Düsseldorf Christmas Markets 2026: Dates, Altstadt and Königsallee

Düsseldorf Tourismus, the city's tourist board, has published the 2026 dates and hours below, and the themed markets in the centre all keep the same schedule (visitduesseldorf.de, checked 30 October 2026).

Some stallholders stay open until 22:00 every night. If you saw 2025 dates elsewhere, those markets ran through late November and December too; we were there from 20 to 24 November 2025.

Special days: closed on Sunday 22 November (Totensonntag, the German day of remembrance) and on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December; open 11:00 to 15:00 on 24 December and 14:00 to 21:00 on 26 December. Entry is free. One local listings site gives 20 November as opening day; we follow the tourist board's 19 November, but check again before you travel.

• Only one evening: Marktplatz before dark, then Burgplatz and the Rhine bank, finishing on the Kö. That is the order we did it in.
• A Ferris wheel and river views: the 55-metre Wheel of Vision on Burgplatz.
• Ice skating: Kö on Ice on Königsallee.
• Christmas shopping: Schadowstraße, where small huts stand between the chain stores.
• With kids: the circus-themed Roncalli promenade along the Rhine, with room to move.
• Avoiding crowds: come on a weekday afternoon; Marktplatz empties early in the evening.

One day: we did the markets in a single day, in two rounds. Morning in the old town and Marktplatz, late morning on Schadowstraße and the Kö, afternoon at the Schlossturm, the Rhine and Burgplatz. Once it was dark we went round again with the lights on: Marktplatz, Burgplatz and the Kö last of all.

Two days: give day two to Little Tokyo, MedienHafen and the Rheinturm, and skate at Kö on Ice in the evening. If you would like a local guide for the markets:

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Most markets sit between the old town and Königsallee, so those two areas make the walk home shortest. December weekends book up early. Our page on where to stay in Düsseldorf  sorts the hotels by neighbourhood.

Where we stayed: Garner Hotel Düsseldorf Main Station, near the main station, for four nights from 20 to 24 November 2025. We took the U-Bahn three stops to Heinrich-Heine-Allee for the markets, and walked to the platforms for the Cologne, Essen and Dortmund trains.

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From the airport: the S11 runs from the station under the terminal to the main station; other trains leave from the airport's long-distance station, reached by SkyTrain. We used a Deutschlandticket bought in an app, which covers city transport and regional trains but not ICE high-speed trains.

Flights, the airport trains and the Amsterdam connection get their own section on our things to do in Düsseldorf  page.

To the markets: the tourist board recommends public transport; the Heinrich-Heine-Allee stop is right by the market, three U-Bahn stops from the main station.

Between markets: all within walking distance; we saw the whole city on foot, and comfortable shoes were all we needed.

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Prices differ from market to market; from what we saw, a portion at the stalls cost roughly €5 to €10.Watch in the video · 16:53 

Chimney cake (Königsallee): Dough wound round a spit, turned over heat and rolled in sugar. We bought it expecting little and were pleasantly surprised.Watch in the video · 20:00 

Stuffed pastry (Königsallee): Sold as pizza but closed like a bun. The smell pulled us in; something hot in the cold was exactly right.Watch in the video · 20:30 

Restaurant meals from the trip, including ramen and taiyaki in Little Tokyo, are in our Düsseldorf food section .

Closed days: the markets stay shut on Sunday 22 November; if your trip falls in opening week, use that day for Little Tokyo or MedienHafen. Christmas Day is closed too, and on 24 December stalls close at 15:00.

Closing time: 20:00 from Sunday to Thursday, earlier than at some German markets. Start your evening round by about 17:00.

Cold: by late November the evenings were cold enough to freeze my jaw mid-sentence. Pack a hat, gloves and thick socks.Watch in the video · 19:46 

Entry and visas: Düsseldorf sits inside the Schengen zone, and the visa rules turn on the passport you hold; look up your nationality on the German Federal Foreign Office site (auswaertiges-amt.de) or in our Schengen visa  guide.

We used Düsseldorf as a base and took the train to a different city's market each day; all of them sit on regional lines.

• Cologne Christmas markets : about half an hour by train, with the market by the cathedral.
• Things to do in Essen : one of the large markets of the Ruhr.
• Things to do in Dortmund : the city whose market is built around a giant Christmas tree.

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