Christmas markets near Zurich
Zurich's own markets fill two or three evenings, and after that the departure boards at the station start to look tempting. Towns from the lake shore to the Rhine put on Christmas markets of their own, and most of them sit within an hour by train. This guide sorts them by distance and says which days each one opens. It also points out where a coach tour helps and where it gets in the way.
Ten towns by train, nearest first
Every town below runs a Christmas market you can reach without a car. Journey times are approximate.
| Town | From Zurich | Main market | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winterthur | About 20 min by train | Wintermarkt on Teuchelweiherplatz, Weihnachtsmarkt Neumarkt | The Wintermarkt is cashless |
| Baden | About 20 min by train | Badener WunderDorf on Theaterplatz | Evenings from late October, closed Mondays |
| Rapperswil | About 35 min by S-Bahn | Christkindlimärt | 200+ stalls on five days in mid-December |
| Bremgarten | About 40 min | Old town market | One long weekend in early December, huge crowds |
| Lucerne | About an hour by train | RUDOLFS Weihnacht by the KKL, Franziskanerplatz | Seven markets in one town |
| Basel | About an hour by train | Münsterplatz and Barfüsserplatz | Theaterplatz stays open into January |
| Einsiedeln | About an hour | In front of the abbey church | About ten days, late November to early December |
| St. Gallen | About 1 hour 10 by train | Sternenmarkt | 600+ stars over the old town |
| Stein am Rhein | Half-day coach tour | Märlimarkt | Wednesday to Sunday only |
| Montreux | About 3 hours by train | Montreux Noël | 150+ chalets on Lake Geneva |
Organizers publish final dates and hours shortly before each season, so check the market's own page before you buy a ticket. With sunset around 4:30 pm, you can leave Zurich after lunch and still arrive as the lights come on.
Winterthur and Baden after a Zurich afternoon
The two closest towns suit an evening rather than a whole day. Winterthur has two markets. The Wintermarkt on Teuchelweiherplatz has a fondue chalet and a bar called the Slalom Bar, and it takes no cash. The Weihnachtsmarkt Neumarkt has about 60 huts and a Märliwald, a fairy-tale forest for children.
Baden starts earlier than anywhere else on this page. Its Badener WunderDorf on Theaterplatz opens in late October, weeks before the Zurich markets, and runs in the evenings. It stays shut on Mondays. Either town makes a good second stop once you have walked the city circuit in our guide to the Old Town markets.
Lucerne by train or with a mountain
Lucerne, about an hour away, has seven markets, which makes it the fullest day out on this page. The largest is RUDOLFS Weihnacht in Inseli-Park beside the KKL, with 50+ huts around a fondue chalet and a music chalet. It opens at 11 am and closes at 10 pm Monday to Saturday, 8 pm on Sundays. In the old town, the Lozärner Wiehnachtsmärt on Franziskanerplatz arranges about 70 stalls around an Advent wreath more than 10 feet (3 m) across, open daily from 11 am to 8 pm. It finishes a little earlier than the rest, on 21 December. A crafts market also fills the Weinmarkt on six days of the run.
If you want snow as well, Best of Switzerland Tours' Titlis and Lucerne day, from ~$201, starts with about an hour in Lucerne's old town before the coach drives on to the mountain. That makes it a morning look around, not an evening among the market lights. The catch is the length. The coach leaves the Sihlquai bus station by Zurich HB at 9 am for about 10 hours. There is no hotel pickup, and neither food nor winter clothing is included. You get Lucerne as a short stop on the way, so take the train instead if its markets are the point; snow and winter day trips covers the mountain half.
Basel on the Rhine
The Basel market is often called the biggest and most traditional in Switzerland, and the city is about an hour from Zurich by train. It opens a little after Zurich's, from about the last week of November. The two main squares are Münsterplatz, with a big tree in front of the Minster and a fairy-tale forest for children, and Barfüsserplatz. They run daily, about 11 am to 8:30 pm, until 23 December. Across the river in Kleinbasel, the Adväntsgass on Rheingasse serves fondue.
Basel is also the answer to the gap between Christmas and New Year. The Basler Wienachtsdorf on Theaterplatz stays open into early January, closing only on 25 December, long after the Zurich huts have shut.
Markets that open for a few days only
Three nearby markets last only a few days, so their dates matter more than anywhere else. Einsiedeln, about an hour from Zurich, holds its market for roughly ten days between late November and early December. Its 145+ stalls line up in front of the church of Einsiedeln Abbey, and the program includes a send-off for St Nicholas and a nativity scene with 470 figures.
Bremgarten, in the canton of Aargau about 40 minutes away, keeps its market to one long weekend in early December, Thursday to Sunday. Over 250 stalls fill the old town, with 40+ performances, and the crowds are huge; drivers are sent to a Park & Ride with a shuttle into town. Rapperswil, the lake town about 35 minutes away by S-Bahn, runs its Christkindlimärt over five days in mid-December, with 200+ stalls in the main market.
Stein am Rhein and the Rhine Falls
The Märlimarkt in Stein am Rhein is a fairy-tale market set among the painted houses of the old town, from early December into early January. It opens Wednesday to Sunday only, with no market on Mondays or Tuesdays. Near the Rhine Falls, Schloss Laufen holds a medieval Christmas market of its own on one weekend in late November.
Best of Switzerland Tours runs a half day to both places, from ~$85. It is an afternoon trip (Viator lists a 1:15 pm start). Over about 5 hours by coach, you see the falls from Laufen Castle, with the boat ride as an extra, and then walk Stein am Rhein's old town with a guide. It scores 4.6 from 2,506+ reviews on GetYourGuide and 4.5 from 874+ on Viator, where it costs about $87. For market visitors the problem is the timetable. Each stop is short, and no time is set aside for browsing the Märlimarkt. The tour also runs on days when the market is closed, so pick a Wednesday to Sunday date.
The falls and a painted town in half a day
The coach stops at Laufen Castle for the Rhine Falls, then at Stein am Rhein for a guided walk past the painted facades, all in about 5 hours from ~$85. The Märlimarkt runs from early December, so book a Wednesday to Sunday date in that stretch if you hope to find it open.
Longer trips east and west
St. Gallen, about 1 hour 10 minutes east, hangs 600+ stars over its old town for the Sternenmarkt, which runs from late November to 24 December. So it is still open on Christmas Eve, when most of Zurich has shut.
Bern has a Sternenmarkt too. It stands beside the Federal Palace with about 80 huts and a fondue chalet, and it takes cards only.
Montreux Noël is the outlier. Its 150+ chalets line the quays of Lake Geneva, and in the evening Father Christmas flies over the crowd. It runs from late November to 24 December, but at about 3 hours each way by train it fits best if your trip already heads west.
Making the day work
- Check the opening days first. Baden closes on Mondays and Stein am Rhein on Mondays and Tuesdays;
- Carry a card. The Winterthur Wintermarkt and the Bern Sternenmarkt are cashless;
- Dress for standing still. December highs sit around 39 °F (4 °C); Zurich in December has the packing list;
- Come back through the station. Polarzauber fills the HB hall until 9 pm or 10 pm; the main station market has its hours and the fondue carriage.
Zurich's market dates and hours puts every city market in one table for the evenings in town, and our fondue guide lists the chalets. Families can pair the fairy-tale forests in Winterthur and Basel with Zurich at Christmas with kids. If a Lindt stop appeals more than another market, our chocolate guide covers Kilchberg and its chocolate fountain.