- Published
- 24 October 2026
- Reading
- 5 min read
- Where
- Sibiu, Romania
- Prices checked
- 26. Oct 2026.
One square, one Christmas market in Sibiu, Romania, and a short list of things that cost money. Here is what stands on Piața Mare, what to expect at the stalls and how to spend a single evening there.
Cheap as chips is the usual line about Romanian Christmas markets, and Sibiu is where it starts to wobble. The Târgul de Crăciun din Sibiu is free to enter, yet food prices in 2025 made some visitors ration what they spent, which is worth knowing before you arrive hungry.
Târgul de Crăciun on Piața Mare
Everything happens on Piața Mare, the Grand Square that the Saxon settlers called the Großer Ring when the town was Hermannstadt, and the Sibiu Christmas fair has filled it every winter since 2007. Organisers claim more than 500,000 visitors in 2024. This year they announce over 120 exhibitors, with the rink, the wheel and Santa's corner carried over from earlier seasons. The square is the whole market, so you can take it in from one end to the other without a map.
- Piața Mare: wooden stalls, the tree and the lights, free to enter for everybody.
- An open-air ice rink of 600 sqm, with skate hire on site.
- A panoramic wheel about 22 m above the square.
- Moș Crăciun's workshop for children, and the Liftul Fermecat, a short ride to Santa's house.
2026 dates and hours
The advent market runs 13 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027, which carries it across Christmas and New Year. Last year's edition ran 14 Nov 2025 – 4 Jan 2026, a day later, and opened on 14 Nov 2025 at 19:00 with Radu Nechifor and the DreamCatchers Band, plus Ducu Bertzi as special guest. The opening programme for 2026 has not been published yet. Opening hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–22:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–22:00.
What to eat and drink
Start with a kürtőskalács, the chimney cake rolled in cinnamon sugar or walnuts, then move on to a lángos with garlic, sour cream and cheese. Mici, the beef and pork sausages also known as mititei, come off the grill beside gogoși and covrigi, and the vin fiert sometimes arrives with a shot of pălincă. Transylvanian dishes such as sarmale, cozonac and tochitură share the same lanes. Prices from 2025 show where the cliché breaks. Two sarmale or a beef goulash cost about €7.60 in 2025, a cup of mulled wine about €2.85–3.40, and a three-minute ride on the little train, carousel or wheel about €3.80. The wine is cheap next to Vienna or Prague, the food is not free money, and the local press wrote that high prices for food and sweets were making visitors ration their spending. Every stall takes cards. Smaller food and craft sellers still prefer lei, so bring a little cash.
One evening on Piața Mare
If you have one evening, go on a weekday in the afternoon and stay until dark. The stalls open at 11:00 on weekdays, and the lights do their work after sunset. Walk a slow loop of the stalls and the tree first, take the rink and the wheel if children are with you, then warm up in the Christmas Chalet. Finish in the middle of the square and look back at the lit facades, where projections play on the historic buildings from November through December. Piața Mică is a short walk away and held an immersive projection show in 2025. The Turnul Sfatului, a 14th-century tower, is now a museum you can climb, and the Podul Minciunilor joins the upper and lower town. Saturdays and the two weeks before Christmas are very crowded. The organisers ask visitors to use public transport. Book a table for Christmas Eve in advance, because many restaurants close on the 24th and 25th.
Ice rink, Ferris wheel and programme
The rink, the wheel and the Santa zone are long-running attractions, and no new ones have been announced for this year. The wheel and the rink are paid extras, and the rink publishes no price. The Atelierul lui Moș Crăciun takes children aged 5 to 9 for creative workshops, by reservation. Three more spots round out the evening.
- The rink, open-air, with skate hire.
- Scena Comunității, where community choirs and local acts perform.
- The Christmas Chalet, built in Tyrolean style, with mulled wine and DJ nights.
A palace, an open-air village and a castle
The only tickets worth buying in Sibiu in December are the ones that give you a warm hour between laps of the stalls. The palace is the answer for an afternoon of paintings, the open-air museum suits anyone who would rather walk past old houses than stalls, and the castle at Bran is for a long day away from the market.
- Brukenthal Palace: the national museum's palace, home to its European art gallery, ticket €9.50. Open Wed–Sun 10–18 (last entry 17:15).
- ASTRA National Museum Complex: an open-air museum just outside the city, ticket €9.50. Off-season hours: off-season (Sep–Apr) 8–18; pavilions Wed–Sun 9–17.
- Bran Castle: the full-day trip, with winter hours from 2 November to 31 March: Tuesday–Sunday 9:00 to 18:00, Monday 12:00 to 18:00 (last entry).
Official ticket
- Ticket
- €9.50
- Open
- Wed–Sun 10–18
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
Official ticket
- Ticket
- €9.50
- Pavilions
- Wed–Sun 9–17
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
On your own
- Winter
- Tue–Sun 9:00 to 18:00
- Mondays
- 12:00 to 18:00
With a guide
- transport arranged
- a guide on site
- costs more than going alone
Where to sleep and how to get around
The centre is pedestrian, so a room close to the square means you walk to the market and back after the last cup of wine. Further out, public transport is the better way in. Getting in from the airport: Tursib bus, line 11. Fare: €0.66.
One square is enough for a good evening, and it rewards a clear plan more than a long one. Choose a weekday afternoon, eat the cheap things first, and stay for the lights.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Romania, in brief
What now
If this sounds like your trip, start here.
Sibiu
→A city that shared the title of European Capital of Culture with Luxembourg in 2007, and whose main viewpoint since 2026 is the cathedral tower, because the town's own Council Tower is closed for restoration.
Sibiu in 2 days
→Day one is a walk through three squares and across the Bridge of Lies; day two heads out of the centre, into the Dumbrava Forest for the ASTRA Museum.
Day trips from Sibiu
→The Transfăgărășan wants an organised tour and a full day; Biertan and Sighișoara go by car, Păltiniș and Cisnădioara by local Tursib bus.
Where to stay in Sibiu
→In Sibiu the area isn't chosen by a transport line — the city is too small for that to matter; it's chosen by how many steps lead to the room and how close it sits to the three main squares.
What Sibiu costs
→Romania is outside the eurozone, but every price on this page is already converted to euro — a hostel bed is €9.12–14.40, a set lunch €6.30–7.40.
Sibiu, past the six-sight list
→The covered passage between the Upper and Lower Town, two defence towers named after the guilds that manned…
What to eat in Sibiu
→Tripe soup opens the table, mici are small bites off the grill, and papanași with soured cream and sour-cherry jam close it.
The best time to visit Sibiu
→A continental climate with no sea to soften it — summer can top 30°C, winter is cold, and May, June and September–October strike the best balance of weather, rain and price.
Getting around Sibiu
→Sibiu has its own airport with a bus line straight into the centre, a train onward to Brașov, and a bus to Cluj.
Mistakes everyone makes in Sibiu
→Payment is in lei, the Council Tower is shut for restoration until the end of 2027, and the Brukenthal Museum closes two days a week — mistakes that cost time or money here.
Romania
→A capital, Transylvania's Saxon towns and the road to the western border, in a line that never doubles back
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.
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.
Gdańsk Christmas markets: Targ Węglowy and the six zones
→Gdańsk has one Christmas market, the Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy, spread over several zones around Targ Węglowy.
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
→Forty-eight 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.
Novi Sad Christmas markets: Zimzolend on Trg slobode
→Novi Sad has one Christmas market, called Zimzolend. It fills Trg slobode with wooden huts, and entry is free.
Olomouc Christmas markets: two squares, a rink and quiet hours
→Olomouc runs two Christmas markets at once, one on the two main squares and one beside an ice rink, and the quieter hours suit families best.
Poznań Christmas markets: Betlejem Poznańskie
→Poznań spreads its Christmas markets over three places and keeps them running until Epiphany, with free entry on the two squares and a separate fairground stop.
Toruń Christmas market: gingerbread and the Old Town
→Toruń's Christmas market is a single fair on the Old Town Square, with more than 100 exhibitors, gingerbread baking workshops and a full children's programme.
Bled Christmas market: the Winter Fairytale by the lake
→Bled's Christmas market is the Winter Fairytale on the lakeside promenade, with regional food, live music at weekends and a legend about a sunken bell.
Sofia Christmas market: the NDK fest and the German market
→Sofia has two Christmas markets, a festival in front of the NDK and a German market in the City Garden. Official dates for 2026 are not out yet.
Szeged Christmas market: Advent at Dóm tér
→Szeged Advent turns Dóm tér into a small Christmas market with a 50 m Ferris wheel, a straw maze for children and mulled wine.
Sibiu, Brașov and Cluj-Napoca from this story
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