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Weekend-Only Christmas Markets in Bavaria 2026: Your Advent Calendar of Short Markets

Updated 31 October 2026. All dates and times checked against the organizers’ 2026 announcements.

Short answer: Many of Bavaria’s coziest Christmas markets open only on Advent weekends or for a few days. In 2026 the big dates are: Oberammergau on Sunday 29 November only, the Fraueninsel island market on 26 to 29 November and 3 to 6 December, Mittenwald from 10 to 13 December, the Burghausen Burgweihnacht from 11 to 13 December, and Lindau’s harbor market from Thursday to Sunday until 20 December.

These are the markets we love most. They’re small, local and often run by villages, clubs and charities, with homemade food and crafts. They just need a bit more planning, because if you show up on a Tuesday, there’s nothing there. So here’s the whole season, weekend by weekend. 🎄

Weekend 1: Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 November (first Advent)

  • Fraueninsel Christkindlmarkt (Chiemsee), 26 to 29 November: the island market, reached only by boat. Thursday 15:00 to 20:00, Friday to Sunday 12:00 to 20:00. Boats leave from Prien/Stock and Gstadt every 30 minutes; you can’t reserve, and on board it’s cash only.
  • Lindau Hafenweihnacht (Lake Constance), 26 to 29 November, 11:00 to 21:00: the harbor market on the island town, with Alpine views across the lake.
  • Prien am Chiemsee, Friday to Sunday on all four Advent weekends, starting 27 November. The 2026 times weren’t out yet when we checked (in 2025 it was 13:00 to 20:00). Easy to pair with the Fraueninsel boats.
  • Burghausen Advent in den Grüben, 27 to 29 November: a small, candle-lit market in the old lanes below the castle, with about 30 regional sellers. Friday 16:00 to 21:00, Saturday 15:00 to 21:00, Sunday 15:00 to 20:00.
  • Kieferer Dorfadvent in Kiefersfelden, Friday 27 November only, 15:00 to 21:00: a village Advent market at the Blaahaus industrial museum by the Austrian border, with wreaths, pottery, Kiachl (fried dough), live music and St. Nicholas in the afternoon.
  • Seeadvent Bad Wiessee (Tegernsee): a pre-opening evening with live music on Friday 27 November, then Saturday and Sunday 14:00 to 19:00 on all four Advent weekends.
  • Oberammergau Christkindlmarkt, Sunday 29 November only, 10:00 to 18:00: the 44th edition, on the square in front of St. Peter and Paul church. All proceeds go to charity projects and families in need in the Ammer valley.

Weekend 2: Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 December (St. Nicholas weekend)

Weekend 3: Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 December

  • Mittenwald Christkindlmarkt, Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 December, daily 12:00 to 20:00: a four-day Alpine market around the baroque parish church, with about 35 stalls, an Alpine nativity scene exhibition in the parish hall, carriage rides and concerts by local music groups. The opening ceremony is on Thursday 10 December at 16:00.
  • Burghausen Burgweihnacht, 11 to 13 December: inside the world’s longest castle, with crafts, stories, a fire show and concerts in the castle chapel. Friday 15:00 to 21:00, Saturday and Sunday 13:00 to 21:00. Adults €5, under-18s free.
  • Oberaudorf Christkindlmarkt, Saturday 12 December, 15:00 to 22:00: a village market in the Kurpark in the Inn Valley, free entry, with the RB 54 train to Oberaudorf.
  • Bad Wiessee (12 and 13 December, with a Krampus run on Sunday 13 December), Lindau (10 to 13 December) and Prien (11 to 13 December) continue.

Weekend 4: Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 December (last weekend)

  • Oberaudorf Christkindlmarkt, Saturday 19 December, 15:00 to 22:00: the second and last date.
  • Lindau Hafenweihnacht, 17 to 20 December: the last four days.
  • Bad Wiessee (19 and 20 December) and Prien (18 to 20 December) have their last weekend.

Thursday-to-Sunday markets that run all Advent

A few bigger markets don’t open every day, but they do run all season on set days:

  • Wasserburg am Inn: Thursday to Sunday from 27 November to 20 December (Thursdays 3, 10 and 17 December), plus Wednesday 23 December, in the old town on a loop of the Inn River.
  • Lindau Hafenweihnacht: Thursday to Sunday, 26 November to 20 December.
  • Bonus, in the Black Forest: the Christmas market in the Ravenna Gorge is also Thursday to Sunday only (26 November to 20 December), and it’s ticketed. The organizer says regular tickets for 2026 are sold out, though leftover tickets can appear in the official shop.

How to plan a weekend of small markets

  • Combine a big market with a small one. Saturday at the Fraueninsel and Prien, Sunday at Rosenheim (open daily from 27 November) works well. Or Mittenwald plus the Garmisch-Partenkirchen market, which is open every day.
  • Go by train where you can. Prien, Rosenheim, Oberaudorf, Kiefersfelden, Mittenwald, Garmisch and Lindau all have stations on regional lines, so the Bayern-Ticket or the Deutschlandticket covers the trip. Our Christmas market day trips from Munich have the connections.
  • Go early on the Fraueninsel weekends. They’re popular, and the boats can’t be reserved.
  • Bring cash. Village markets and the boat ticket desks often don’t take cards.
  • Check before you go. Small markets depend on the weather and volunteers, so a quick look at the organizer’s page the day before is always a good idea.

Want the bigger picture? Here’s when every German Christmas market opens in 2026, and all the dates are in our Christmas market calendar.

Pfiat di (take care), Brian

FAQ

Which Bavarian Christmas markets are only open on weekends?

In 2026 the Fraueninsel market (26 to 29 November and 3 to 6 December), the Burghausen Advent in den Grüben (27 to 29 November and 4 to 6 December), the Burghausen Burgweihnacht (11 to 13 December), Seeadvent Bad Wiessee (Advent Saturdays and Sundays) and Prien (Advent Fridays to Sundays) open only on weekends. Lindau and Wasserburg are open Thursday to Sunday.

When is the Mittenwald Christmas market in 2026?

The Mittenwald Christkindlmarkt runs for four days, Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 December 2026, daily 12:00 to 20:00, with the opening ceremony on 10 December at 16:00.

When is the Oberammergau Christmas market in 2026?

The Oberammergau Christkindlmarkt is a one-day market on the first Sunday of Advent, Sunday 29 November 2026, from 10:00 to 18:00.

When is the Fraueninsel Christmas market in 2026?

The Fraueninsel Christkindlmarkt in the Chiemsee runs on two long weekends: 26 to 29 November and 3 to 6 December 2026. Thursday 15:00 to 20:00, Friday to Sunday 12:00 to 20:00.

Sources

Checked on 31 October 2026:

Top photo: böhringer friedrich, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, via Wikimedia Commons.

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