century, and the cathedral and the Castello del Buonconsiglio still frame the old town. Italian is the language of the streets here. At Christmas the market takes two squares and the streets between them fill with lights and concerts.
Use Trento as the southern anchor of a South Tyrol trip. It opens almost a week before Bolzano and Merano, and it is the market to choose for 25 December.
Worth knowing
- Start a South Tyrol trip in Trento if you arrive in the week of 20 November, before the markets further north open.
- Save Christmas Day for Trento, where the market opens that afternoon.
Quick answers about Trento
Is Trento worth visiting at Christmas?
Yes. Trento's Christmas market fills two squares in the old town from 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027 and opens on Christmas Day.
Is Trento the same as Trient?
Yes. Trento is the Italian name and Trient the German name of the capital of Trentino.
Is Trento a good place to stay?
Trento opens its Christmas market on 20 November 2026, earlier than the South Tyrol markets, and keeps it open on Christmas Day. Stay here for an Italian-speaking city with a Renaissance centre and mountain food, and take the Brenner line north for the South Tyrol markets.