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.
About the facts in this text: the checked dates and the links to every organiser are on the list of all markets (checked 21 September 2026). Opening hours, prices and programme mentioned in the running text refer to the 2025/26 season or to the state of the organiser's page when this was written — check before you travel.
How the season is structured
Budapest's Christmas season is split between independent markets: two large fairs in central Pest, a municipal market at City Hall Park, and smaller district markets in Óbuda, the Buda Castle area and the Jewish Quarter.
No organiser had published 2026/27 dates when this guide was written on 21 September 2026. Dates, hours and prices below are from the 2025/26 season and are not confirmed for 2026. The one confirmed 2026 date is Story of Lights Gödöllő, run by DECOLED, the publisher of this site: 24 October 2026 to 31 January 2027.
| Market | District | 2025/26 dates | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vörösmarty tér | V | 14 November–31 December 2025 | Free |
| Advent Bazilika | V | 14 November 2025–1 January 2026 | Free |
| City Hall Park | V | 14 November 2025–10 January 2026 | Free; ice rink paid |
| Budavári Advent | I | 28 November 2025–4 January 2026 | Free |
| Advent Óbudán | III | 28 November–23 December 2025 | Free |
| Várkert Bazár | I | 29 November–31 December 2025 | Free to grounds |
| Gozsdu Courtyard | VII | 5–23 December 2025 | Free |
| VarázsLiget | XIV | 5 December 2025–1 January 2026 | Free; rides paid |
Vörösmarty tér and Advent Bazilika
The Budapest Christmas Fair on Vörösmarty tér (Vörösmarty Classic Xmas) is at the northern end of Váci utca, 1051 Budapest (M1 terminus; five minutes from Deák Ferenc tér). Entry is free. In 2025/26 it ran from 14 November to 31 December 2025; craft stalls and the mini train until 28 December 2025. Hours: 11:00–21:00 Monday–Thursday and Sunday, 11:00–22:00 Friday–Saturday; 24 December 10:00–14:00; 25–26 December 12:00–18:00; 29–30 December 11:00–21:00; 31 December 11:00–03:00.
Advent Bazilika is on Szent István tér, 1051 Budapest, in front of St Stephen's Basilica (five minutes from M3 Arany János utca or Deák Ferenc tér). Entry is free. In 2025/26 it ran from 14 November 2025 to 1 January 2026. Hours: 11:00–22:00 Monday–Thursday, 11:00–23:00 Friday–Saturday, 11:00–22:00 Sunday; 24 December 11:00–15:00; 25–26 December 11:00–20:00; 31 December 11:00–03:00; 1 January 11:00–18:00. Both sell mulled wine (forralt bor), punch, chimney cake (kürtőskalács), lángos, stuffed cabbage, sausages and stews; Vörösmarty tér also sells roasted chestnuts.
City Hall Park and Buda Castle
City Hall Park, at Városháza park (Károly körút 28) and Deák tér, 1052 Budapest, is run by the Municipality of Budapest / Budapest Vásárcsarnokai Kft. Metro: Deák Ferenc tér. Entry is free; ice-rink tickets are paid. In 2025/26: 14 November 2025–10 January 2026, ice rink until 31 January 2026. Open daily; no fixed daily hours published. Craft and food stalls, an ice rink and light projections onto City Hall.
Budavári Advent is on Szentháromság tér, 1014 Budapest, next to Matthias Church, run by Budavári Önkormányzat with MáraiKult. Bus 16 from Deák Ferenc tér, or 16/16A/116 from M2 Széll Kálmán tér. Entry is free. In 2025/26: 28 November 2025–4 January 2026, daily 09:00–20:00, with modified hours on 24–26 December and 1 January. Craft goods from local makers, food, hot drinks and concerts. No price list is published.
District and smaller markets
Advent Óbudán is on Fő tér and Szentlélek tér, 1033 Budapest (H5 from M2 Batthyány tér, or tram 1 / bus 9). Free; the ice rink was free in 2025. 28 November–23 December 2025, on the four Advent weekends, with a craft fair, free concerts and free ice rinks on Fő tér.
Advent at Várkert Bazár is at Ybl Miklós tér 2–6, 1013 Budapest (tram 19 or 41). Free to the grounds; some concerts, walks and workshops ticketed. 29 November–31 December 2025. Craft fair in the De la Motte–Beer Palace on 12–14 and 19–21 December 2025.
Gozsdu Courtyard is a covered market between Király utca 13 and Dob utca 16, 1075 Budapest. Free. 5–23 December 2025, 12:00–19:00 Monday–Thursday, 10:00–19:00 Friday–Sunday. Design, craft and gift stalls; food from courtyard restaurants.
VarázsLiget is around Vajdahunyad Castle in City Park (M1 Hősök tere). Free; rides paid. 5 December 2025–1 January 2026, afternoons and evenings. Light projections, carousel, small train, Ferris wheel and craft stalls.
Food and drink prices, 2025 season
Prices below are 2025-season levels in HUF and are not confirmed for 2026. At Vörösmarty tér and Advent Bazilika, mulled wine (forralt bor) was about 1,500 HUF and punch about 1,560 HUF. Plain lángos cost 2,400–2,500 HUF, loaded lángos up to 4,500 HUF. Chimney cake (kürtőskalács) was 3,300–3,900 HUF; stuffed cabbage about 5,500 HUF; meat stews 6,700–8,500 HUF. Every main kitchen had to offer at least one dish at a fixed 1,600 HUF; themed gastro weekends were 2,000–2,500 HUF. At City Hall Park, mulled wine was roughly 1,000–1,500 HUF.
Lights, ice and other winter attractions
Lumina Park Budapest is a ticketed light trail on the Palatinus bath grounds, Margaret Island. 22 October 2025–8 March 2026, dusk–21:00 (22:00 peak); closed Mondays from 19 January 2026. Adult 5,000 HUF Monday–Thursday, 5,300 HUF Friday–Sunday and holidays; free under 2 years. Tram 4 or 6, then bus 26. The City Park Ice Rink at Olof Palme sétány 5 opened in the week of 24 November 2025 and ran to late February 2026. Off-peak adult 3,500 HUF, student/pensioner 2,500 HUF; peak periods 1,000 HUF more; free under 6 years. M1 Hősök tere. The Budapest Eye is a 65-metre Ferris wheel on Erzsébet tér, year-round. Three rotations, about 8–10 minutes. 2025: adult from 12 years 4,900 HUF, child 2–12 years 2,900 HUF. The Christmas Light Tram (Fényvillamos), BKK / BKV Zrt., ran 28 November 2025–6 January 2026 from about 16:00 except 24 and 31 December. Normal BKK fares. The Mikulás Train on the Children's Railway (MÁV Zrt.) ran 6–7 December 2025 from Hűvösvölgy. Tickets are separate from BKK passes.
Story of Lights Gödöllő, run by DECOLED
Story of Lights Gödöllő is a ticketed walk-through light park in the garden of the Royal Palace of Gödöllő, about 30 km north-east of Budapest. It is run by DECOLED, the publisher of this site. The 2026/27 season is confirmed from 24 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. Hours: daily 18:00–21:00 while summer time lasts, 17:00–21:00 after the clocks change; last entry 20:30. Closed 1 November, 24 and 25 December. Prices for 2026/27 have not been published yet. The route follows the palace's history from its baroque beginnings through Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) to the present, in illuminated sculptures. The walk takes about an hour. Take HÉV H8 from Örs vezér tere (metro M2) to Gödöllő–Szabadság tér.
Common questions
When do Budapest's Christmas markets open in 2026?
No organiser had published 2026/27 dates when this guide was written on 21 September 2026. In 2025/26 the two central fairs opened on 14 November 2025. Treat last year's dates as a guide only until each organiser confirms 2026.
Is entry to the Christmas markets free?
Entry to the markets listed here was free in 2025/26. Ice rinks, some events at Várkert Bazár, Lumina Park, the Budapest Eye, the City Park Ice Rink and Story of Lights Gödöllő — run by DECOLED, the publisher of this site — are ticketed.
How much do food and drink cost at the central markets?
At 2025-season prices, mulled wine was about 1,500 HUF and punch about 1,560 HUF at Vörösmarty tér and Advent Bazilika. Every main kitchen had to offer at least one dish at a fixed 1,600 HUF. 2026 prices are not confirmed.
How do I reach the central markets by metro?
Vörösmarty tér is the M1 terminus. Advent Bazilika is about a five-minute walk from M3 Arany János utca or from Deák Ferenc tér (M1/M2/M3). City Hall Park is at Deák Ferenc tér.
Which 2026 Christmas attraction already has confirmed dates?
Story of Lights Gödöllő, the palace light park run by DECOLED, the publisher of this site, is confirmed from 24 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. Budapest's markets had not issued 2026 dates at the time of writing.
