When do the best Christmas markets in The Netherlands open?

Christmas is just around the corner, the mulled wine is being heated up and the lights are making our homes cosy again. There are many delightful Christmas markets in the Netherlands to visit, put on your winter coat and let’s see where we can enjoy the festive atmosphere!

Maastricht Christmas Market

Enjoy the unique Christmas atmosphere on the most beautiful square in the Netherlands.

• Dutch: De kerstmarkt van Maastricht
• Location: Vrijthof, 6211 LC Maastricht (Limburg)
• Date: 28 November to 29 December 2025
• Opening hours:

Sunday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to midnight
Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

One of the most popular Christmas markets in the Netherlands is Maastricht’s Christmas market: Magical Maastricht Vrijthof. The stalls are spread across several squares and the entire city centre is transformed into a winter wonderland. Go ice skating on the Vrijthof, take a ride on the illuminated Ferris wheel, discover the beautiful Christmas decorations or grab a bite to eat at one of the cosy stalls in the city. Of course, the mulled wine and hot chocolate are already waiting for you!

Amsterdam Winter Paradise

For the biggest winter/Christmas event in the Netherlands, head to Amsterdam Winter Paradise!

• Dutch: Het Amsterdamse Winterparadijs
• Date: 13 December to 3 January 2026
• Location: RAI Amsterdam
• Opening hours: 9 am – 11 pm

Here you will find not only an extensive Christmas market, Ferris wheel, ice rink, attractions such as the Hoge Helling and a cake walk, but also a curling rink where you can play a game of curling with your friends, a 400-metre cross-country ski trail, a swing ride, winter garden and all kinds of performances!

Christmas market Velvet Cave in Valkenburg

Internationally renowned Christmas grotto in the Christmas city of the Netherlands

• Dutch: Kerstmarkt Fluweelengrot in Kerststad Valkenburg
• Date: 14 November – 30 December 2025
• Location: Daalhemerweg 27, 6301 BJ Valkenburg (Limburg)

Every year, the Velvet Cave is transformed into the unique, atmospheric, internationally renowned Christmas Market. In this centuries-old, fairytale setting, you will find many stalls decorated in the Christmas spirit, with Christmas and gift items for everyone.

Besides, you can experience the Christmas atmosphere to the fullest both in the centre of Valkenburg. Be sure to visit the parade takes place every Wednesday and Saturday evening.

Royal Christmas Fair The Hague

The historic centre of The Hague will host the one of the Netherlands’ best Christmas market.

• Dutch: Kerstmarkt in Den Haag
• Date: 4 December to 23 December 2025
• Location: Lange Voorhout 76, 2514 EJ Den Haag 
• Opening hours: 12 pm – 9 pm

During the Christmas season, the Lange Voorhout in The Hague is transformed into a fairytale wonderland with 100,000 LED lights. The royal capital hosts the Royal Christmas Fair, featuring numerous live performances, choirs (including children’s choirs) and Christmas actors wandering around. Enjoy fresh doughnuts, drink a glass of mulled wine and join in the Christmas bingo.

Castle Christmas Fair at Buitenplaats Beeckestijn

Where music, light and Christmas magic come together.

• Location: Landgoed Duin & Kruidberg, North Holland
• Date: 26 November to 30 November 2025
• Opening hours: 11 am – 10 pm

There is no shortage of fairytale locations in the Netherlands. At the historic Buitenplaats Beeckestijn in Velsen, we can enjoy fresh Flammkuchen and warm drinks. Every year, the Castle Christmas Fair takes place in the castle and surrounding gardens. It is the perfect place to do your Christmas shopping and enjoy delicious treats from the various food trucks.

Haarlem Christmas Market

It claims to be “The best Christmas market in the Netherlands” and one of the largest Christmas markets in the Benelux.

• Dutch: De Haarlemse Kerstmarkt
• Location: Haarlem city centre (North Holland)
• Date: 12, 13 and 14 December 2025
• Opening hours: 10.30 am – 8 pm

No fewer than 20 Christmas choirs perform there, and actors in period costume walk around the Golden Streets. You can even enjoy a Christmas ballet in the Grote or St. Bavokerk on the Grote Markt. And you’re sure to find lovely Christmas gifts and decorations at the 350 stalls. Traditional waffles, sandwiches with succulent meat and warm mulled wine are waiting for you!

Bourtange Christmas Market

Bourtange Fortress is one of the most beautiful villages in the Netherlands, especially at Christmas!

• Dutch: Kerstmarkt Bourtange
• Date: 29 & 30 November, 6 & 7 December, 13 & 14 December 2025
• Location: Willem Lodewijkstraat 33, 9545 PA Bourtange
• Opening hours:

Saturday from 11 a.m to 9 pm

Sunday from 11 a.m to 6 pm

Bourtange Christmas market is one of the most special Christmas markets in the Netherlands. In the historic fortress, you can enjoy atmospheric stalls, thousands of lights and a unique Christmas atmosphere. For families, groups of friends and lovers of Christmas traditions, the Bourtange Christmas market is an event that you must experience at least once.

Gouda by Candlelight

The light festival in Gouda is one of the oldest light festivals in the Netherlands

• Dutch: Gouda bij Kaarslicht
• Date: Gouda by Candlelight: 12 December, Winter Fair: 13 and 14 December
• Location: Market Square, Gouda (South Holland)

Every year, city hold the Gouda by Candlelight event. The city is beautifully decorated with lights and candles, and the most beautiful part of all is the lighting of no fewer than 1,500 candles behind the windows of the town hall. Be sure to visit the Sint Janskerk, where a Winter Fair is held on 13 and 14 December.

Arnhem Christmas market

• Dutch: Kerstmarkt Binnenstad Arnhem
• Location: Arnhem city centre (Gelderland)
• Date: weekends of 13/14, 20/21 and 27/28 December
• Opening hours: 12 pm – 6 pm

The December weekends will be cosy in Arnhem, because during Winter in Arnhem you can experience Arnhem in a Christmas atmosphere. Of course, there is a very cosy Christmas market, and in Arnhem it consists of no fewer than 300 stalls where you can shop to your heart’s content or enjoy something tasty to eat or drink. This is even the largest Christmas market in the east! But that’s not all! Have your photo taken with Father Christmas and his wife, marvel at the beautifully decorated shop windows, get into the Christmas spirit with the Christmas choirs or watch a street performance.

Nostalgic Christmas Market Leiden

• Dutch: Nostalgische Kerstmarkt Leiden
• Location: Hooglandse Kerkgracht, Leiden (South Holland)
• Date: 12 – 14 December and 18 – 21 December 2025
• Opening hours: 12 pm – 9 pm

During the Christmas market in Leiden, the city centre is transformed into a real winter wonderland. Think Christmas stalls, food trucks, winter terraces and, of course, lights as far as the eye can see. The most special feature is the floating ice rink, where you can enjoy skating “on” the canal in Leiden.

Elburg: Winter in the Fortress 

Atmospheric winter event in the fortified town of Elburg, set in the spirit of the year 1900.

• Dutch: Winter in de Vesting
• Location: Elburg city centre (Gelderland)
• Date: 12 and 13 December

Every year, it’s a fairy tale: the annual Christmas market in Elburg. This historic fortified town is perfect for a winter walk, and in December, the fortress is transformed into a Dickensian setting, complete with crackling fires, stalls full of delicacies, and traditional products. Live music and street performers create a cosy atmosphere, and the smell of mulled wine and warm waffles greets you from afar. For the children, there is a carousel, and be sure to take a ride on the steam train.

The December Days of Dordrecht

• Dutch: De Dordtse Decemberdagen
• Date: 12 December 2025 to 4 January 2026
• Location: Grotekerksbuurt and Groenmarkt, Dordrecht (South Holland)

You can also stroll past the Christmas stalls in Dordrecht this December. During the Dordtse Decemberdagen, the city is festively lit, there is delicious food and drink, and you can shop for the most original Christmas gifts as well as all kinds of local Dordrecht products in the beautifully lit stalls. But there is more, such as the Dwaalspoor: a light tour through the city that takes you past the most beautiful light objects, or go to the Winterplein to skate, settle down on one of the winter terraces or simply enjoy all the beautifully lit houses and streets.

Luminous Nights at De Haar Castle

• Dutch: Lumineuze Nachten bij Kasteel de Haar
• Date: 6 December 2025 to 4 January 2026
• Location: Kasteellaan 1, Haarzuilens (Utrecht)

Near Utrecht, you can visit the oldest castle in the Netherlands, Kasteel de Haar. Every year, the Country & Christmas Fair was held here, formerly the largest Christmas market in the Benelux! PLEASE NOTE: Kasteel de Haar is not organising a Christmas market this year, but during the winter months, from 6 December to 4 January, it will host Luminous Nights, a light show in the gardens of Kasteel de Haar.

Dickens Festival & Deventer Christmas City

The 19th-century English city will be revived in all its glory: in the Bergkwartier, more than 950 characters from Charles Dickens’ books will come to life.

• Date: 13 and 14 December 2025
• Location: Deventer city centre (Overijssel)
• Admission: €6. Children up to the age of 7 are free.

In Deventer, you can enjoy two festivities at once! At the Grote Kerkhof, you can enjoy the cosy Christmas atmosphere, and the authentic Hanseatic town of Deventer is a beautiful backdrop with all its Christmas lights. There are around 75 stalls where you can buy tasty snacks and local products, as well as gifts, handmade items and toys.

Antwerp Christmas market

• Dutch: Kerstmarkt Antwerpen
• Date: December 5, 2025, to January 4, 2026
• Location: Antwerp city center

 The market is located in the historic centre of Antwerp, where hundreds of stalls entice you with delicious smells and beautiful winter items. It is pleasantly busy, but because the Christmas market winds its way through a large part of the centre, you can take your time to look around and enjoy a tasty snack while admiring the beautifully lit facades. Next to the Christmas market, you will also find a Ferris wheel, ice rink and various winter terraces.

More Christmas markets in the Netherlands

Of course, there are many more Christmas markets in the Netherlands where you can experience the magical Christmas atmosphere. During the Christmas period, you will find Christmas markets or winter fairs in many beautiful Dutch cities and villages, each with its own atmosphere and romance.

• The Midwinter Market in Midsland, Terschelling
• The Swedish Christmas market in Groningen
• Christmas at Slot Zeist
• Christmas market Rotterdam
• The Christmas Fair in Vijfhuizen

Almost every town or village in the Netherlands has some kind of Christmas market, so this list could have been much longer. But these are our top tips for Christmas markets in the Netherlands. You can fill the whole month of December with visits to the best Christmas markets!

Merry Christmas!