Getting everything ready…
When each big market opens, the weeks to fly from India, and the guided tours that pass through Vienna, Prague, Munich and Nuremberg in season.
Short answer: Europe's big Christmas markets open between 13 and 28 November 2026 and most close on 23 or 24 December. Vienna's Rathausplatz runs 13 November to 26 December, Nuremberg 27 November to 24 December and Prague 28 November to 6 January 2027. From India, aim to be there between 28 November and mid-December, and apply for your Schengen visa as soon as your dates are fixed.
Dates and prices checked on 7 Oct 2026.
A December trip to Central Europe is one of the most asked-for winter holidays from India: lit squares, wooden stalls, mulled wine, roasted chestnuts and gingerbread, in cities that are quieter and cheaper than in summer. The catch is timing. Markets open on different days, a few close on 23 December, and the most expensive fortnight of the year to travel starts just as they wind down.
These are the dates published for 2026 as of 7 Oct 2026. Organisers sometimes adjust hours, so check again in November.
| City | Market | 2026 dates | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vienna | Wiener Christkindlmarkt, Rathausplatz | 13 Nov to 26 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 22:00; closes 18:30 on 24 Dec. The ice rink stays until 6 Jan 2027.Source: christkindlmarkt.at |
| Cologne | Christmas market at the Cathedral, Roncalliplatz | 16 Nov to 23 Dec 2026 | Closed Sunday 22 Nov. The organiser lists these dates as provisional.Source: Cologne Cathedral market listing |
| Munich | Christkindlmarkt, Marienplatz | 20 Nov to 24 Dec 2026 | Closed Sunday 22 Nov; 24 Dec until 14:00.Source: Munich tourism |
| Nuremberg | Christkindlesmarkt, Hauptmarkt | 27 Nov to 24 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 22:00; 24 Dec until 14:00. Opens with the Christkind's prologue.Source: tourismus.nuernberg.de |
| Prague | Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square | 28 Nov 2026 to 6 Jan 2027 | Daily 10:00 to 22:00, shorter hours on 24 to 26 Dec and 31 Dec.Source: Prague market listings |
Strasbourg, often called the capital of Christmas, had not announced its 2026 dates when we checked; it usually opens in late November.
Vienna, Cologne and Munich are open; Nuremberg and Prague open on 27 and 28 November. Good if your route starts in Vienna or Germany.
The sweet spot. Every market in the table is open, and tour departures in late November and the first week of December are at the normal winter rate on our shelf; some from 12 December cost more.
German markets close on 23 and 24 December. Prague stays open into January, but this is the dearest fortnight for flights and hotels.
If you can take leave in the first week of December, you get the full set of markets at winter prices. For daily budgets in euros and rupees, see our Europe trip cost per day guide.
These departures are from our escorted-tour partner and were live on our shelf on 7 Oct 2026. The headline rupee price is per person on triple sharing, tour only: hotels, breakfast, coach travel with an English-speaking guide and the city tours named on each tour. Flights, the visa, transfers not included and insurance are quoted on top, and a NxVoy consultant confirms seats and the final price before you pay.
from ₹77,707; the 18 Dec departure is ₹85,708
Vienna (2 nights), Budapest (1), Bratislava, Prague (2)
Departures: Fridays 20 Nov, 27 Nov, 4 Dec, 11 Dec, 18 Dec
Pick 27 Nov or later so the Prague market is open when you arrive there.
from ₹1,09,590; the 14 Dec departure is ₹1,17,591
Prague (2 nights), Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna (2)
Departures: Mondays 16 Nov, 23 Nov, 30 Nov, 7 Dec, 14 Dec, 21 Dec
The 30 Nov and 7 Dec departures put you in Prague and Vienna with both markets open.
from ₹1,36,139
Round trip from Berlin with a night in Nuremberg and a night in Munich
Departures: Thursday 10 Dec
Stays a night in Nuremberg (12 Dec) and then Munich (13 Dec), when both markets are open.
from ₹1,40,988; the 12 Dec departure is ₹1,48,989
Berlin (2 nights), Dresden, Prague (2), Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna (2)
Departures: Saturdays 21 Nov, 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec, 19 Dec
Berlin, Prague and Vienna in one trip; from the 28 Nov departure, the Prague and Vienna markets are open on your nights there.
Coach tours spend part of each day on the road, and an evening at a market is usually on your own time. If a specific market matters to you, tell the consultant when you ask for a quote and they will check which night you are in that city.
Three parts make up the total: the tour or your own hotels and transport, the return flight, and the visa.
Apply to the country where you spend the most nights. If the nights are equal, apply to the country you enter first. On Imperial Capitals, for example, you spend 2 nights in Austria, 1 in Hungary and 2 in the Czech Republic, so Austria, where the tour starts, is the country to apply to. A fixed, day-by-day tour itinerary with hotel names makes that rule easy to show in your file.
You can apply up to six months ahead and no later than 15 days before departure. Processing normally takes 15 days and can take up to 45, and appointment slots in the big cities fill up before peak seasons, so book your appointment as soon as the tour is confirmed.
Pick a departure on the guided tours shelf and request a quote. A NxVoy consultant confirms seats, the final price, and the flights and visa support you need before you pay. Prefer a custom route? Shasa, NxVoy's AI travel assistant, can draft one for you.
NxVoy is an IATA accredited travel agent and a DPIIT recognised startup, recognised by India's Ministry of Tourism through NIDHI.
Most big markets open between mid and late November 2026. Vienna's Rathausplatz market opens on 13 November, Cologne's cathedral market on 16 November, Munich's Marienplatz market on 20 November, Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt on 27 November and Prague's Old Town Square market on 28 November.
Prague's Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square markets run until 6 January 2027, and Vienna's Rathausplatz market until 26 December. Nuremberg and Munich close on 24 December and Cologne's cathedral market on 23 December.
The last week of November and the first two weeks of December. Every market in this guide is open between 28 November and 23 December, and you avoid the Christmas and New Year fortnight, when tour prices on our shelf are higher.
Yes. Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic are all in the Schengen area, so Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa. You can apply up to six months before you travel and no later than 15 days before, and a decision normally takes 15 days.
On our shelf, a 6-day Vienna, Budapest and Prague tour starts at ₹77,707 per person on triple sharing, tour only, and 9-day tours through Germany, Prague and Vienna start at about ₹1.36 to ₹1.41 lakh. Flights, the visa, transfers not included in the tour and insurance are quoted on top, and a consultant confirms seats and the final price before you pay.
Sources, checked 7 Oct 2026: christkindlmarkt.at (Vienna), tourismus.nuernberg.de (Nuremberg), Munich tourism (Marienplatz), the Cologne Cathedral market listing, Prague market listings, EU Home Affairs (Schengen visa rules) and NxVoy's live guided-tours shelf.
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