The main Christmas markets
The markets most visitors come for, with the dates and opening hours published by the organisers. The full list, with filters, is on the markets page.
| Market | District | Dates 2026/27 | Opening hours | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advent Bazilika, St. Stephen's Basilica Szent István tér, 1051 Budapest | District V — Lipótváros | 2026 dates not confirmed yet 2025 season: 14.11.2025 – 01.01.2026 | 2025 season: Mon–Thu 11:00–22:00, Fri–Sat 11:00–23:00, Sun 11:00–22:00; 24 Dec 11:00–15:00, 25–26 Dec 11:00–20:00, 31 Dec 11:00–03:00, 1 Jan 11:00–18:00 | Free entry |
| Budapest Christmas Fair, Vörösmarty tér (Vörösmarty Classic Xmas) Vörösmarty tér, 1051 Budapest | District V — Belváros | 2026 dates not confirmed yet 2025 season: 14.11.2025 – 31.12.2025 (craft stalls and the mini train until 28.12.2025) | 2025 season: Mon–Thu and Sun 11:00–21:00, Fri–Sat 11:00–22:00; 24 Dec 10:00–14:00, 25–26 Dec 12:00–18:00, 29–30 Dec 11:00–21:00, 31 Dec 11:00–03:00 | Free entry |
| Budapest Christmas Market, City Hall Park Városháza park (Károly körút 28) and Deák tér, 1052 Budapest | District V — Belváros | 2026 dates not confirmed yet 2025 season: 14.11.2025 – 10.01.2026 (ice rink until 31.01.2026) | 2025 season: Open daily; the city did not publish fixed daily hours for the whole site | Free entry to the market; ice rink tickets are paid |
| Budavári Advent, Buda Castle District Szentháromság tér, 1014 Budapest | District I — Várnegyed (Buda Castle) | 2026 dates not confirmed yet 2025 season: 28.11.2025 – 04.01.2026 | 2025 season: Daily 09:00–20:00, with modified hours on 24–26 December and 1 January | Free entry |
| City Park Ice Rink Olof Palme sétány 5, 1146 Budapest | District XIV — Városliget (City Park) | 2026 dates not confirmed yet 2025 season: opened in the week of 24.11.2025, ran to late February 2026 | 2025/26 season: Mon–Thu 09:00–13:00 and 17:00–21:00; Fri 13:00–21:00; Sat 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–21:00; Sun 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00 | 2025/26 season, off-peak: adult 3,500 HUF, student/pensioner 2,500 HUF, family tickets 7,500–11,500 HUF; peak periods 1,000 HUF more; free under 6 years. Skate hire extra. |
| Lumina Park Budapest, Margaret Island Palatinus Strand, Soó Rezső sétány 1, Margitsziget, 1138 Budapest | District XIII — Margitsziget (Margaret Island) | 2026 dates not confirmed yet 2025 season: 22.10.2025 – 08.03.2026 | Every evening from dusk until 21:00, until 22:00 in peak periods; closed on Mondays from 19.01.2026 in the 2025/26 season | 2025/26 season: adult 5,000 HUF Mon–Thu and 5,300 HUF Fri–Sun and holidays; reduced 4,400 / 4,700 HUF; family 16,900 / 17,900 HUF; free under 2 years |
All markets, dates and opening hours →
Countdown to the opening of the Gödöllő light park
The light park in the garden of the Royal Palace of Gödöllő opens on 24 October 2026.
Source: the park's official page. The park is run by DECOLED, the publisher of this site.
Practical information
Transport, opening and closing days, food and drink, money and the usual traps — written for someone who has never been to Budapest in winter.
Getting around Budapest at Christmas
Every market in this guide is a few stops apart on the BKK network, and you will not need a taxi. What catches visitors out is the ticket: how much it costs, where to validate it, and the one route where a city ticket is not enough.
When to go, and what is closed
Budapest's Christmas markets do not all start and finish on the same day, and the city changes character completely after lunchtime on 24 December. Here is how the calendar actually works.
Food and drink at the Budapest markets
What the stalls actually sell, what it cost in the 2025 season, and the fixed-price rule at the two central markets that most visitors never hear about.
Money, tickets and the usual traps
Forint, not euro. Card, not cash. And the four situations in which visitors to Budapest reliably lose money in December.
Story of Lights Gödöllő — the palace light park
A ticketed walk-through light park in the garden of the Royal Palace of Gödöllő, about 30 km north-east of Budapest. The 2026/27 route follows the history of the palace from its baroque beginnings through the years of Empress Elisabeth — Sisi — to the present, told in illuminated sculptures. The walk takes about an hour.
Dates 2026/27: 24 October 2026 – 31 January 2027 · Entry: prices for the 2026/27 season not published yet · Getting there: HÉV H8 from Örs vezér tere (metro M2) to Gödöllő–Szabadság tér, then a short walk; also Volánbusz from Stadion coach station or MÁV train from Keleti (Hatvan line)
Transparency note: Story of Lights is the light-park brand of DECOLED s.r.o., the Czech company that publishes this guide. It is the only attraction on this site that we have a commercial interest in. Every other market and attraction listed here belongs to someone else, is listed for information only, and is neither rated nor promoted.
Guides
Longer reads: what to expect at the markets, how to spend a day at the Gödöllő light park, and what Hungarian families actually do at Christmas.
Budapest's Christmas markets, season 2026/27
Budapest's Christmas-market dates for 2026/27 have not been published. This guide records the 2025/26 season: locations, hours, food prices in HUF, and how the central and district fairs are organised.
A day out at the Gödöllő light park
Story of Lights Gödöllő is a ticketed walk-through light park in the Royal Palace garden, 30 km north-east of Budapest. DECOLED, publisher of this site, runs the 2026/27 season from 24 October 2026 to 31 January 2027.
What Hungarians actually do at Christmas
Hungarian Christmas is a private family evening on 24 December, preceded by St Nicholas on the 6th and St Lucy's Day on the 13th. This guide sets out the customs a visitor will meet, and what stays open once the shops shut.
Not sure how to fit it all in?
Tell the planner how many days you have, whether you are travelling with children and what you want to spend, and it puts together a day-by-day route from the places on this site.
Build my itineraryEverything on this page was checked on 21 September 2026. Found a mistake? One line to [email protected] is enough.