Christmas Markets in Italy 2026: Dates and Hours for 19 Markets, From Bolzano to Bologna

Bologna's Fiera di Santa Lucia opened on Friday 6 November, the earliest of the 19 markets in this guide.

The Alpine markets follow later in the month. Arco starts on 13 November, Trento and Rovereto on 20 November, Aosta on 21 November and Merano on 26 November. Bolzano, Bressanone, Vipiteno and Brunico open their stalls on 27 November, Bolzano and Bressanone after opening ceremonies on the evening of the 26th, and most of them run until Epiphany, 6 January 2027.

Verona, Milan, Florence, Arezzo and Montepulciano have published their 2026 dates as well. Turin switched on its Luci d'Artista on 23 October and Salerno on 7 November. Rome's fair in Piazza Navona is set from 1 December, and Naples has not published its dates yet. This guide gives the official dates and hours of the 19 markets that have, the days when they close early, and the train to each one. We will add the others when their dates are out.

Quick answer

Open first: Bologna, Fiera di Santa Lucia, from 6 November to 27 December.

South Tyrol: Merano from 26 November; Bolzano, Bressanone, Vipiteno and Brunico from 27 November. All run to 6 January 2027.

Trentino: Arco from 13 November (Friday to Sunday until 13 December), Trento and Rovereto from 20 November, Levico Terme on selected days from 21 November.

Elsewhere in the north: Aosta from 21 November, Govone on six weekends from 14 November to 20 December, Santa Maria Maggiore only from 6 to 8 December.

Verona and Milan: Verona's Natale in Piazza from 20 November to 27 December; Milan's Piazza Duomo chalets from 1 December to 6 January, with the Oh Bej Oh Bej fair from 5 to 8 December.

Tuscany: Florence's Santa Croce market from 14 November to 20 December, Arezzo's Tyrolean village from 14 November to 27 December, Montepulciano on set weekends from 21 November and every day from 19 December to 6 January.

Lights: Turin's Luci d'Artista from 23 October to 10 January, Salerno's from 7 November to 6 January.

Christmas Day: Bolzano, Merano and Bressanone are closed. Trento and Rovereto open from 16:00 to 20:00, Aosta from 15:00 to 20:00.

Rome: the Befana fair in Piazza Navona from 1 December to 6 January, by the city's notice.

Not out yet: Naples.

The trap: 24 and 31 December. Most markets close early, Brunico at 14:00 on Christmas Eve and Merano's stalls at 15:30 on both days.

The 19 markets and their 2026 dates

Market	Where	Dates	Hours
Bologna, Fiera di Santa Lucia	Strada Maggiore, under the portico of the Servi church	6 November to 27 December	Daily 9:00 to about 20:00
Arco	Historic centre	13 November to 6 January; Friday to Sunday until 13 December (daily 4 to 8 December), every day from 18 December	10:00-19:00, Saturdays to 20:00
Govone, Il Magico Paese di Natale	Around the royal castle	Six weekends, 14 November to 20 December, 5 to 8 December included	10:00-19:00
Arezzo, Città del Natale	Piazza Grande, the Prato park and the Fortezza Medicea	14 November to 6 January, Tyrolean village to 27 December	Village daytime and evening, some attractions Thursday to Sunday
Florence, Weihnachtsmarkt	Piazza Santa Croce, in front of the basilica	14 November to 20 December	10:00-22:00 Monday to Thursday, to 23:00 Friday to Sunday
Trento	Piazza Fiera and Piazza Mostra	20 November to 6 January	Daily 10:00-20:00, food area to 21:00 on Friday and Saturday
Rovereto, Rintocchi di Luce	Historic centre	20 November to 6 January	Market daily 10:00-19:00
Verona, Natale in Piazza	Piazza Bra, Piazza dei Signori and the Arsenale	20 November to 27 December	10:00-21:00 Sunday to Thursday, to 23:00 Friday and Saturday
Aosta, Marché Vert Noël	Piazza Chanoux	21 November to 6 January	Daily 10:00-20:00
Levico Terme, Mercatino Asburgico	Habsburg park	Selected days, 21 November to 6 January	10:00-19:00
Montepulciano, Natale a Montepulciano	Piazza Grande and Via San Donato	Set weekends from 21 November, then daily 19 December to 6 January	10:30-19:30
Merano	Passer promenade, in front of the Kurhaus	26 November to 6 January	Stalls 10:00-19:00, Friday and Saturday to 20:00
Bolzano	Piazza Walther and the old town	27 November to 6 January, opening ceremony 26 November at 17:00	Craft stalls daily 10:00-19:00
Bressanone	Cathedral Square	27 November to 6 January, opening 26 November at 17:00	Monday to Thursday 11:00-19:00, Friday to Sunday and holidays 10:00-19:00
Vipiteno	Historic centre	27 November to 6 January	Not yet published
Brunico	Graben, Oberstadt and Piazza Tschurtschenthaler	27 November to 6 January	Daily 10:00-19:00
Milan, Piazza Duomo and Oh Bej Oh Bej	Piazza del Duomo; the fair around the Castello Sforzesco	Duomo chalets 1 December to 6 January; fair 5 to 8 December	Fair through the day, chalets daytime to evening
Rome, Befana fair	Piazza Navona	1 December to 6 January, by the city's notice	Stalls 9:00 to 1:00 at night, to 2:00 on holidays
Santa Maria Maggiore, Val Vigezzo	The village streets and squares	6 to 8 December	9:30-18:30

Every date comes from the market's own site or the local tourism board, linked in the sections below. All January dates are 2027.

South Tyrol: Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone, Vipiteno and Brunico

The five South Tyrolean markets keep almost the same calendar, which makes them easy to combine by train. Bolzano, the regional capital, is the natural base. Its official timetable opens the craft stalls every day from 10:00 to 19:00, closes the whole market at 16:00 on Christmas Eve and at 18:00 on New Year's Eve, and keeps it shut on Christmas Day. Our Bolzano Christmas market guide has the food-stall hours, the squares and the parking rules.

Merano's market runs along the Passer promenade in front of the Kurhaus, with about 80 exhibitors, and the Merano tourism board lists it from 26 November to 6 January. The stalls stay open until 20:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and the food stands until 22:30. On Thermenplatz, giant Christmas baubles stand between the ice rink and the thermal baths. Our Merano Christmas market guide has the stall hours and the ice rink.

Bressanone fills Cathedral Square, in the old town. Brixen Tourism opens it at 17:00 on 26 November, with the stalls selling from 16:00 that day, and closes it at 16:00 on 24 and 31 December. Its tourism board also lists a light and music show at the bishop's palace, the Hofburg, from 26 November to 9 January. Our Bressanone Christmas market guide has the hours and the Hofburg light show.

Vipiteno has published its dates. Not its hours. Its market sits in the historic centre, and the carillon of the Zwölferturm tower plays every day at 10:30 and 16:30, according to the Vipiteno tourism board. Our Vipiteno Christmas market guide has the Twelve Tower and the big five.

Brunico spreads across the Graben, the Oberstadt and Piazza Tschurtschenthaler, open daily from 10:00 to 19:00 and until 14:00 on Christmas Eve, on the town's event page. Our Brunico Christmas market guide has the hours and the Plan de Corones base.

Trentino: Trento, Rovereto, Levico Terme and Arco

Trento opens a week before South Tyrol, on 20 November. The market takes Piazza Fiera and Piazza Mostra, open every day from 10:00 to 20:00, according to the city's Christmas site. It closes at 18:00 on 24 and 31 December, and on Christmas Day it opens from 16:00 to 20:00. From the station, the walk takes about ten minutes. Our Trento Christmas market guide has the hours and the Christmas train.

Rovereto's Rintocchi di Luce starts the same day and runs through the historic centre, with a craft market in Palazzo Todeschi. The tree is lit in Piazza Rosmini at 17:00 on Saturday 21 November, and the Rovereto tourism board adds projections on the historic facades, an ice rink and a small train. Our Rovereto Christmas market guide has the hours and the train from Trento.

Levico Terme holds its 25th Habsburg Christmas market in the park of the old spa town. It opens only on selected days until Christmas: 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29 November, then 4 to 8, 11 to 13, 18 to 20 and 24 December, and every day from 26 December to 6 January, as listed by Visit Levico Terme. Our Levico Terme Christmas market guide has the open days and the Valsugana train.

Arco, near the top of Lake Garda, is the earliest in Trentino. It opens on 13 November, from 10:00 to 19:00 and on Saturdays until 20:00, on the Garda Trentino listing. Until 13 December the stalls open from Friday to Sunday only, plus every day from 4 to 8 December, and from 18 December they open daily. Arco has no railway station. Our Arco Christmas market guide has the open days and the bus from Rovereto, and our Lake Garda winter guide covers the rest of the lake.

Aosta, Govone, Santa Maria Maggiore and Bologna

Aosta's Marché Vert Noël returns to Piazza Chanoux from 21 November to 6 January, every day from 10:00 to 20:00. Christmas Day is short. It opens at 15:00, and on New Year's Day at 11:00, according to the Valle d'Aosta tourism board. Our Aosta Christmas market guide has the chalet village and the Roman town.

Govone, in the Piedmont hills between Asti and Alba, celebrates 20 years of its Magico Paese di Natale. The market, more than 50 chalets around the royal castle, opens on six weekends from 14 November to 20 December, with the 5 to 8 December holiday block included. Entry to the market is free. No ticket, no booking. The shows inside are ticketed. Without a car, take the train to Asti and the Giachino bus to Govone: about 30 minutes, 3.80 euros a ride, according to the event's practical page. Our Govone Magico Paese di Natale guide has the open days and the castle tickets.

Santa Maria Maggiore, in the Val Vigezzo above Domodossola, runs the shortest market of all. Three days only: Sunday 6 to Tuesday 8 December, from 9:30 to 18:30, with 214 exhibitors in the village streets, on the market's own site. Our Santa Maria Maggiore Christmas market guide has the Saturday preview and the train up the valley.

Bologna's Fiera di Santa Lucia is the oldest Christmas event in the city and in Emilia-Romagna, according to Bologna Welcome. It sets up under the portico of the Servi church on Strada Maggiore from 6 November to 27 December, from 9:00 to about 20:00. A second Christmas fair in Via Altabella runs from 20 November to 6 January. Our Bologna Christmas market guide has the Santa Lucia fair and the food lanes.

Verona and Milan

Verona's Natale in Piazza, in its 18th edition, runs from 20 November to 27 December on Piazza Bra, with about 80 chalets along the Liston in front of the Arena, the Flover Christmas village in Piazza dei Signori and an ice rink by the Arsenale, as the organisers set out on Natale in Piazza. The stalls open from 10:00 to 21:00 from Sunday to Thursday and until 23:00 on Friday and Saturday, with shorter hours on 24 and 25 December. Our Verona Christmas market guide has the three squares, the Santa Lucia fair and the walk from Porta Nuova.

Milan has two events. The Oh Bej Oh Bej fair of Sant'Ambrogio, the city's patron, fills the moat and lawns of the Castello Sforzesco from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December, and the chalets on Piazza del Duomo run from 1 December to 6 January, as listed by Mercati di Milano. A rink opens at the Giardini Montanelli through the season. Our Milan Christmas markets guide has the fair, the chalets and the rink.

Tuscany: Florence, Arezzo and Montepulciano

Florence's Weihnachtsmarkt is a German market on Piazza Santa Croce, with more than 50 wooden stalls in front of the basilica and free entry, on the Tuscany region's portal intoscana. It runs from 14 November to 20 December, from 10:00 to 22:00 from Monday to Thursday and until 23:00 from Friday to Sunday. The last day is five days before Christmas. Our Florence Christmas market guide has the hours, the other fairs in the city and the train to Santa Maria Novella.

Arezzo Città del Natale runs from 14 November to 6 January across the old centre. The Tyrolean village of chalets in Piazza Grande stays to 27 December, a big wheel and a rink stand in the Prato park, and the house of Father Christmas opens in the Fortezza Medicea from 15 November to 24 December, as the tourist office sets out on Discover Arezzo. Several attractions open only from Thursday to Sunday. Our Arezzo Christmas market guide has the village, the park and the antiques fair weekend.

Montepulciano's Christmas village runs from 21 November to 6 January in the old town, as the organisers set out on Natale a Montepulciano. The stalls fill Piazza Grande and Via San Donato on set weekends in November and December, from 5 to 8 December and then every day from 19 December, from 10:30 to 19:30. The market is free. The Castle of Santa Claus, in the fortress at the top of the hill, is ticketed and closed on 25 December. Our Montepulciano Christmas market guide has the market days, the castle tickets and the bus from Chiusi station.

The lights: Salerno and Turin

Salerno is lights rather than stalls. Luci d'Artista, in its 21st edition, runs from 7 November to 6 January along the seafront and the old centre, free, with 31 installations, four videomappings and a tree of more than 20 metres on Piazza Portanova, according to Luci d'Artista Salerno. Our Salerno Luci d'Artista guide has the route and the extra weekend trains from Naples.

Turin's Luci d'Artista is the older of the two, in its 29th edition. It runs from 23 October to 10 January, with 31 light works by artists over the streets and squares, free to see, and four of them are new, as the art magazine Finestre sull'Arte reports. Our Turin Luci d'Artista guide has the new works and where to see the lights.

Rome: Piazza Navona from 1 December

Rome's Befana fair in Piazza Navona is set from 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 in the city's notice for this winter's edition, and four neighbourhood markets run in Prati, Trastevere, Esquilino and Testaccio. In past years the square has filled a few days into its period. Our Rome Christmas markets guide has the dates, the hours and how to reach each square.

Naples: no dates, and no need for them

Naples is a different case. The nativity workshops of Via San Gregorio Armeno trade all year, and December is simply their busiest month.

Getting there by train

The South Tyrol and Trentino markets sit on the Brenner railway between Verona and Munich, or a short branch line away. Trenitalia's Frecciargento trains reach Bolzano directly from Rome, Florence, Bologna and Verona, according to the Bolzano tourism board, and DB-ÖBB trains run direct from Bologna, Venice and Verona. From Munich and Innsbruck, DB-ÖBB Railjets run five times a day over the Brenner, with fares to Bressanone from 29.90 euros, on Brixen Tourism's travel page.

The stations are close to the markets. Bolzano's is two minutes from Piazza Walther, Trento's about ten minutes from Piazza Fiera, Bressanone's a short walk from the old town. Merano is a regional train ride from Bolzano, and Brunico sits on the Val Pusteria line. Check the regional timetables on suedtirolmobil.info before you go.

For the Dolomite valleys around these towns, our guide to the Dolomites in winter without a car covers the buses.

The mistake to avoid

Do not plan a market day for 24 or 31 December, or for Christmas Day. On the 24th and 31st most stalls close between 14:00 and 18:00, and on the 25th Bolzano, Merano and Bressanone do not open at all.

The other mistake is booking Rome around last year's dates. Wait for this year's. The city has not confirmed its 2026 market, and squares and dates can change from one year to the next.

Related guides

Italy without a car

The best time to visit Italy

10 days in Italy

Where to stay in Italy