Christmas markets · Netherlands
Christmas Markets in the Netherlands 2026: Dates and Best Cities
The Netherlands' Christmas markets covered here are in Amsterdam, Maastricht and Valkenburg. Amsterdam's Christmas Village on Museumplein, next to the Rijksmuseum, runs from 3 to 27 December 2026 and is free. Magisch Maastricht on the Vrijthof, with a 45 m Ferris wheel and covered ice rink, runs from 27 November to 27 December 2026. Valkenburg, the Kerststad, holds markets in marl caves from 13 November to 30 December 2026, and Santa's Village runs until 3 January 2027.
8 markets · checked October 2026
- Magisch Maastricht Vrijthof2026: 27 Nov - 27 Dec 2026Free entry; attractions are paid (cheaper online from 1 October).
- Santa's Village Valkenburg2026: 13 Nov 2026 - 3 Jan 2027
- Winter Wonderland Valkenburg2026 dates to be confirmedPaid: combined ticket for cable car return plus nativity scene (booking online does not get you priority).
- Christmas Market Fluweelengrot (Velvet Cave)2026: 13 Nov - 30 Dec 2026Paid: visitors mention about €9 for adults (2024); children 5-11 years €5, under 4 free.
- Christmas Village Amsterdam2026: 3-27 Dec 2026Free entry.
- Funky Xmas Market Westergas2026: 20 Dec 2026Free entry.
- Kerst op het Plein (Purmerplein)Last season: 13 Dec 2025Free entry.
- Christmas Market Gemeentegrot (Municipal Cave) Valkenburg2026: 13 Nov - 30 Dec 2026€8.50 per person Monday to Thursday, €10.50 on Friday (kerstmarktgemeentegrot.nl); children 0-4 free.
🧒 With kids
- Magisch Maastricht Vrijthof · Maastricht
- Santa's Village Valkenburg · Valkenburg
- Winter Wonderland Valkenburg · Valkenburg
- Kerst op het Plein (Purmerplein) · Amsterdam
- Christmas Market Gemeentegrot (Municipal Cave) Valkenburg · Valkenburg
✨ Date night
- Christmas Market Fluweelengrot (Velvet Cave) · Valkenburg
- Christmas Village Amsterdam · Amsterdam
- Funky Xmas Market Westergas · Amsterdam
🎉 With friends
- Magisch Maastricht Vrijthof · Maastricht
- Santa's Village Valkenburg · Valkenburg
- Christmas Village Amsterdam · Amsterdam
- Funky Xmas Market Westergas · Amsterdam
Maastricht
📷 Kleon3 · CC BY-SA 4.0
📷 Kleon3 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 📷 Ralf Peter Reimann · CC BY-SA 2.0
Holiday market · Maastricht
Magisch Maastricht Vrijthof
Magisch Maastricht on the Vrijthof: Christmas market, Ferris wheel and ice rink beneath the Basilica of St Servatius.
🧒 With kids✨ Date night🎉 With friendsWhat's there
- 1,000 m² covered ice rink
- 45 m Ferris wheel
- Curling lanes and funfair at the foot of the Basilica of St Servatius
- Chalets and an Almhütte
The biggest winter market in the Netherlands. Prettiest in the evening, very busy at weekends.
- 2026
- 27 Nov - 27 Dec 2026
- Last season
- 28 Nov - 29 Dec 2025
- Cost
- Free entry; attractions are paid (cheaper online from 1 October).
Getting there and parking
- Buses run from Maastricht station to the centre (not as far as the Vrijthof).
- Paid parking nearby (Q-Park Vrijthof, De Griend) or cheaper at the P+W on the edge of town.
Worth knowing
- Sun-Thu 10:00-24:00, Fri-Sat 10:00-01:00; the non-food Christmas market closes at 22:00.
- Dogs welcome on a lead (not in the attractions).
- Cash and card.
Valkenburg
📷 Kleon3 · CC BY-SA 4.0
📷 Kleon3 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Christmas village · Valkenburg
Santa's Village Valkenburg
Part of Kerststad Valkenburg (Christmas Town Valkenburg), with the Christmas Parade on Saturday evenings in November.
🧒 With kids🎉 With friendsWhat's there
- Wooden stalls in the lit-up centre of Kerststad Valkenburg
- Toboggan run and playground
- Combine with the Christmas markets in the caves
What visitors sayGoogle 4.0 ★ · 645 reviews
All of Valkenburg is atmospherically lit at Christmas and well organised, which is what most visitors come for. They are more critical of the offer: a lot of the same merchandise, few genuine Christmas items, and some find it mainly commercial.
Go for Kerststad Valkenburg as a whole: an afternoon in the centre plus one cave market.
- 2026
- 13 Nov 2026 - 3 Jan 2027
Getting there and parking
- Take the train to Valkenburg station; otherwise park at the station and walk to the centre. On busy days the car parks fill up quickly.
IllustrationChristmas village · Valkenburg
Winter Wonderland Valkenburg
🧒 With kidsWhat's there
- Cable car to the Wilhelmina Tower
- Nativity scene in the cave
- Toboggan run
- View over Kerststad Valkenburg
What visitors sayGoogle 4.2 ★ · 455 reviews
Visitors like the cable car, the toboggan run and the view. Opinions are split on the Christmas cave, with some finding it too expensive for what you see, and the small market by the tower is open only at weekends.
A fun addition to a day in Valkenburg with children. Expect a paid attraction outing.
- Dates
- 2026 dates to be confirmed
- Cost
- Paid: combined ticket for cable car return plus nativity scene (booking online does not get you priority).
Worth knowing
- Dogs are allowed, including in the cable car.
- Children up to 8 years ride the toboggan with an adult.
📷 Kleon3 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Christmas village · Valkenburg
Christmas Market Fluweelengrot (Velvet Cave)
A Christmas market in the underground passages of the Fluweelengrot, beneath Valkenburg Castle.
✨ Date nightWhat's there
- Stalls in the marl passages under Valkenburg Castle
- Old wall paintings in the cave
- Reserve a time slot in advance
What visitors sayGoogle 3.7 ★ · 339 reviews
The cave itself is special, but recent reviews are mostly negative: lots of mass-produced goods and little Christmas atmosphere for the entrance price, and even the toilet costs money. Those torn between the two caves more often pick the Gemeentegrot.
Only for those who want to see the cave. As a Christmas market it's hardly worth the price.
- 2026
- 13 Nov - 30 Dec 2026
- Cost
- Paid: visitors mention about €9 for adults (2024); children 5-11 years €5, under 4 free.
Getting there and parking
- Parking is scarce and paid. Park a little outside the centre or come by train.
Christmas village · Valkenburg
Christmas Market Gemeentegrot (Municipal Cave) Valkenburg
The oldest and largest underground Christmas market in Europe, in the marl caves of Valkenburg.
✨ Date night🧒 With kidsWhat's there
- Underground Christmas market in the Gemeentegrot
- Light installations and marl objects
- Not stuffy despite being in a cave
What visitors say
A fairytale-like, professionally organised underground market with beautiful lighting and engravable marl souvenirs. Downsides: you pay entry mainly to shop, the same route there and back, few handmade items, and parking in Valkenburg is a nightmare.
Unique to do once. Come by train and on a weekday.
- 2026
- 13 Nov - 30 Dec 2026
- Cost
- €8.50 per person Monday to Thursday, €10.50 on Friday (kerstmarktgemeentegrot.nl); children 0-4 free.
Getting there and parking
- Train to Valkenburg: with the Park & Train ticket (€19.25 for up to 5 people) you park at a park-and-ride and continue by train.
- Or reserve a space in advance at Parking Cauberg (about 1,200 m walk).
Worth knowing
- Tickets are per date and time block. Buy online in advance, as the day ticket office can sell out.
- Dogs are not allowed in the cave (except assistance dogs).
- Wheelchair accessible.
- 2026: Mon-Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-19:00; closed 25 December.
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Amsterdam
IllustrationChristmas village · Amsterdam
Christmas Village Amsterdam
🎉 With friends✨ Date nightWhat's there
- On Museumplein next to the Rijksmuseum
- Glühwein and twinkling lights
What visitors say
There are still few reviews; those who went describe a cozy winter outing with glühwein and lights.
Handy if you're already in Amsterdam, but not a destination in itself.
- 2026
- 3-27 Dec 2026
- Last season
- 4-28 Dec 2025
- Cost
- Free entry.
Getting there and parking
- Tram 2, 3 or 5 to Museumplein; Q-Park under Museumplein.
Worth knowing
- 2026: 3-24 December 12:00-21:00, 25 and 26 December 12:00-19:00, 27 December 12:00-18:00.
- Dogs welcome on a lead.
IllustrationWeekend market · Amsterdam
Funky Xmas Market Westergas
A one-day Christmas-themed design market in the old gasworks at Westergas: vintage, design, independent makers and street food.
🎉 With friends✨ Date nightWhat's there
- Vintage, design and makers' work
- Street food in the old gasworks
- One Sunday, free entry
The alternative for anyone who wants something other than glühwein and baubles in Amsterdam. It's only one day, so plan around it.
- 2026
- 20 Dec 2026
- Last season
- 21 Dec 2025
- Cost
- Free entry.
Getting there and parking
- Westergas is in Westerpark; take a tram or bus to Haarlemmerplein or Van Limburg Stirumplein and walk through the park.
Worth knowing
- 2026: Sunday 20 December, 12:00-18:00 (iamsterdam.com).
IllustrationWeekend market · Amsterdam
Kerst op het Plein (Purmerplein)
A neighborhood Christmas market with more than thirty stalls on Purmerplein in Tuindorp Nieuwendam (Amsterdam-Noord).
🧒 With kidsWhat's there
- More than thirty stalls
- Neighbourhood atmosphere in Tuindorp Nieuwendam
- Local music
A cozy neighborhood market, not a destination if you're coming from far away.
- Last season
- 13 Dec 2025
- Cost
- Free entry.
Christmas markets near you
More Christmas market cities
- Germany
- Cologne
- Quebec City
- Amsterdam
- Tokyo
- Valkenburg
- Nuremberg
- Zurich
- Paris
- France
- Berlin
- Prague
- Strasbourg
- Munich
- Valencia
- Salzburg
- Dresden
- Barcelona
- Bucharest
- Copenhagen
- Stockholm
- Montreal
- Amsterdam Light Festival
- Tallinn
- Oslo
- Poland
- Hamburg
- Madrid
- Dusseldorf
- Innsbruck
- Riga
- Bratislava
- Helsinki
- Heidelberg
- Budapest
- Spain
- Croatia
- Seville
- Greece
- Turkey