Gamla stan Christmas market 2026 – Stortorget dates and opening hours
Usually held
Date not announcedDaily, from about mid-November to 23 December
The organiser has not announced the 2026 dates yet
- Hours
- 2025: Sun–Thu 11am–6pm · Fri–Sat 11am–7pm
- Entry
- Free – an open square
- Venue
- Stortorget, Gamla stan, Stockholm
The Christmas market on Stortorget, the main square of Gamla stan, is the oldest in Sweden: its roots go back to the Middle Ages, and it has stood on this square in its present form since 1837. Unlike most Swedish Christmas markets it is open every day in the run-up to Christmas. The organiser has not yet announced the 2026 dates; below are last year's, so you know what to expect.
Dates and opening hours: 2026 not announced yet
Stockholms-Gillet, the association that runs the market, had not published the 2026 dates when this page was last checked. In 2025 the market opened on Saturday 22 November and was open every day until 23 December: 11am–6pm from Sunday to Thursday and 11am–7pm on Fridays and Saturdays. It usually opens around the third week of November, so a trip in late November or December is a safe bet – but check the organiser's site before you travel. The 2026 dates will be added here as soon as they are out.
Sweden's oldest Christmas market
In 2025 there were 41 red stalls on the square, selling Swedish crafts, sweets and Christmas treats. The market moved back to Stortorget in 1837, when 95 stalls crowded the square. From 1907 to 1914 the square stayed dark, until Stockholms-Gillet revived the market on 20 December 1915; the association still runs it today. Since then it has paused only once, in 2020.
Free to enter – bring a card
Stortorget is an open public square, so there is no ticket and no gate. Sweden is close to cashless: in a 2025 survey by the Riksbank, the Swedish central bank, only 5 per cent of people had paid cash for their last purchase in a shop. Swish, the mobile payment app Swedes use, needs a Swedish bank account, so a debit or credit card is the safe choice.
Getting there from Arlanda
The Arlanda Express train takes 18 minutes to Stockholm Central Station, with departures every 12–15 minutes. The SL commuter train takes 38 minutes and is cheaper, but adults pay a SEK 157 station fee at Arlanda unless it is included in the ticket. From T-Centralen, the metro station under the Central Station, Gamla stan is one stop south on the red and green lines; Stortorget is a few minutes' walk from there through the narrow streets of the Old Town. You can tap in at the metro gates with a contactless Visa, Mastercard or American Express card; cash is not accepted.
Combine it with Skansen
The other classic in Stockholm is the Christmas market at the Skansen open-air museum on Djurgården, open on Fridays to Sundays in Advent. It needs a museum ticket; Stortorget does not.
How this page is made
This page is written for visitors from abroad, not translated from the Swedish one. The 2025 dates, opening hours and history come from the organiser's own site and were checked by hand on 27 September 2026; on 6 October 2026 the organiser had still not announced the 2026 dates, and dates from other websites are not used here. The airport trains and SL tickets were checked against Arlanda Express, Swedavia and SL on 3 October 2026. When the organiser's details change in the market data, this text has to be checked and updated before the site can be rebuilt.
Frequently asked questions
- When does the Gamla stan Christmas market open in 2026?
- The organiser has not announced the 2026 dates yet. In 2025 it opened on 22 November and was open every day until 23 December, from 11am (until 6pm Sunday to Thursday, 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays).
- Is the Christmas market in Gamla stan free?
- Yes. It is held on Stortorget, an open public square, so there is no ticket.
- Which is the oldest Christmas market in Sweden?
- The market on Stortorget in Gamla stan. Its roots go back to the Middle Ages, and it has been held on the square in its present form since 1837.