- Published
- 24 October 2026
- Reading
- 5 min read
- Where
- Gdańsk, Poland
- Prices checked
- 26. Oct 2026.
Gdańsk has one Christmas market, the Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy, spread over several zones around Targ Węglowy. When it is planned to run in 2026, what to eat, and how to walk it in one evening.
The Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy is one Christmas market that happens to be cut into zones, six of them in 2025, and anyone looking for six separate markets will find the same crowd moving between them. The main zone, Targ Węglowy, is planned to open for 20 Nov – 23 Dec 2026, with the city's own dates due in autumn. If you have a single evening, the plan is short: Targ Węglowy at dusk, then the tree on Długi Targ.
Targ Węglowy and the zones around it
Targ Węglowy, the Coal Market, is the main zone, with a stage and a carousel, and it sits beside the Złota Brama and the Katownia tower. From there the market runs outwards along Droga Królewska and Bogusławskiego street, into the courtyard of Forum Gdańsk and onto Tkacka street, and it also takes over the Zbrojownia Sztuki i Rękodzieła, an arts and crafts hall near the Academy of Fine Arts. Over two hundred exhibitors took part in 2025. Two cabins from that season, the Angel's Mill and Elf Town, are the ones guidebooks mention by name. In an online vote run by European Best Destinations and published in November 2024, voters put the Gdańsk market first among European Christmas markets.
- Targ Węglowy: the main zone, with the stage and the carousel.
- The Wielka Zbrojownia and the Zbrojownia Sztuki i Rękodzieła: the covered craft stalls, as in 2025.
- Długi Targ: the city tree and the lights, but not a place for stalls.
When it runs in 2026, and what is not yet published
As an Advent market, the Jarmark follows the calendar in the second half of November, and the planned run is 20 Nov – 23 Dec 2026. The city normally publishes the exact dates in autumn, and the official ones are not out yet, so treat the planned dates as a guide. Last season it ran from late November until the day before Christmas Eve. Opening hours are not published for 2026 either. Last season's hours as an indication: 2025: Sunday–Thursday 12:00–20:00, Friday and Saturday 12:00–21:00. Entry is free.
What to eat and drink
At the Christmas fair the drinks come first. Grzaniec galicyjski, a spiced wine, is the standard, and in 2025 it arrived in porcelain cups with a deposit that the stall displays. Last season a hot drink started at about €2.74. Full dishes are pierogi, bigos and kiełbasa, and the stalls also sell oscypek with cranberry, pierniki and smoked fish. A full meal started at about €6.85. Get to the food before 6 pm if you want a counter without a queue, and begin at the Angel's Mill cabin, which is the usual recommendation for a first stop.
A food tour with a local guide: several tastings in one walk.
A one-evening order
From Gdańsk Główny the walk to Targ Węglowy takes ten to fifteen minutes, so arrive at three or four in the afternoon while there is still daylight, and the lights come on while you are inside. Move outwards from the main zone through the Forum courtyard, Droga Królewska, Tkacka street and the Zbrojownia, then finish at Długi Targ at dusk with the tree and Artus Court behind it. The rink by the Forum comes last, and it pays to be done before the last tram. For quieter hours, choose a weekday evening between about six and eight, or come before mid-December. Friday and Saturday evenings and weekend afternoons are the crowded ones. With a single evening, take Targ Węglowy at dusk and then the tree.
Lights, the tree and the rink
The tree and the lights on Długi Targ had more than 400 decorative elements in 2025, and the display was lit into early February. The rink stands by Forum Gdańsk on Plac Zebrań Ludowych and charges admission, with price and sessions posted at the rink. The two-storey carousel is the fixed photograph of the market, and the Christmas Story Clock showed an animation on the hour. Behind the Advent Gate a new window opened every day at 6 pm. A shared Wigilia, the Christmas Eve supper, was held on Długi Targ last season: 2025: 21 Dec at 16:00. Nothing of the 2026 programme is published.
Two vantage points and an amber museum
Targ Węglowy is at eye level, and Gdańsk is worth seeing from above and through the thing it is known for. The basilica tower is the climb, the observation deck at the Solidarity Centre has a museum underneath it, and the amber museum is a good plan for rain.
- St Mary's Basilica tower: a viewing platform above the old centre, adult ticket €4.56, open every day, and closed in storms.
- European Solidarity Centre: a permanent exhibition on the Solidarity movement and an observation deck, with the full exhibition ticket at €9.21. Exhibition: October to April: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10:00–17:00, weekends 10:00–18:00, closed on Tuesdays. Observation deck: weekdays 10:00–17:00, weekends 10:00–20:00, weather permitting. The building is closed on 24–26 December, 1 January and 6 January.
- Amber Museum, in the Great Mill: more than a thousand exhibits, from amber with inclusions about 40 million years old to an amber chamber, adult ticket €8.44, with last entry an hour before closing.
Official ticket
- Ticket
- €4.56
- Open
- every day
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
Official ticket
- Ticket
- €9.21
- Closed
- 24–26 December, 1 and 6 January
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
Official ticket
- Ticket
- €8.44
- Last entry
- an hour before closing
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
Where to sleep
Advent in Gdańsk is easiest from the Main Town, which is the closest base to every zone, with the Old Town around the Forum a good second choice. Granary Island works if you want the water, while Wrzeszcz, Oliwa and Sopot are quieter and a train ride away. The page on where to stay sorts these by what each is good for.
Plan for one dusk at Targ Węglowy and one walk to the tree, and book the room in the Main Town if you can. The market closes before Christmas Eve, so a trip for it belongs in the weeks before.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Poland, in brief
What now
If this sounds like your trip, start here.
Gdańsk
→The city where the Second World War started and where communism came apart
Gdańsk in 2 days
→Długi Targ, Westerplatte and the shipyard in two days — arranged around two museums that close on different days.
Day trips from Gdańsk
→Malbork for a full day, Hel for the beach, Sopot and Gdynia for half — all by train except Kashubia.
Where to stay in Gdańsk
→The Main Town puts everything within reach, Wrzeszcz keeps the same ride for less money, and Sopot trades the address for a beach on the doorstep.
What Gdańsk costs
→The biggest item is the bed, the biggest decision is Gdańsk or Sopot — everything else is a few euros a day.
Gdańsk behind the façades: the crane, the tower, the fortress and the district the guides skip
→A crane that once hauled masts, a tower that shows how small the Main Town really is, a fortress at the river mouth and a district tourists rarely reach.
What to eat in Gdańsk
→Gdańsk eats the Polish menu with a speciality of its own in a glass — a liqueur with real gold flakes in it, as old as the port itself.
The best time to visit Gdańsk
→In Gdańsk the date changes the sea temperature as much as the air — and three weeks in late summer turn the city into one long fair.
Getting around Gdańsk
→A train from the airport into town, the SKM to Sopot and Gdynia, trams to Brzeźno and Jelitkowo, and the Main Town on foot.
Mistakes everyone makes in Gdańsk
→Five mistakes that cost time or a ticket in Gdańsk, and what to do instead.
Beaches in Gdańsk
→Brzeźno is a tram and a pier, Jelitkowo is wide sand and a park, Stogi is pine and dunes, with no tram until mid-2027 — and Sopot and Gdynia are already a different stop.
Poland
→A country where half of what looks old isn't, and that is precisely the point
Strasbourg's Christmas market, and how old it really is
→How old the Strasbourg market really is, when it runs in 2026, where the crowds gather, what to eat from the deposit cup and why so many visitors sleep in Colmar.
Vienna Christmas markets: which one if you only have one evening
→Five markets, the 2026 dates, what a punch and a mug deposit cost, and an order for one evening on foot.
Salzburg Christmas markets: five markets, one day
→Salzburg has five Christmas markets with five sets of dates, and the 2026 dates and hours are already published.
Innsbruck Christmas markets: seven of them, and which comes first
→Seven Christmas markets stand within walking distance in Innsbruck, and Advent there is a route rather than a single square.
Nuremberg Christmas markets: Christkindlesmarkt and three more
→The Hauptmarkt holds the headline market, but a December day in Nuremberg divides better across four.
Dresden Christmas markets: Striezelmarkt and nine more
→The Advent market on Altmarkt gets the attention, yet the city lists ten, from medieval craftsmen in the Stallhof to white pagodas in Neustadt.
Cologne Christmas markets: six markets, one route
→Cologne counts 13 markets for 2026, and six of them repay an evening.
Munich Christmas markets: which to visit and in what order
→Munich has around ten Christmas markets, each with its own theme, and in 2026 the season opens with an ice rink before the main Christkindlmarkt follows a week later.
Berlin Christmas markets: which one to pick and when to go
→The Berlin holiday market worth paying for is the WeihnachtsZauber on Gendarmenmarkt, the one with a gate and a weekday free window.
Prague Christmas markets: which to pick, dates and prices
→Two big Prague Christmas markets fill the central squares while a handful of smaller ones sit in the neighbourhoods.
Budapest Christmas markets: which first, what it costs, when to go
→Two Christmas markets lead Budapest's Advent, and the order you visit them in decides how much of the evening you enjoy.
Zagreb Christmas markets: an advent spread across the squares
→Zagreb spreads its Advent across squares, parks and whole neighbourhoods instead of one fenced-off spot.
Ljubljana Christmas markets: where the stalls are and how to walk them
→Ljubljana's Advent market runs as a string of stalls along the river, from Prešeren Square to Breg.
Bratislava Christmas markets: three squares and a hall
→Bratislava's Christmas markets fill three squares of the old town that sit side by side.
Kraków Christmas markets: the Main Square, Mały Rynek and szopki
→Kraków has two Christmas markets, one on the Main Square and a smaller one on Mały Rynek, plus a szopka contest that gives December its own date.
Timișoara Christmas markets: where, when and in what order
→This guide to the Timisoara Christmas market covers the three squares and the county fair beside them.
Graz Christmas markets: sixteen markets, one walking route
→Sixteen Christmas markets sit within walking distance in the old town of Graz, and one of them is the pick for a single evening.
Leipzig Christmas markets: from the Markt to Augustusplatz
→Which areas make up the Advent market in Leipzig, when they open, how the mug deposit works and how to walk them in one evening.
Brno Christmas markets: five squares and when each one runs
→Brno spreads its Advent market over five squares in the old centre.
Sibiu Christmas market: dates, food and one-evening plan
→One square, one Christmas market in Sibiu, Romania, and a short list of things that cost money.
Wrocław Christmas markets: the Rynek, Plac Solny and Kraina Koni
→Wrocław has two Christmas markets, and only one of them has official 2026 dates so far.
Paris Christmas markets: which to pick, dates and ice rinks
→Paris has three big Christmas markets, at Tuileries, La Défense and Notre-Dame, and each suits a different kind of evening.
Lyon Christmas market and Fête des Lumières: how to see both
→Lyon has one big Christmas market and a four-night festival of light that matters more.
Rome Christmas markets: Navona, nativity scenes and lights
→Rome has one craft market, a Vatican exhibition of nativity scenes and a lot of light.
Naples Christmas markets: the street of the crib and what else opens
→Naples answers the question of the Christmas market with one street of nativity workshops, San Gregorio Armeno, where red huts stand in front of the shops.
Verona Christmas markets: from Piazza dei Signori to the Arena
→Verona spreads its Christmas markets over four places, from the Arena square to the old Arsenal, and one evening is enough to walk the best of them.
Milan Christmas markets: Duomo, Oh Bej and one evening in order
→Milan has three events that pass for Christmas markets, and they differ in age, size and price of admission.
Madrid Christmas markets: Plaza Mayor and what else is worth it
→Madrid's main Christmas market sells decorations rather than mulled wine.
Barcelona Christmas markets: Santa Llúcia, the port, Sagrada Família
→Three Christmas fairs, a Catalan idea of what one should sell, and a route for one December evening.
London Christmas markets: Winter Wonderland and where else to go
→London has no single Christmas market, only a ticketed amusement park, a riverside walk and a few lit squares.
Christmas markets in Europe: which city suits which trip
→Thirty-one cities compared on dates, size and character, with a pick for one evening, for children, for after New Year and for anyone tired of mulled wine and wooden huts.
Linz Christmas markets: Hauptplatz and Volksgarten
→Two free Linz Christmas markets, one for crafts on Hauptplatz and one for families in the Volksgarten, with dates, hours and a sensible order for one visit.
Warsaw Christmas markets: Old Town and Plac Defilad
→Warsaw has two Christmas markets in two different places, one in the shadow of the Palace of Culture and one beside Castle Square in the Old Town.
York Christmas markets: St Nicholas Fair and what to pair it with
→York's main Christmas market is St Nicholas Fair, set along Parliament Street, and this page explains where it sits, when it runs and how to fit the Shambles and the Minster into the same evening.
Bath Christmas market: a short run, so pick your day
→Bath Christmas Market is short and compact, with chalets in the historic centre beside the Abbey.
Maastricht Christmas market: Magisch Maastricht on the Vrijthof
→Magisch Maastricht turns the Vrijthof into a winter park with a covered ice rink, a 45 m Ferris wheel and Austrian-style chalets.
Trieste Christmas markets: the mercatini around the Borsa and Ponterosso
→The Trieste Christmas markets are a handful of streets and two squares near the Borsa and Ponterosso, with an ice rink and the San Nicolò fair nearby.
Turin Christmas markets: a small village and a city of lights
→Turin has no single big Christmas market.
Bologna Christmas markets: five small fairs, the oldest under a portico
→Five small Bologna Christmas markets, the oldest under a portico roof, with dates for 2026/27, what to eat on the way and a simple order for one evening.
Debrecen Christmas market: Kossuth tér, ice rink and Advent
→Debrecen's Christmas market is a citywide Advent with its centre on Kossuth tér, where an ice rink and ten thousand lights share the square.
Hamburg Christmas markets: Rathausmarkt, Jungfernstieg, Santa Pauli
→Hamburg runs several Weihnachtsmärkte at once, from the historic Rathausmarkt to white tents on the Alster and an adults-only market on the Reeperbahn.
Front row for the next trip
Leave your email and we'll let you know when a new destination or story goes up.