In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The big street market is on Nytorv and Gammeltorv, from 6 November to 21 December 2026, free, with a free ice rink. A second free market runs on Højbro Plads from 14 November to 20 December. Christmas in Tivoli runs from 13 November to 3 January 2027 and is the only one that charges entry (from DKK 210). The street markets have ended before Christmas, shops in the centre are shut on 24, 25 and 26 December, and Tivoli is closed on 24 December. Or book a guide: the Christmas walking tour with treats and drinksad is from DKK 500 for 3 hours.
⚠️ 24, 25 and 26 December. Shops in Indre By are closed on all three days, the street markets have ended, and Tivoli is closed on the 24th. Denmark’s main Christmas evening is the 24th. From the 22nd to the 26th the only market is Tivoli.
Dates and hours
| Market | Opens | Closes | Entry | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nytorv and Gammeltorv | Fri 6 Nov | Mon 21 Dec | Free | |
| Christmas in Tivoli | Fri 13 Nov | Sun 3 Jan 2027 | From DKK 210 | Closed 24 Dec; 25 and 26 Dec 11:00 to 23:00; 31 Dec 11:00 to 24:00 |
| Højbro Plads | Sat 14 Nov | Sun 20 Dec | Free | Mon to Wed 11:00 to 19:00; Thu 11:00 to 20:00; Fri and Sat 11:00 to 21:00; Sun 12:00 to 19:00 |
The dates are the organisers’ own. The Christmas lights in Indre By are switched on at 17:00 on Friday 13 November, according to KCC, the association of the centre’s businesses.
Kongens Nytorv in December, with lit trees, the Magasin du Nord department store and a skating rink at the right. Photo: heb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The markets
Nytorv and Gammeltorv
Nytorv and Gammeltorv, on Strøget · 6 November to 21 December · free · Rådhuspladsen metro (M3, M4) is 200 m away
The organiser calls it Denmark’s largest Christmas market. Nytorv and Gammeltorv are the two linked squares on Strøget, the pedestrian shopping street, and in 2026 they run as one market. Entry is free, and so are the ice rink and the skate rental. The organiser’s site is julemarked.dk; the stalls sell mulled wine (gløgg) and Christmas food. Searches for the Højbro Plads market also return julemarked.nu, the previous organiser’s site, which says its market is not held on Højbro Plads in 2026.
The market on Nytorv, with the Ferris wheel lit at dusk. Photo: Jordidews, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Højbro Plads
Højbro Plads 9 · 14 November to 20 December · free · Gammel Strand metro (M3, M4)
A new market on the square between Strøget and Slotsholmen, with stalls from Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, and music and activities for families, according to its organiser. It is open until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and closes at 19:00 on Sundays. See kbhjulemarked.dk.
Christmas in Tivoli
Vesterbrogade 3, beside Copenhagen Central Station · 13 November to 3 January 2027 · entrance from DKK 210
Tivoli’s Christmas season has snow-covered stalls, the lights, Santa’s house, the Elf Train and the Forest Carousel, according to the park. It is the one place that is still running from 22 December. Prices are set by the day: entrance is DKK 210 on a weekday and DKK 230 at weekends and every day from 14 to 27 December. Entrance and the Ride Pass together are DKK 389 or DKK 429, DKK 20 less than buying them separately. The rides are extra if you buy entrance alone. Tickets are not refundable. Buy at shop.tivoli.dk; Tivoli Gardens tickets has the full table.
GetYourGuide sells Tivoli’s own tickets at the same price and cancels free up to 24 hours ahead, which the shop does not: the Christmas entrance ticketad is from DKK 210 and the entrance and Ride Pass ticketad is from DKK 389.
The shut dates are 2 to 12 November and 24 December. On 31 December Tivoli is open from 11:00 to midnight, with fireworks at 23:00: see Copenhagen on New Year’s Eve 2026.
What is open from 24 to 26 December
Shops in Indre By are open from 10:00 to 20:00 every day from 7 to 23 December, according to KCC, whose hours are guidance. They are closed on Thursday 24, Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December, then open from 10:00 to 19:00 on 27 to 30 December, until 15:00 on 31 December, and closed on 1 January. Attractions are open on some of the days, according to the city’s Visitor Service:
| Sight | 24 Dec | 25 Dec | 26 Dec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tivoli | Closed | 11:00 to 23:00 | 11:00 to 23:00 |
| Rosenborg Castle | 10:00 to 16:00 | ||
| Amalienborg | 10:00 to 16:00 | ||
| National Museum | 10:00 to 17:00 | ||
| SMK | 10:00 to 18:00 | ||
| Round Tower | 10:00 to 18:00 | ||
| Home of Carlsberg | 10:00 to 18:00 | 10:00 to 18:00 | |
| Den Blå Planet | 10:00 to 14:00 | 10:00 to 17:00 | 10:00 to 17:00 |
| Zoo | 10:00 to 14:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 |
| Frederiksborg Castle | 10:00 to 15:00 | 10:00 to 15:00 | 10:00 to 15:00 |
| Kronborg Castle | 10:00 to 16:00 | ||
| Louisiana | 11:00 to 18:00 | ||
| Roskilde Cathedral | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | |
| Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 | 10:00 to 16:00 |
A blank cell means the city’s list does not show the sight as open. The list warns that hours can change, so check the sight’s own site. The canal boats and the hop-on hop-off buses run on all three days. The metro runs around the clock.
Tours
Christmas walking tour with treats and drinks
From DKK 500 · 3 hours · 52 reviews · Frederiksborggade 6
Copenhagen: Christmas Walking Tour with Treats and Drinksad is a guided walk with æbleskiver (round pancake puffs), a gingerbread heart or cake, gløgg and a Christmas beer, run by Copenhagen By Mie, in English, for 10 guests at most. It meets at Frederiksborggade 6, near Nørreport station, and ends with a traditional Danish Christmas game for which you bring two small wrapped gifts worth DKK 10 to 20 each. It cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.
Copenhagen walking tours compares the year-round walks, and Copenhagen food tours the ones that stop to eat.
Planning the day
- Daylight. The sun sets at about 16:06 on 15 November and about 15:37 on 15 December, and on 21 December it rises at about 08:37 and sets at about 15:38.- Weather. In DMI’s figures for 2011 to 2020, November averaged a high of 8.8°C and a low of 4.9°C with 10 days of rain, and December 6.2°C and 2.6°C with 15 days. Best time to visit Copenhagen has the months.
- Getting there. Tivoli is beside the Central Station, on the metro at København H (M3, M4). The metro runs 24 hours, and the fares are in Copenhagen public transport.
- Where to sleep. Both street markets are in Indre By and Tivoli is by the station: where to stay in Copenhagen compares the areas, and hotels near Copenhagen Central Station lists the ones beside Tivoli.
- Eating. Schønnemann, the lunch restaurant on Hauser Plads, is closed from the evening of 24 December to 5 January 2027: see smørrebrød in Copenhagen.
Next
For the evening of 31 December, see Copenhagen on New Year’s Eve 2026. To fit the markets into a stay, see 3 days in Copenhagen and Copenhagen with kids, and what to book before you go to Copenhagen lists the sights with closed days. Munich and Berlin have their own Christmas market guides. The Nytorv and Gammeltorv market is the second stop of the old town walk.
To set Copenhagen’s Christmas against the other cities we cover, with each city’s dates, hours and the thing that decides a visit, see Christmas market cities compared.
Common questions
When do the Copenhagen Christmas markets open in 2026?
The Christmas market on Nytorv and Gammeltorv opens on Friday 6 November and runs to Monday 21 December. Christmas in Tivoli opens on Friday 13 November and runs to Sunday 3 January 2027. The market on Højbro Plads runs from Saturday 14 November to Sunday 20 December.
Are the Copenhagen Christmas markets free?
The Nytorv and Gammeltorv market and the Højbro Plads market are free to enter, and the Nytorv market has a free ice rink with free skate rental. Tivoli charges entry, from DKK 210 on a weekday and DKK 230 at weekends and from 14 to 27 December.
What is open in Copenhagen on 24, 25 and 26 December?
Shops in the centre are closed on all three days, and the street markets have ended by then. Tivoli is closed on 24 December and open from 11:00 to 23:00 on 25 and 26 December. On 26 December the city's list has Rosenborg, Amalienborg, the National Museum, SMK and the Round Tower open. On 24 December it lists the zoo, Frederiksborg Castle and the Viking Ship Museum.
Is there a Christmas market in Copenhagen after Christmas?
Only Tivoli, to Sunday 3 January 2027. It is open on 25 and 26 December from 11:00 to 23:00, and on 31 December from 11:00 to midnight.
Do I need a ticket for Christmas in Tivoli?
Yes. Entrance is DKK 210 on a weekday and DKK 230 at weekends and from 14 to 27 December. The entrance and Ride Pass package is DKK 389 or DKK 429. Entrance covers the gardens, the stalls and the decorations but not the rides.
When are the Christmas lights switched on in Copenhagen?
At 17:00 on Friday 13 November 2026 in the centre, according to KCC, the association of Indre By's businesses. Christmas in Tivoli opens the same day.
