The Christmas market in Zurich main station

A market inside the station

Polarzauber im HB takes over the main hall of Zurich Hauptbahnhof with more than 100 wooden huts, enough to rank it among Europe's largest indoor Christmas markets. It used to be called the Christkindlimarkt, and plenty of people still use that name, so expect to hear both. It keeps the same calendar as the other central markets, starting together with them in the second half of November, on the shared opening Thursday, and trading daily until 23 December. It is also one of only two markets open on Christmas Eve.

The organizers publish final hours shortly before the markets open each year, so check the market's own page before you plan a late visit. The rest of the city's markets are in our table of dates and opening hours.

The Lindt tree and the rest of the hall

The centerpiece is the big Christmas tree in the middle of the hall, which Lindt now decorates with Lindor balls. For years the station tree was the Swarovski crystal one, and some tour listings still describe it that way, so expect chocolate rather than crystal. If that sets you thinking about more, our guide to Swiss chocolate in Zurich covers the Lindt museum and the tasting walks.

Between the huts, the stop with the most character is the Parsennbahn fondue, where you eat cheese fondue inside a train carriage, a neat joke in a railway station. Children get their own attractions. Lindt runs a Christmas train for them, and on Sundays the hall holds a kids' disco. Zurich at Christmas with kids has the other family stops around the city, and our fondue guide lists the fondue chalets at the other markets.

Why it is the rainy-evening market

December in Zurich is usually grey, with daytime highs around 39 °F (4 °C) and nights close to freezing. Rain and wet snow come and go, and every other market in the city stands in the open air. Under the station roof you can browse in a dry coat, and if the weather turns halfway through an evening walk, the trams bring you back here from anywhere in the center.

Sunday is another reason to come. Most shops in Switzerland close that day, but the station shops stay open, so a Sunday visit can combine the market with the shopping you could not do elsewhere. Our page on Zurich weather in December covers what to wear for the outdoor markets.

Arriving with luggage, and the rush hour

Because this is the main station, plenty of visitors meet the market with a suitcase in hand. At midday that works fine. Around the evening rush hour, though, the hall carries commuters heading for their platforms as well as market visitors, and wheeling a big case between huts becomes hard work. Drop your bags at the hotel and come back later, or walk through at lunchtime when the aisles are calmer.

If you land at the airport and plan to ride a lot, look at the Zürich Card, from ~$35, sold by Zürich Tourism for 24 or 72 hours. It covers trams, buses, trains, boats and cable cars in the city zone, including the airport train, and adds free entry to the most popular museums plus a short boat trip on Lake Zurich. One reviewer used it straight away at the airport. The catch is twofold. The listing says you need a printed ticket, and the card only pays for itself if you ride often and visit museums, so a stay spent walking between markets may not get its money's worth.

Next door on Europaallee

Walk out of the station on the Europaallee side and the Zürcher Weihnachtsallee starts right there. About 80 exhibitors rotate through its stalls, selling design and crafts alongside street food, and the fondue chalet serves every day until midnight. A Glühstube and a karaoke bar keep things going in the evenings, and small extra markets appear at weekends. If Polarzauber feels cramped, this is the place to eat sitting down.

Europaallee 7 is also where eTukTuk's fondue and wine tour, from ~$194, begins. Your driver-guide collects a freshly made fondue from a partner restaurant, and you eat it at the built-in table while the electric tuk-tuk rolls past the Grossmünster, the Fraumünster, St. Peter and Bahnhofstrasse for 90 minutes. Each person gets 200 g of cheese with bread, steamed baby potatoes and pickles, and every e-tuk-tuk gets a bottle of white wine. In winter the vehicles carry blankets and lambskins, with rain covers for wet nights. Guides such as Robbie and Marco earn warm reviews, with 4.8 on GetYourGuide from 192+ reviews and 4.8 on Viator from 239+, where it costs about $198. The catch is that the tour is private yet priced per person, and value scores lower than the guiding. Street noise can drown the commentary, and the fondue cannot be made lactose-free.

Behind the station, the Landesmuseum

Just behind the station stands the Swiss National Museum, the Landesmuseum, whose courtyard is lit up for the season with arches of lights. That courtyard is where Der Nachtwanderer's guided Christmas markets walk starts at 6 pm, two hours from here to Bellevue for ~$79. Its catch is a fast pace with little time for a drink; the walk's full entry on our home page has the details.

Where to go after the station

From the station, Bahnhofstrasse runs straight down to the lake under the Lucy lights. A short way along, Werdmühleplatz opens off to the side, home of the Singing Christmas Tree, where more than 40 choirs take turns from 4 pm on weekdays. From there the Old Town markets and lanes are a few minutes on, and the walk to Bellevue Noël by the Opera House takes about 20–25 minutes in total. A tram does it faster if your feet have had enough.