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The Best Christmas Markets in Estonia

Christmas Day doesn't close Estonia's markets, and Tartu's keeps going until 10 January, four days after Tallinn's.

This season 
  

Glögi prices are from 2025, Tallinn hasn't published its hours for 24 to 26 December, and Tartu's holiday hours follow last year's.

Plan a trip across EstoniaCompare two markets →Trains between them →
Tallinn Christmas Market on a snowy night, with a carousel, stalls and a lit tree on Town Hall Square beneath the floodlit Town Hall tower.
Photo: Vicky Brock, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Our pick in

Tallinn6.9/10 · № 110 of 195
The short answer

If you only go to one Christmas market in Estonia this year

Our pick, and the runner-up worth the detour.

Our pick in Estonia

Tallinn

Tallinn · 20 Nov–6 Jan · open every day

Tallinn's Town Hall Square sits in a UNESCO-listed medieval old town, with the Baltic's only surviving Gothic town hall standing over the tree. It runs every day from 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, Christmas Day included. It isn't cheap at €7 a cup in 2025, and the square fills fast, so come on a weekday afternoon and be under the tree when the lights come on at about 15:20.

Tartu is the quieter second city, 2 hours 15 minutes by train, with a free rink round the Kissing Students fountain, open to 10 January.

This is the shortlist

It's ranked on atmosphere, stall quality and how well the city works as a base.

Tallinn
Medieval square, open every day
Tartu
Free rink, open to 10 January
Pärnu
Christmas village round the main tree

Still torn? Take the market quiz and get your top three →

This season

When does every Estonia Christmas market open and close?

This list is updated as official dates land

Estonia · opening dates
MarketOpensClosesSizeEntrySince
Tallinn
Tallinna Jõuluturg
Fri 20 Nov
Wed 6 Jan
MediumFree2001
Runs into January Closes before the New YearDates change from year to year, so check the market’s own page before you book.

Going further? Every market’s dates in one place, in the market calendar →

Browse by country

One Christmas season, country by country

Every market, ranked

All Christmas markets we visited in Estonia

Tallinn Christmas Market on a snowy night, with a carousel, stalls and a lit tree on Town Hall Square beneath the floodlit Town Hall tower.
Photo: Vicky Brock, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Tallinn

6.9

20 Nov – 6 Jan · Free

Atmosphere8
Food and drink7
Value5
Elbow room4
Read the guideFind hotels
Planning the trip

Christmas markets you can pair by train

Pick a day and you get that day’s real trains, the last one back and where to buy the ticket.

Tallinn → Helsinki
How often2h–2h30 · Tallink fastest, then Eckerö and Viking, about a dozen a day
Tallinn → Tartu
How often2h15 · Elron, several a day
Tallinn → Riga
How often5h45 · Elron direct, once a day
Tallinn → Riga by bus
How oftenabout 4h30 · Lux Express, about 12 a day
Tartu → Riga
How often3h41 · Elron direct, once a day
Tallinn → Stockholm
How often16 hours overnight · Tallink ferry, every other day

Fastest train that day, station to station. Last back is the last train back to where you started. Check the exact train before you pay.

Trip planner

Got a few of these in mind? We’ll build the days.

Pick your dates and the markets you want. The planner checks every market is open on the day you’re there, saves the lit-up squares for after dark, times the trains between them and lists what to book, in the order it sells out.

  • Open on your dayNo turning up the day after a market has closed.
  • Real trains, timedFrom the timetable for your date, with the last one back.
  • Bookings in the right orderHotels, trains and tours, with the ones that sell out first at the top.

Your trip

About a minute. Nothing to sign up for.
Nights
Markets
Who’s going
Build my trip →

Opens the trip planner with your days already built. From there you can print the trip pack or save it as a PDF, add the trip to your calendar or share the link.

Estonia on our theme lists

Which cities here made each list, so you can pick by what you’re into.

Good for kidsTallinnMedievalTallinnFor foodTallinn
A ChristmasWanders pocket guide, a street map of every market on one side and hours, prices and transport tips on the other

A pocket guide, both sides

Free pocket guide

Every market in your city, on one sheet of paper

Tell us which city you’re going to and we’ll email you its pocket guide. It’s a real street map with every market on it, plus the opening hours, what things cost and how to get from one market to the next. Print it, fold it, and it still works when your phone dies in the cold.

Two A4 pages, made to print on both sides of one sheet. After that, a few emails a season, and you can unsubscribe in one click.

Quick picks