City Life

Warsaw Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Hours and What to Expect

The essentials: Warsaw's main 2026 Christmas market, the Jarmark Warszawski on Plac Defilad by the Palace of Culture, runs 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, daily 11:00-22:00. Entry is free. A second Old Town market ran last season; its 2026-27 dates were not announced as of 25 October 2026.

Published 25 Oct 2026, 09:11 CET · By Expats Poland Editorial Team

Christmas market stalls and a decorated arch on Warsaw's Old Town Market Square in December 2025

Warsaw's main Christmas market returns to Plac Defilad this winter, right at the foot of the Palace of Culture and Science. The Jarmark Warszawski, which debuted in the city centre last season, is back for a second, bigger edition - and for expats it is the easiest of Poland's big Christmas markets to reach, sitting on top of the Centrum transport hub. Here is what is confirmed for 2026-27, what is still to be announced, and how to plan a visit.

Dates: 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027

The official market site confirms the second edition of the Jarmark Warszawski runs from 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027 on Plac Defilad (address: plac Defilad 1). That is a long season - nearly seven weeks, through Christmas, New Year and Epiphany - longer than Kraków's planned run and much longer than Gdańsk's, which ends on 23 December.

The listed opening hours are 11:00-22:00, seven days a week. One caveat: the holiday exceptions currently shown on the site (closed on 24 December, shorter hours on 31 December, later opening on 25-26 December and 1 January) are dated for the 2025-26 edition, so treat the daily 11:00-22:00 as the baseline and check the site again in late November for this season's holiday schedule. Note that the market's daily hours apply on Sundays too - Warsaw's shops around it follow the trading-Sunday calendar, and the only trading Sundays this season are 6, 13 and 20 December.

What the market offers

The organizer promises a larger site and more exhibitors than last year's debut edition, with three stall types: food and drink, crafts, and general trade. Carousels, illuminations and "winter attractions" are confirmed, with entirely new attractions to be revealed in the coming weeks - the organizer is announcing details progressively on its social media, so check jarmark.waw.pl again closer to the opening for the full programme.

Last season's debut gave a good sense of the format: rows of wooden huts between the Palace of Culture and the parade square, hot food and grzaniec (mulled wine), gift stalls, and family attractions. The setting is the modern counterpoint to Kraków's medieval square - instead of Renaissance facades you get the Socialist Realist tower of the Palace of Culture lit up behind the stalls, and the market pairs naturally with a trip up to the Palace's 30th-floor viewing terrace for a view over the whole illuminated site.

What to eat and drink

The food stalls confirmed for this year follow the Polish winter-market canon, and it is a good one. Expect grilled kiełbasa and oscypek (smoked sheep's cheese served with cranberry), pierogi, bigos (hunter's stew), potato pancakes, roasted chestnuts, chimney cakes and crepes, plus grzaniec - mulled wine - and hot beer, a Polish specialty that surprises most newcomers (it tastes better than it sounds, closer to a spiced winter toddy). Prices at big-city Polish markets run above ordinary cafés and milk bars, so budget the market as a meal out rather than a cheap eat. For a sit-down alternative, the streets east of the market toward ulica Chmielna and Nowy Świat are dense with restaurants at every price point.

What to buy

Craft and trade stalls are a confirmed part of this year's line-up. The reliable buys at Polish Christmas markets are amber jewellery, Bolesławiec pottery, wool and sheepskin accessories, wooden toys, beeswax candles and Christmas decorations - all sturdy, packable gifts that survive a flight home. If you are shopping for people back home, Polish-market food gifts also travel well: oscypek keeps, and stalls sell jarred honey, preserves and regional sweets. The general rule holds here too: stalls selling to locals (food, wreaths, decorations) are fairly priced; souvenir stalls price for tourists, so compare before buying.

The setting: a market in the shadow of the Palace

Plac Defilad - Parade Square - is one of Europe's great empty spaces, laid out in the 1950s around the Palace of Culture and Science for military parades and mass rallies. The Palace itself, completed in 1955 as a "gift" from the Soviet Union, remains Poland's most divisive building and its most recognisable landmark. Putting the Christmas market here, which began only last season, finally gives Warsaw a central, single-site market comparable to what Kraków, Wrocław and Gdańsk have had for years - and gives the vast square a reason to exist in winter. The Palace's illuminations and its 30th-floor terrace (open daily, tickets at the entrance or online) make the market one of the few where you can look down on the entire event from above.

What about the Old Town market?

Warsaw has run two separate Christmas markets in recent years. Alongside the new city-centre event, a smaller market operated last season by the Barbican in the Old Town (22 November 2025 to 6 January 2026, per the Warsaw Tourist Office), spilling onto the Old Town Market Square with its own stalls and an ice rink. As of 25 October 2026, the Old Town edition's 2026-27 dates have not been announced - the photos on this page show that market last December, and we will update this guide when its dates are confirmed. If it returns, the two sites are about 2.8 km apart - roughly 40 minutes on foot, or about 25 minutes by tram or bus from the Centrum interchange - so a single evening can cover both with one short ride.

The ice rink on Warsaw's Old Town Market Square during last December's Christmas market

Getting there

Plac Defilad is the best-connected spot in the country:

Metro - Centrum station (M1 line) exits directly onto the market area.
Tram and bus - the Centrum interchange, one of the city's largest, serves dozens of lines; tickets and prices are in our Warsaw public transport guide.
Train - Warszawa Śródmieście and Warszawa Centralna stations are a five-minute walk away, handy if you are coming in from another city for the day.
Car - strongly discouraged in this part of town; if you must, rates and rules are in our Warsaw paid parking guide.

Practical tips

Timing. Weekday afternoons are the quietest. Friday and Saturday evenings in December are the peak; the market stays open until 22:00 daily, so a late visit after 20:00 is a workable way to dodge the worst crowds.
Dress for an open square. Plac Defilad is a wind tunnel between the Palace of Culture and the surrounding towers; December temperatures around freezing feel colder there than elsewhere in the city.
Money. As at any Polish market, most stalls take cards but carry some cash for the smallest vendors.
Make a day of it. The market combines well with the Palace of Culture viewing terrace, the museums along Marszałkowska, and Warsaw's outdoor skating - see our Warsaw winter outdoor guide for the city's rinks once they open for the season.

How it compares with Poland's other big markets

Warsaw's market is the youngest of the big four and the most convenient to reach. Kraków's Main Square market (27 November 2026 to early January) is the largest and most traditional; Gdańsk's (20 November to 23 December) is the most compact and photogenic; Wrocław's (20 November to 7 January) spreads across four connected squares with a dedicated fairy-tale section for children. All are free to enter. We have dedicated guides to the Kraków, Gdańsk and Wrocław markets, plus a three-market comparison.

*Photos: CC BY-SA 4.0 by Wistula via Wikimedia Commons: the Christmas market on Warsaw's Old Town Market Square, December 2025.jpg) (cover) and the Old Town ice rink, December 2025.jpg) (above). Both show last season's Old Town market. Dates and hours verified against the official market site on 25 October 2026.*

Frequently asked questions

When is the Warsaw Christmas market in 2026?

The main market, the Jarmark Warszawski on Plac Defilad, runs from 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. The official site lists daily hours of 11:00-22:00; holiday exceptions currently displayed are from last season, so check again in late November for this year's holiday schedule.

Is entry to the Warsaw Christmas market free?

Yes. Like Poland's other big Christmas markets, entry is free; you pay for what you eat, drink and buy at the stalls, and for attractions such as carousels.

Where exactly is the Warsaw Christmas market?

On Plac Defilad (plac Defilad 1), the parade square at the foot of the Palace of Culture and Science, directly above the Centrum metro station. A second, smaller market operated by the Barbican in the Old Town last season; its 2026-27 dates have not been announced as of 25 October 2026.

Is the Warsaw Christmas market open on Sundays?

Yes - the official site lists the same 11:00-22:00 hours seven days a week. Shops around the market follow the Sunday trading ban; the only trading Sundays during this season are 6, 13 and 20 December 2026.

How does Warsaw's market compare with Kraków's?

Warsaw's is younger (second edition this year), more modern in setting and the easiest to reach by public transport. Kraków's is bigger, more traditional and runs on a medieval main square. Both are free; both open in late November.