Guides · Stockholm
Stockholm Christmas Market 2026: Dates & Old Town Charm
By Viktorija Dvariskyte · Marketing Manager
Marketing Manager
The main Stockholm Christmas market, the Stortorget Christmas market in Gamla Stan, runs from 21 November to 23 December 2026, according to listings based on the organisers. First held in 1837, it is the oldest Christmas market in Sweden, with red wooden stalls filling the cobbled square in the heart of the Old Town. Entry is free.
Stockholm's Christmas season is about more than one market: the open-air museum Skansen hosts a Christmas market that dates back to 1903, Lucia celebrations light up the darkest weeks of December, and department store windows turn into festive displays. This guide covers the 5 best ways to enjoy a Stockholm Christmas market trip, each with the location, the nearest metro or tram stop and a Pro Tip. Where 2026 details had not been announced, we give last year's dates and hours.
The order starts in Gamla Stan, crosses to the city centre for Kungsträdgården and the NK windows, heads out to Skansen on Djurgården, and finishes with Lucia on 13 December.
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1Stortorget Christmas Market in Gamla Stan - Sweden's Oldest
The Christmas market on Stortorget, the oldest square in Stockholm, has been held since 1837, making it the oldest Christmas market in Sweden. Little red wooden stalls fill the square, surrounded by colourful 17th-century merchants' houses and the Nobel Prize Museum. The 2026 market runs from 21 November to 23 December.
Opening hours for 2026 had not been announced at the time of writing; in previous years the stalls opened daily from around 11am to 6pm. They sell Swedish handicrafts, Christmas decorations, smoked sausages, reindeer meat, cheese, sweets and glögg, the Swedish mulled wine served with raisins and almonds.
The square is small and gets busy, but its setting in the medieval Old Town is hard to beat.
2Skansen Christmas Market - Traditions Since 1903
Skansen, the world's oldest open-air museum, has hosted a Christmas market every year since 1903. Around 70 stalls set up on the Bollnäs square, selling traditional crafts, woollen goods, candles, marzipan, smoked meats and glögg, among historic wooden houses and farmsteads brought from across Sweden.
The 2026 dates had not been announced at the time of writing. In 2025, the market ran on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 28 November to 21 December, so expect a similar weekend pattern in 2026.
Entry to the market is included in the Skansen admission ticket, which also covers the museum and its Nordic animals, such as moose, bears and reindeer.
3Kungsträdgården Christmas Market - Gifts by Local Students
Kungsträdgården, one of Stockholm's most central parks, hosts a Christmas market where students from the city's schools sell gifts and crafts they have made themselves, from candles and ceramics to textiles and baked goods. It is a popular and good-value stop for unusual presents.
The park is also home to a seasonal outdoor ice rink in winter, which makes it easy to combine shopping with skating. The surrounding streets are decorated with lights for the Christmas season.
Dates for 2026 had not been confirmed at the time of writing; the market usually runs on weekends in late November and December. Check Visit Stockholm before you go.
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See what is available on your dates.
4NK Christmas Windows - Stockholm's Festive Displays
The Christmas windows at NK (Nordiska Kompaniet), Stockholm's grandest department store, are one of the city's best-loved festive traditions. Each year the windows facing Hamngatan are filled with elaborate animated displays, drawing families who come specially to see them.
The windows are usually unveiled in mid-November and stay up throughout the Christmas season. Inside, the store is decorated from top to bottom, with a Christmas department selling Swedish decorations.
The streets around NK, including Biblioteksgatan, are lit up with festive lights, making the area pleasant for an evening stroll after the shops close. It is an easy add-on to any Stockholm Christmas market itinerary.
5Lucia Celebrations on 13 December - Candles in the Darkness
Saint Lucia's Day on 13 December is one of the most beautiful Swedish Christmas traditions. Processions of singers dressed in white, led by Lucia wearing a crown of candles, perform traditional songs in churches, schools and public spaces across Stockholm.
Skansen hosts a well-known Lucia celebration, and concerts are held in churches including Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) in Gamla Stan. Many concerts are ticketed and sell out, while some events are free.
Lucia falls on a Sunday in 2026, and celebrations often take place over several days around the date. If you can, plan your Stockholm Christmas market trip to include 13 December.
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Stockholm Christmas Market 2026: Gamla Stan, Skansen & More - FAQ
The Stortorget Christmas Market in Gamla Stan runs from 21 November to 23 December 2026. Expected hours are 11am to 6pm Sunday to Thursday and 11am to 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays, but check the organisers' website, as Swedish markets confirm details late.
Stortorget and Kungsträdgården are free to enter. The Skansen Christmas market is included in the regular Skansen admission ticket, with no separate market fee.
Take the metro to Gamla Stan station, a five-minute walk from Stortorget. For Skansen, take tram 7 to Djurgården or the ferry from Slussen.
No. The Stortorget market closes on 23 December, and Skansen's market ends on 20 December. In Sweden, Christmas Eve is the main celebration, so most markets finish before it.
No. Stockholm's Christmas markets do not reopen after Christmas. Visit between late November and 23 December to catch them.
The main market is on Stortorget, the cobbled square at the heart of Gamla Stan, the Old Town. Skansen's market is in the open-air museum on Djurgården, and Kungsträdgården is in the city centre near the NK department store.
Weekday afternoons are the calmest. It gets dark by mid-afternoon in December, so you can enjoy the lights early. If you want to see Skansen too, plan your trip around a Friday to Sunday.
Stortorget is Sweden's oldest Christmas market, first held in 1837. Skansen's market, running since 1903, is the most atmospheric, and Kungsträdgården sells gifts made by local students. Rosendals Trädgård on Djurgården offers a more offbeat greenhouse market.
Skansen's Christmas market runs on Fridays to Sundays only, from 27 November to 20 December 2026. It opens 10am to 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays and until 4pm on Sundays. Allow at least half a day, as the museum, Nordic animals and historic buildings are part of the experience.
Lucia is celebrated on 13 December with candlelit processions led by a girl wearing a crown of candles, singing traditional songs. You can see Lucia concerts in Stockholm's churches and at Skansen, and saffron buns called lussekatter are eaten everywhere that day.
