The Warsaw Christmas Market fills the lanes between the Old Town walls each winter, running from Castle Square past the Barbican towards the Old Town Market Square, where an ice rink goes up around the Mermaid statue. The 2026 dates for the Old Town stalls haven’t been published yet, but the market usually opens in the second half of November and stays until 6 January. A second, bigger market under the Palace of Culture and Science is confirmed for 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. Below you’ll find the dates, opening hours, what to eat, how to get there and where to leave your bags.
Arriving by train? Drop your bags near Castle Square and walk into the market with your hands free.
Warsaw Christmas Market 2026: Key Facts
| Old Town dates | Expected late November 2026 to 6 January 2027 (2025 edition: 21 November to 6 January) |
| Old Town hours (2025) | Sun–Thu 11:00–20:00, Fri–Sat 11:00–21:30; 25–26 December 12:00–21:30; only some stalls open on 24 December |
| Location | Between the Old Town walls (Międzymurze Piotra Biegańskiego) next to Castle Square, up to the Barbican |
| Ice rink | Old Town Market Square, around the Mermaid (Syrenka) statue |
| Second market | Plac Centralny (Plac Defilad) under the Palace of Culture, 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, daily 11:00–22:00 |
| Entry | Free |
| Organiser | Jarmarki Rzemiosłem Zdobione (both markets) |
The 2026 hours for the Old Town aren’t out yet, so treat the 2025 times above as a guide. The city lists both markets on its official events page for the Barbican fair, which is the place to check opening days before you travel.
Where to Find the Old Town Stalls
The wooden huts start by Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy), under the Royal Castle and the Sigismund Column, and follow the red-brick defensive walls along ul. Podwale to the Barbican. From there it’s a two-minute walk into the Old Town Market Square. The whole route is short, so you can see every stall in an hour and still have time for a hot drink by the rink.
Stallholders sell glass baubles, wreaths, ceramics, wooden toys and carvings, jewellery, postcards and calendars. Much of it is handmade in Poland, which makes the Old Town a better place for gifts than the bigger market in the city centre.
Castle Square Tree and the Royal Route Lights
Castle Square gets a 21-metre Christmas tree every year, and the city’s Christmas illuminations run along the Royal Route: Krakowskie Przedmieście, Nowy Świat and on into the Old Town and New Town squares. For 2026 the city says the new decorations will go up in early December, with lit figures of famous Varsovians on the Old Town Market Square and a carousel on the New Town Square.
The best evening walk starts at the Copernicus statue on Krakowskie Przedmieście and heads north to Castle Square under the lights. It takes about 15 minutes and ends right at the first market stalls.
Ice Skating on the Old Town Market Square
The rink sits around the Mermaid statue in the middle of the Old Town Market Square, ringed by the coloured merchant houses rebuilt after the war. Huts beside it sell mulled wine, coffee, tea and seasonal dishes, so non-skaters can watch from the side. Rink prices and hours for 2026 haven’t been announced; check the city listing before you go.
Food and Drink at the Warsaw Christmas Market
- Grilled oscypek with cranberry: smoked sheep’s cheese from the Tatra mountains, warmed on the grill.
- Grzaniec: Polish mulled wine. The stalls also sell Galician-style mulled wine and mulled beer.
- Kiełbasa and kaszanka (black pudding) straight off the grill.
- Roasted chestnuts and nuts, plus gingerbread and Christmas biscuits to take home.
- Miód pitny: Polish mead, served warm on cold evenings.
Bring a card and a little cash in złoty. Most huts take cards, but some smaller craft stalls prefer cash. If you want to know what a weekend in Warsaw costs overall, our guide to prices and budgets in Warsaw has the numbers.
The Second Market Under the Palace of Culture
Warsaw’s bigger seasonal market takes over Plac Centralny (Plac Defilad), at the foot of the Palace of Culture and Science and a few minutes from the main railway station. The organiser has announced its second edition for 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, with more than 200 exhibitors, a new observation carousel, a maze, rides, concerts and a Santa’s house open every day.
| Day | Plac Centralny hours |
|---|---|
| Most days | 11:00–22:00 |
| 24 December | Closed |
| 25–26 December | 12:00–22:00 |
| 31 December | 11:00–18:00 |
| 1 January | 14:00–22:00 |
| 6 January | 11:00–22:00 (last day) |
The two markets are about 2.5 km apart. Many visitors do the city-centre market first, then walk the Royal Route to the Old Town after dark.
How to Get to the Warsaw Christmas Market
| From | How |
|---|---|
| Warszawa Centralna station | Walk about 30 minutes via Nowy Świat and Krakowskie Przedmieście, or take a bus or tram towards Plac Zamkowy |
| Metro M2 | Nowy Świat-Uniwersytet station, then about 15 minutes on foot along Krakowskie Przedmieście |
| Chopin Airport | S2 or S3 train to Warszawa Śródmieście or Centralna (about 25 minutes), then as above |
| By car | The Old Town is mostly pedestrian; park in the city centre and walk |
Public transport tickets work across buses, trams, the metro and city trains. A 24-hour ticket is the easy choice if you plan to visit both markets in one day.
Tips for Visiting
- Come after 16:00 to see the lights. It gets dark early in December.
- Weekday afternoons are calmer. Saturday evenings and the week before Christmas get crowded on the narrow lanes by the walls.
- Dress for real cold. Warsaw in December often sits around freezing, and the rink area is windy.
- Christmas Eve is a family day in Poland, so expect only some Old Town stalls and a closed Plac Centralny market on 24 December.
- Leave big bags elsewhere. The cobbles and crowds between the walls are hard work with a suitcase.
Luggage Storage Near the Warsaw Christmas Market
Plenty of visitors arrive on the morning train from Kraków, Gdańsk or Berlin, or have a late flight home after the last day of sightseeing. Hotel check-in and check-out times rarely line up with that, and dragging a suitcase over the Old Town cobbles is no fun.
Radical Storage works with verified local shops, cafés and hotels across Warsaw, including spots near Castle Square, the Old Town Market Square and the Palace of Culture. Book online in a minute, drop your bags and pick them up whenever you like. Every bag is protected up to €10,000, cancellation is free, and travellers rate the service 4.8/5 across more than 16.5K locations worldwide.
- Luggage storage near Castle Square, right at the start of the market.
- Luggage storage near the Old Town Market Square and the ice rink.
- Luggage storage near the Palace of Culture for the Plac Centralny market.
- Luggage storage near Warszawa Centralna if you’re catching a train.
Warsaw Christmas Market 2026 FAQ
The Old Town market’s 2026 dates haven’t been published yet. It usually opens in the second half of November and runs until 6 January (in 2025 it ran from 21 November to 6 January). The Plac Centralny market under the Palace of Culture is announced for 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027.
The stalls run between the Old Town walls from Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy) to the Barbican, a short walk from the Old Town Market Square, where the ice rink is set up around the Mermaid statue.
In 2025 the Old Town stalls opened Sunday to Thursday 11:00 to 20:00 and Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 21:30. The Plac Centralny market opens daily 11:00 to 22:00, with shorter hours over Christmas and New Year.
Yes. Both markets are free to enter. You only pay for food, drinks, gifts and rides.
The city says the 2026 Christmas illuminations go up in early December, along the Royal Route, Castle Square with its 21-metre tree, and the Old Town and New Town squares.
Radical Storage has partner locations near Castle Square, the Old Town Market Square, the Palace of Culture and Warszawa Centralna station. Book online, drop your bags at a verified local business and collect them later, with protection up to €10,000 per bag.
