Trentino
Trento Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Hours, the Tree Lighting and the Christmas Train
Trento Christmas market 2026: 20 November to 6 January in Piazza Fiera and Piazza Mostra, daily hours, Christmas Day, the tree lighting and the Christmas train.
Trento's Christmas market opens on Friday 20 November, a week before most of South Tyrol.
It fills Piazza Fiera and Piazza Mostra until 6 January 2027, every day from 10:00 to 20:00, according to the city's official Christmas site. The homepage counts 77 wooden chalets, and the market page lists 75 exhibitors from across Trentino and Alto Adige, selling chocolate, honey, cheeses, small wooden and ceramic trees, sweets and vin brûlé.
Two things set Trento apart. It is open on Christmas Day, for the afternoon and evening. And it is ten minutes on foot from the station, on the main railway between Verona and the Brenner, which makes it an easy first stop by train from the south.
Quick answer
Dates: Friday 20 November 2026 to Wednesday 6 January 2027.
Hours: every day 10:00 to 20:00. The food area stays open until 21:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and 7 December.
Christmas and New Year: 24 and 31 December 10:00 to 18:00, Christmas Day 16:00 to 20:00, 26 December and 1 January 10:00 to 20:00, 6 January 10:00 to 18:00.
Where: Piazza Fiera and Piazza Mostra, in front of Buonconsiglio Castle.
Tree lighting: Saturday 21 November, from 16:00, ending in Piazza Mostra around 19:00.
Getting there: any train to Trento, then ten minutes on foot.
The trap: Christmas morning. On 25 December the market only opens in the afternoon.
Dates and hours, day by day
The basic rule is simple. Every stall opens from 10:00 to 20:00, every day from 20 November to 6 January.
The food area, the polo gastronomico, keeps longer hours on Fridays and Saturdays, from 10:00 to 21:00, and on Monday 7 December, the eve of the public holiday. That covers the opening weekend too, on 20 and 21 November.
The holidays are where the timetable changes. On 24 and 31 December the whole market closes at 18:00. On Christmas Day it opens from 16:00 to 20:00, according to the homepage and the English event page, while the market's FAQ gives 15:00 to 20:00. Plan for 16:00. From 26 December to 5 January, except New Year's Eve, everything runs from 10:00 to 20:00 again, New Year's Day included. The last day, 6 January, ends at 18:00.
Cards are accepted as well as cash, according to the market's FAQ.
Piazza Fiera and Piazza Mostra
The market is split between two squares a few minutes apart. Piazza Fiera runs along a stretch of the old city walls, south of the cathedral. Piazza Mostra opens in front of Buonconsiglio Castle, the fortified residence of the prince-bishops who ruled Trento for centuries.
Between the two lies the old centre, with Piazza Duomo and the frescoed facades of Via Belenzani. Walk from one square to the other through it rather than around.
The official mug is sold at the infopoints and at the food stalls, according to the FAQ, which does not give its price. The market serves food on compostable tableware made of FSC-certified paper, runs on 100% renewable energy and asks visitors to sort their waste, according to the market page.
The tree lighting and the Christmas train
The season starts properly on Saturday 21 November. The inauguration begins at 16:00 in Piazza Dante, by the station, moves to Piazza Duomo at 17:00 and ends in Piazza Mostra around 19:00, when the big Christmas tree and the photomapping installations are switched on. The music comes from the students of the Liceo Musicale Bonporti and the city's band, the Corpo Musicale della città di Trento.
Then there is the official Christmas train, a little train that runs through the streets of the centre. It runs every day from 20 November to 6 January, from 9:00 to 20:00, stopping at Piazza Dante, Via Belenzani, Via del Travai, Piazza Fiera and Via San Pietro, according to its event page. Tickets cost 4 euros for adults and 2 euros for children from 3 to 12, and are sold on board. The train is accessible to people with reduced mobility.
The Fiera di Santa Lucia follows on 12 and 13 December. The ice rink in Piazza Cesare Battisti and Santa's village in Piazza Dante are part of the programme, but their 2026 dates and prices have not been published yet.
Getting to Trento by train
Trento station is on the Brenner line. The city's travel page lists direct trains every day to and from Munich, Bolzano, Verona, Venice, Rome and Naples. Timetables are on the Trenitalia site.
From the station, the historic centre is five minutes on foot and the market squares about ten. Leave the station, cross Piazza Dante and follow Via Belenzani towards Piazza Duomo. If you would rather ride, city buses A, 1, 6 and 7 are the most frequent between Piazza Dante and Piazza Mostra.
Coaches stop nearby too. FlixBus uses a stop on Lungadige San Nicolò, according to the same page.
Where to stay in Trento
The historic centre, between Piazza Duomo, Via Belenzani and Piazza Fiera, puts both squares on foot and keeps the evenings simple.
The streets around the station and Piazza Dante are five to ten minutes from the market. Best for day trips by train.
Le Albere, the modern quarter around the MUSE science museum, is quieter, about 15 to 20 minutes' walk south-west of the centre.
Day trips by train: Rovereto, Levico Terme and Bolzano
Rovereto is on the same line, south towards Verona. Its Christmas market runs from 20 November to 6 January in the historic centre, every day from 10:00 to 19:00.
Levico Terme, on the Valsugana line, holds its market in the Habsburg park of the old spa town, from 21 November. Before Christmas it opens on selected days only, mostly weekends, so check the calendar on Visit Levico Terme before you go. From 26 December to 6 January it opens every day.
Bolzano is the bigger market to the north, with direct trains from Trento. Our Bolzano Christmas market guide has its hours and squares, and our guide to the Christmas markets in Italy in 2026 covers the rest.
The mistake to avoid
Do not plan Christmas Day morning around the market. On 25 December it opens only in the afternoon, and the official pages do not agree on the exact time, so arrive after 16:00 to be safe.
The other mistake is a weekday trip to Levico Terme before Christmas. Its market is closed on most weekdays until 24 December.
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