Christmas markets in Switzerland are also known as Adventsmark, Weihnachtsmarkt, Christkindlimarkt (or Märit, Märet, depending on the local dialect spoken :)) Each market has its own traditions, decorations, and food. Ornately decorated stalls nestled together, merchants selling handmade products, Christmas decorations, mulled wine and, of course, the best cheeses in the world. After going to well-known Christmas markets in Prague, Dresden, or Regensburg, I made it my mission to visit some of the best in Switzerland.
I asked my readers to contribute to this post and below you can find their recommendations. So in today’s post, I bring you tips for the 10 Christmas markets we visited and which locals (understand: my husband’s work colleagues 🙂 ) and also my readers recommend. So save the date, here we go:
Updated on 10. 11. 2022
We visited
Kambly Weihnachtsmarkt, Trubschachen (25. -27. 11. , 2. – 4. 12. 2022)
In the picturesque Emmental village of Trubschachen, on the first two advent weekends, the Christmas market is held in the premises surrounding the Kambly Biscuit Factory. Here you will find stalls with hand-made crafts, mulled wine, and children can meet Samichlaus (St.Nicholas) here.
If you want to buy some biscuits in the Kambly shop, it may be overcrowded. And other visitors will shop as if the end of the world should come. And the only thing that will help them to survive are kilograms of various kinds of the delicious Kambly biscuits 😀
Adventsmarkt Burgdorf (4. 12. 2022)
Unlike most Christmas markets, this one has not a central location, but over 200 stalls stretch across the streets of Burdorf – from Mühlegasse to the Gebrüder-Schnell-Terasse. When we visited the Advent Market in Burgdorf for the first time, the medieval craft market was held in the castle’s premises (which is now under reconstruction). Children could decorate their own gingerbread and see the angel appearing in the window of the castle tower 🙂
Bern (Berner Weihnachtsmarkt 3.12. – 24.12., Sternenmarkt 24.11. – 30.12.2022)
In Bern, Christmas markets are held in several different locations. We visited the Münsterplatz, which is famous for its offer of handicraft products. The market is smaller, I would rather say “intimate”, but that’s just what suits us 🙂
Edit 2019: Just before Christmas Eve we also went to another Bernese Advent market, the “Berner Sternenmarkt” on the Kleine Schanze near the Parliament building.
Chlouser Märit Aarberg (2. – 4.12.2022)
We really liked St. Nicholas Market in the town on the Aare River. The shops on the square were beautifully decorated, despite the winter cold the cozy restaurant invited you to the outdoor seating under the heaters the fur-covered chairs. For children, there was a small carousel and a small steam train that took them for the ride around the square. Well, of course, you could meet St. Nicolas 🙂
Huttwil (23. – 27. 11. 2022)
In Huttwil in the Oberaargau region, the Christmas market, which is said to be one of the most romantic, is held on the first advent weekend. This one I would like to visit this year. (Edit: Visited in 2018)
Biel (1. – 24. 12. 2022)
If you’re in Biel in pre-Christmas time, I definitely recommend checking out the local Christmas markets. These stretch along the Nidaugasse shopping avenue and end at a small square at the junction of Nidaugasse, Zentralstrasse, and Oberer Quai.
Recommended
Basler Weihnachtsmarkt (24. 11. – 23. 12. 2022)
My dear readers Debra and Klara have agreed, that Christmas Market in Basel is great for kids on the Münsterplatz! There is a “Märchenwald”(Fairytale land) that is so magical and beautiful! Many stands where kids can make candles, gingerbread, “blacksmithing” etc. “Just a great lovely atmosphere.”
Montreux Noël (18. 11. – 24. 12. 2022)
The most famous and largest Christmas market in Switzerland is the one in Montreux. Santa visits the market on his flying sled every day on the lakeshore at 17, 18, and 19:00.
Einsiedeln Weihnachtsmarkt (25.11. – 4.12. 2022)
My readers Veronika, Heather, and Kate have agreed that the atmosphere of the Christmas market at the Einsiedeln monastery is quite different from the markets in bigger towns (“it’s more of a local craft Christmas market, not all mass-produced stuff like Zurich HB”). You can also visit the monastery itself during the markets, as well as the world´s biggest Nativity scene (Diorama in Benzingerstrasse 23).
Weihnachts- und Christchindli-Märt Bremgarten (1. – 4.12. 2022)
The second advent weekend in Canton Aargau takes place the biggest Christmas market in Switzerland (by the way, did I not write the same thing about the Montreux Christmas market? I´m really confused by what this page says :O What is really the biggest market in Switzerland?) Anyway, in Bremgarten you will find over 300 stalls as well as with food, drinks, decorations and lots of ideas for Christmas presents.
By the way, you can find lots of beautiful photos from this Christmas market on Anita´s Travelita blog.
Christkindlimärt Rapperswil-Jona (8. – 11. 12. 2022)
Although officially the Christmas market in the town on the shores of the lake begins on December 14, a week earlier, that is, from 7 December, the “Advent village” is open with about 50 stalls offering Christmas gifts. And carousel and small railway are also ready for children.
And what about you? Do you enjoy Christmas markets as one of the most festive ways to get into the spirit of the season? Which is your favorite?
If Christmas markets are not your cup of tea and you would like to experience something quieter, I recommend Christmas Path Weihnachtswäg in Aeschi near Spiez near Lake Thun.
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