Zurich Christmas market dates and opening hours
Zurich's Christmas markets keep a steady rhythm, and once you know it, the planning takes minutes. The central markets all start on the same day, usually a Thursday in the second half of November, and close on 23 December, and none of them charges for entry. Most trade from about 11 am into the evening, but the Singing Christmas Tree starts late on weekdays and the Uetliberg market only runs at weekends. Below, all seven share one table, followed by the nights to pick or avoid and plans for a stay of one to three evenings.
How the season runs
What follows is the pattern recent seasons followed. Six of the seven markets, all of them in the center, share an opening day, a Thursday in the second half of November, and then trade every day until 23 December. Two keep going for Christmas Eve, Polarzauber under the station roof, which shuts at about 4 pm that day, and Münsterhof by the Fraumünster. On 25 and 26 December every Zurich market is shut. Nobody charges for entry, so you only pay for the mulled wine and whatever you carry home.
The one market with its own calendar sits on the Uetliberg, Zurich's own hill. It runs at the Hotel Uto Kulm on seven weekends only. The first of them falls in early November and the last just before Christmas, so it is already open while the city squares are still empty.
The opening evening and the Lucy lights
Opening day has one fixed moment. At 6 pm the Christmas lights on Bahnhofstrasse, known as "Lucy", are switched on, and the shops along the street stay open late that night. If your flight lands in time, it makes a good first evening, with the stalls on their first night and the whole street lit for the first time. With late shopping on top, it is not a quiet night. If you would rather browse with elbow room, leave the opening to the locals and start on the Monday after.
Opening hours, market by market
These are the regular hours of the seven markets inside the city. Most open at 11 am, while the Singing Christmas Tree waits until the afternoon. Sunday closing comes earlier almost everywhere.
| Market | Where | Weekdays | Saturday | Sunday | 24 December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polarzauber im HB | Main station hall, under the roof | Mon to Wed 11 am to 9 pm; Thu and Fri 11 am to 10 pm | 11 am to 10 pm | 11 am to 9 pm | 11 am to about 4 pm |
| Münsterhof | In front of the Fraumünster | 11 am to 9:30 pm | 11 am to 9:30 pm | 11 am to 7:30 pm | Open, check the day's hours |
| Singing Christmas Tree | Werdmühleplatz, off Bahnhofstrasse | Mon to Thu 4 pm to 9 pm; Fri 4 pm to 10 pm | 1 pm to 10 pm | 1 pm to 9 pm | Closed |
| Bellevue Noël | Sechseläutenplatz, by the Opera House | 11 am to 10 pm | 11 am to 10 pm | 11 am to 8 pm | Closed |
| Weihnachtsallee | Europaallee, beside the station | 11 am to 10 pm | 11 am to 10 pm | 11 am to 8 pm | Closed |
| Dörfli | Niederdorf, right bank of the Limmat | Mon to Thu 11 am to 9 pm; Fri 11 am to 10 pm | 11 am to 10 pm | 11 am to 8 pm | Closed |
| Uetliberg | Hotel Uto Kulm, on the hilltop | Closed | Noon to 8 pm | 10 am to 6 pm | Closed (season ends before Christmas) |
The fondue chalets keep later hours than the huts around them. At Bellevue Noël the chalet bar stays open until midnight from Monday to Saturday, and the fondue chalet on the Weihnachtsallee serves until midnight every day, so a late fondue on Europaallee still works after the stalls have closed their shutters.
Opening hours shift a little from one winter to the next. The organizers publish the final times shortly before the markets open, so check each market's own page before you build an evening around a closing time.
The quietest nights, and the busiest
Weeknights before 7 pm give you the most space at the stalls. The sun sets around 4:30 pm, so from Monday to Thursday you get the huts lit up and a couple of hours of easy browsing before the lanes fill.
Friday and Saturday evenings are the busiest of the week. Most markets stay open until 10 pm on those nights, and the Singing Christmas Tree throws a party on Saturday evenings. If a weekend is all you have, start early on Saturday, when the stalls open at 11 am and the Singing Tree at 1 pm, and save the evening for one market rather than four.
Sundays run to a different beat. Most shops in Switzerland close, apart from the station shops, so the day belongs to the markets rather than to shopping. Closing times come earlier, at 7:30 pm on Münsterhof and 8 pm at several others. The four Sundays before Christmas are Advent Sundays, and on each one the candles are lit on the giant walk-on wreath at Bellevue Noël, which makes Sunday the day to see it.
If you would rather be led
A guide takes the route-finding off your hands. Der Nachtwanderer's Christmas markets walk, from ~$79 on GetYourGuide and about $81 on Viator, sets off at 6 pm from the lit courtyard of the Landesmuseum behind the station and takes in four markets in two hours. It passes the tree in the station hall and the Singing Christmas Tree. Next come the lit lanes and a fondue chalet by the Grossmünster, then Münsterhof, before the walk finishes at Bellevue. Groups are capped at 18, and you keep an exclusive Christmas mug. The catch is the pace. Some reviewers found it rushed from market to market with no time for a mulled wine, and some struggled to hear, while guides such as Alexander get the praise. The ratings rest on few reviews, 4.4 from five on Viator and 3.5 from ten on GetYourGuide.
Four markets in two hours, with a guide
Meet in the Landesmuseum courtyard (usually at 6 pm) and finish by the lake at Bellevue two hours later, with a Christmas mug to take home and a cup of punch along the way, from ~$79. Expect a brisk walk in a group of up to 18.
24 to 26 December
Christmas Eve is a short day. Polarzauber opens at 11 am and closes at about 4 pm, and Münsterhof is the only open-air market still trading, so check its page for that day's hours. On 25 and 26 December all of Zurich's markets are closed and most shops are shut as well. If your trip covers those days, put the markets in the days before. A couple of markets outside the city carry on into January, and our guide to Christmas markets near Zurich lists them.
Plans for one to three evenings
The whole city circuit fits into one long evening on foot, since the walk from the station to Bellevue takes about 20–25 minutes without stops. A second or third evening lets you slow down and eat sitting at a table.
- One evening. Start in the station hall at about 4 pm, then walk down Bahnhofstrasse as the lights come on, with a detour to Werdmühleplatz and its Singing Christmas Tree. Carry on to Münsterhof before you cross the Limmat to wander north through the Dörfli, then double back along the river to Bellevue Noël for fondue in the big chalet. This plan works Monday to Saturday; on a Sunday, start earlier and finish by 8 pm, when most of the markets have closed. Our evening walk between the markets has the route;
- Two evenings. Give the first to the station side, with Polarzauber in the station hall and then the Weihnachtsallee next door on Europaallee, where the fondue chalet serves late. Spend the second in the Old Town lanes and finish by the lake at Bellevue Noël;
- Three evenings. Add a weekend afternoon on the Uetliberg. The S10 from the main station takes about 25 minutes, then a short uphill walk leads to the market at Uto Kulm. Its stalls sell hobby crafts next to candle dipping and a Bavarian curling lane, and the Maiensäss serves fondue. It runs until 8 pm on Saturday and 6 pm on Sunday, which leaves time for one city market on the way back.
Families should plan around bedtimes as well as opening times; Zurich at Christmas with kids picks the markets with carousels and candle dipping. For an evening spent mostly standing outside, read what to wear in December, and for the cheese that gets you through it, see where to eat fondue and raclette.