Gdańsk Christmas Market 2026: dates, opening hours, how to get there and attractions

The Gdańsk Christmas Market 2026 runs from Friday 20 November to Wednesday 23 December. The stalls stand on Targ Węglowy (Coal Market) and the streets around it, in the strict city centre, two minutes from the Golden Gate. Entry is free. Below is what you need before you come: opening hours, the exact location, how to get there and where to park, attractions, food and answers to the most common questions. Dates and hours come from the organiser’s website; the detailed 2026 programme is announced in November.

Key facts

When the 2026 market opens and closes

The market opens on Friday 20 November 2026 and runs every day until Wednesday 23 December inclusive, 34 days in all. There are no stalls on Christmas Eve or over Christmas, so if you want to combine the market with Christmas in Gdańsk, arrive by 23 December at the latest. Last year followed the same rhythm: a start on the third weekend of November and a close the day before Christmas Eve.

The opening hours given by the organiser are 12:00–20:00 from Sunday to Thursday and 12:00–21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. They were identical last year. The busiest times are Saturday afternoons and evenings from early December; if you prefer it quiet, come on a weekday right after opening or on Sunday before noon.

The organiser publishes the 2026 opening programme just before the start. In 2025 the market opened on a Friday, and on the Saturday afternoon an opening parade walked from Bogusławskiego Street to Targ Węglowy, followed by the official opening and a carol concert. The current programme is on bozonarodzeniowy.pl.

Where exactly the market is, and how not to confuse it with St Dominic’s Fair

The heart of the market is Targ Węglowy, the square between the Golden Gate, the Prison Tower and the Great Armoury, where the Main Town meets the Old Town. From Długi Targ and the Neptune Fountain it is about a 5-minute walk through the Golden Gate and along Długa Street. In 2025 the stalls also filled Tkacka Street, the inside of the Great Armoury, the area around the Prison Tower, the whole of Bogusławskiego Street up to the Shakespeare Theatre and the courtyard of the Forum Gdańsk shopping centre. The organiser publishes the 2026 stall map before the opening; in recent years the layout has changed only in details.

Search results for “Gdańsk market” mix up two different events. The Christmas Market runs in November and December on Targ Węglowy. St Dominic’s Fair is in August: three weeks of trading on Długi Targ, Długa Street and the streets of the Main Town, with no link to Christmas. If you are planning a winter trip, the first one is the one you want.

Getting there and parking

The easiest way is by train or SKM commuter rail to Gdańsk Główny: from the platforms it is about a 10-minute walk to Targ Węglowy, straight towards the Upland Gate. Trams stop at Brama Wyżynna, two minutes from the first stalls. From the airport, take the PKM rail to Gdańsk Wrzeszcz and change to the SKM, or take the bus; we describe it step by step in how to get from Gdańsk Airport to the city centre.

By car, the closest option is the underground car park at Forum Gdańsk, which borders the market, or the Main Town streets covered by the paid parking zone. In 2025, on weekends from the opening until 21 December, the city changed the traffic arrangements around Forum and the Upland Gate and ran trams more often; expect the same this year. If you are staying in the centre, leave the car where it is and walk. The rules of the zone are in our article on parking in Gdańsk.

Attractions beyond the stalls

For several years running the Gdańsk market has placed near the top of the European vote for the best Christmas markets, which the organiser is happy to remind you of on its website. Beyond the shopping and food, a few fixed points return every year in a similar form. The list below describes the 2025 edition; the 2026 programme will be announced in November.

The carousel on Targ Węglowy is the most photographed part of the market, especially after dark. By the Prison Tower stands Lucek the Elk, a talking elk who chats with children and adults. In 2025 the market had a Shakespeare Corner with a Romeo and Juliet balcony by the Shakespeare Theatre, an Advent Gate, a Santa Claus Corner and a zone with carousels and a sleigh-flight simulator. On stage there are carol concerts and performances, and at weekends craft shows and workshops. Separately, in December the city switches on the Christmas lights on Długi Targ and Długa Street, ten minutes’ walk from the market; an evening stroll from Targ Węglowy to the Neptune Fountain is the best way to see both.

What to eat and what to buy

In 2025 the market had 222 stalls, the most in its history, and the food zone served dishes from 22 world cuisines, from traditional Polish to Asian. The fixed points are mulled wine, grilled oscypek cheese, waffles and gingerbread.

For Christmas shopping, look for the Great Armoury: in 2025 it hosted producers from Pomerania, with sourdough Christmas Eve bread, Kashubian cheeses and honey. Outside, the stalls are dominated by tree decorations, candles, amber, ceramics, wool and handicrafts. Prices are market prices, higher than in the shops; treat it as part of the evening rather than a way to buy cheap gifts.

The market with children

Children like the carousel, Lucek the Elk and the Santa Claus Corner most, and at weekends the workshops, for example gingerbread decorating. A pushchair will cope with the cobbles of Targ Węglowy, but on a Saturday evening the crowd is dense; with a small child the most comfortable time is a weekday between 12:00 and 15:00, when it is light and uncrowded. If the weather spoils your plans, there are several museums with children’s exhibitions within a quarter of an hour’s walk; we cover them in museums in Gdańsk and what to do in Gdańsk when it rains.

Where to stay to have the market on your doorstep

Targ Węglowy sits on the edge of the Main Town, so the closest apartments are in the Old Town, on Długa Street and on Granary Island: a 5–10 minute walk, no tram and no parking. We run more than 150 apartments in the strict centre of Gdańsk, including apartments in the Old Town and on Granary Island. Booking directly on apartmore.pl, you pay the price without intermediaries’ commission. December weekends sell out earlier than the rest of winter, and if you plan to stay for Christmas or New Year’s Eve, see also our articles on Christmas in Gdańsk and New Year’s Eve in Gdańsk.

Frequently asked questions