Visiting the Gdańsk Christmas Market
From the last week in November, magical things happen across Europe. Open spaces and public squares are filled with little wooden huts. Carousels spring up on every corner. Twinkling lights are strung across streets. Smells of sausages and mulled wine permeate the air. And Gdańsk, in Northern Poland, is no different.
We visited on the last weekend of November, not only to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and to learn a little about the history of the city, but also to soak up the seasonal sights and sounds of the Gdańsk Christmas markets. And they had a lot to celebrate, as they were announced as European Best Christmas Market 2024-2025 just a few days before we arrived. (This list has now inspired my Christmas Market travel for the next few years – Craiova in Romania anyone?)
Vienna is No 9 on the list – we visited their Christmas markets back in 2017! You can read more about that trip here. And even Birmingham makes the list at No 14!
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the Christmas markets of Gdańsk!
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Where and when does the Gdańsk Christmas Market take Place?
This year (2024) the Gdańsk Christmas Market ran from 24th November to 23rd December. It runs from midday seven days a week, until 8pm Sunday to Thursday and until 9pm on Friday and Saturday. Admission is free! I’d definitely recommend visiting on a weekday rather than the weekend if possible to make your festive experience more pleasurable 😉
Check the official Gdansk Christmas Market website for details about opening dates next year!
The Gdańsk Christmas Market mostly takes place at Targ Węglowy (Coal Market Square), which you can find right by the Brama Wyzynna and Golden Gate at the western end of the Main Town artery Długi Targ. Stalls carry on along ulica Tkacka, with the two areas connected via the craft market which takes place inside the Great Armoury (which fittingly hosts the Academy of Fine Arts).
Unlike other cities that we have been to at Christmas, Gdańsk just have the one main market. Which means that on weekends and evenings, EVERYONE comes to the same area to celebrate. It was difficult on the Saturday to find somewhere to just relax and soak up the atmosphere as we were swept up in a slow shuffling crowd.
Of course, there are Christmas lights and decorations all over Gdańsk, and the towering main Christmas tree is located on Long Market. We missed the lighting of the tree by a couple of days, although they were constructing it on our final day. The lighting always takes place on 5th December, when Santa arrives in the city! There was a large Christmas tree outside the Forum shopping centre though with a small carousel and a few traders selling food and drink – perfect for escaping the madness of the main market🎄
How to get there
If you’re thinking of a 2025 trip you can catch direct flights from UK airports, including London, Liverpool and Leeds. (Other cities not beginning with L also available). We travelled down to Stansted (yes, for the third time this year) for our Ryanair flight to Lech Walesa Airport. Bus 210 will get you from the airport to the Main Town in around 40 minutes, or Uber/Bolt are reliable in Gdańsk and cheaper than other taxi services.
The closest tram stop to the Christmas Market is Brama Wyżynna (served by tram numbers 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11) and if you’re getting the SKM train the closest station is Gdańsk Śródmieście which is close to the Forum shopping centre.
We love a Christmas Market! Check out my guide to the Cologne Christmas Markets here!
Festive Food & Drink
One of the best things about the Christmas markets of Gdańsk is the opportunity to sample lots of traditional festive Polish treats! There’s something to satisfy every appetite, from gingerbread to sausages and lots and lots of hot chocolate and mulled wine (Grzane Wino) – red, white and even non-alcoholic! We did find that the queues for the food vendors were LONG. Particularly for the langosz. For us it made more sense on the weekend to eat and drink in bars and restaurants than to battle the market crowds. We did share a hearty bowl of bigos prior to our vodka-tasting – we didn’t think it a good idea to rock up on an empty stomach!
Eating and drinking is relatively cheap in Poland, and although the Christmas market traders are a little more expensive than local venues prices did seem to be lower than other European Christmas markets. And DEFINITELY cheaper than UK Christmas markets.
Souvenirs and knick-knacks
As with many European Christmas markets the focus is on food and drink rather than shopping. However Gdańsk did have a lot of local sellers offering a range of artisan goods. We came home with woolly socks, a Santa Claus cushion cover and the obligatory Christmas tree decorations to add to our collection. We spotted a lot of familiar names from the city as we strolled around the Gdańsk Christmas market as many of the traders also have permanent non-Christmas premises in Gdańsk. This means that there were a lot of unique stalls rather than the usual repetitive fare.
Linking Targ Węglowy and Ulica Tkacka is the Great Armoury, which hosts a craft market, with lots more handcrafted products and souvenirs. The Christmas market’s mascots are a pair of nutcracker characters – Mr. and Mrs. Orzechowski – so you’ll find plenty of nutcracker souvenirs!
Most of the traders accepted cards and contactless payments; although typically we picked one of the only stalls that didn’t for our Christmas trinkets. There’s an ATM on site, although there is a fee to withdraw cash.
Entertainment at the Gdańsk Christmas Market
The Gdańsk Christmas Market has a velvet-bow trimmed stage, with theatre performances, storytelling, Christmas karaoke, traditional dancing, not-so-traditional silent discos and festive films. On our final evening we stopped to watch a brass band perform both modern and classic Christmas songs before an aerial acrobatic group took to the Brama Wyzynna for a balletic performance. Of course you can also find Santa here, or in his festive grotto!
There are handicraft workshops in the Great Armoury so if you time it right you could join a session and make your own decorations, Christmas cards or even a holly wreath. I wonder how I’d have explained that extra baggage to the Ryanair staff.
You can take a spin on the traditional Italian-crafted carousel – or on the not-so-traditional Spinning Barrels coaster and Santa Claus VR flight simulator. If you love a carousel, you can find another one on the banks of the Motława river opposite the AmberSky Observation wheel. This one was particularly picturesque when we had a spot of rain on our final day! The Gdańsk Carousel was PLN 15 (around £3) and the Spinning Barrels was PLN 25 (about £5)
Visitors to the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas market will be familiar with our talking moose overseeing things at the bar, and Gdańsk also has their own version called Lucek! Onlookers seemed highly entertained by his witty banter and jokes but sadly my Polish wasn’t good enough to translate…
There are plenty of places for festive photo opportunities, from the illuminated structures around the market place to the “Festive Chamber” in the Armoury. Whilst everyone queued up for photos by the fireplace, in the christmas tree forest and on Santa’s throne, Mr Fletche preferred to make friends with the gingerbread people.
Where to Stay
Accommodation in Gdańsk is reasonably priced. During the Christmas Markets I’d recommend staying a little way away from the Dlugi Targ area as there can be some noise from partygoers. The city has a great public transport system and Bolt is cheap if you do plan to stay a little way away from the Main Town.
We stayed at Liberum Residence Old Town, which despite a little exterior noise (and a power cut which meant we ate breakfast by candlelight) was in a perfect location. I’ve linked the hotel details HERE.
What else is there to do in Gdańsk?
Gdańsk has a fascinating history so it’s a perfect place for a city break all year round. Today Gdańsk is part of Poland but in the past it has been an independent Free City state as well as being annexed by Germany during WWII. The city was almost completely destroyed, and much of today’s architecture has been reconstructed post-war. Gdańsk has an excellent Museum of the Second World War which I highly recommend visiting. We also visited the fascinating Europejskie Centrum Solidarności (European Solidarity Centre) and took a free walking tour with Walkative to teach us more about the city.
Stroll along Długi Targ and through the charming Main Town, all the way down to the Motława river. Visit the stunning Mariacka Street (you’ll definitely have space in your luggage for a little amber souvenir) and if you’re feeling energetic climb the tower of St Mary’s Basilica for panoramic views of Gdańsk. Gdańsk is a port city, and you can even take a trip out to the seaside resorts of Sopot or Gdynia.
I loved Gdańsk but my favourite European Christmas Market is Aachen!
Final thoughts on visiting the Christmas markets of Gdańsk
Gdańsk is the perfect place to put you in the holiday mood. Even away from the Christmas market there are cosy cafes, beautiful architecture, quirky bars and fascinating museums. And of course, pierogi and vodka. Although it’s busy – particularly at weekends – it never felt as crowded as the main markets of Vienna or Cologne. Of course, in 2025 its likely to be more popular than ever now its the best Christmas market in Europe!
