Attractions & day tripsBy Clever Tourists · Published
As of 21 October 2026, both of Budapest's big Christmas markets open on Friday 13 November 2026. The Advent Bazilika market on Szent István tér, in front of St Stephen's Basilica, runs until 1 January 2027, open 11:00 to 22:00 (23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays). The Vörösmarty Classic Xmas market on Vörösmarty tér is open 11:00 to 21:00 (22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays); its craft stalls and kids' train last until 28 December, then the square turns into a New Year's Eve party. Entry to both is free. All dates and hours below come from the two organisers' own sites. We've been to Budapest, but in autumn, not at Christmas, so this is a planning page built on official information.
Free toolConvert to your own currency at live rates →Live mid-market rates for all 17 currencies we used, so you can see what a price actually costs.Advent Bazilika (Szent István tér): 13 November 2026 to 1 January 2027.
• Monday to Thursday and Sunday: 11:00 to 22:00
• Friday and Saturday: 11:00 to 23:00
• 24 December: 11:00 to 15:00
• 25 and 26 December: 11:00 to 20:00
• 31 December: 11:00 to 03:00
• 1 January 2027: 11:00 to 18:00
Vörösmarty Classic Xmas (Vörösmarty tér): from 13 November 2026 "until the dawn of the new year", in the organiser's words.
• Monday to Thursday and Sunday: 11:00 to 21:00
• Friday and Saturday: 11:00 to 22:00
• 24 December: 10:00 to 14:00
• 25 and 26 December: 12:00 to 18:00
• 29 and 30 December: 11:00 to 21:00
• 31 December: 11:00 to 03:00
• Craft exhibitors and the kids' train: last day 28 December, after which the space is handed over to New Year's Eve preparations.
Several 2026 roundups still list Vörösmarty tér as "14 November to 31 December". That was last year's run. The 2026 opening date on the organiser's site is 13 November.
The market fills the square in front of St Stephen's Basilica. The organiser bills it as voted Europe's most beautiful Christmas market four times in a row. For 2026 it promises nearly a hundred Hungarian craft exhibitors (ceramicists, leather workers, jewellers, designers), food stalls, a giant Christmas tree with a net of lights strung above it, a nativity scene and a monumental Advent wreath.
• Light show: every afternoon from 17:30, a light-painting projection runs on the Basilica façade. On some days a concert starts at 17:00 beforehand.
• Advent candle lighting: a candle on the big wreath is lit for each Advent Sunday. In 2026 those are 29 November and 6, 13 and 20 December. The organiser posts times on its Facebook and Instagram pages.
• Ice rink: some earlier editions had a small rink around the tree. The 2026 programme page doesn't mention one, so don't plan on it. For skating, the City Park Ice Rink (Városligeti Műjégpálya) is the classic choice; it says it reopens "in November" but had not announced a 2026–27 opening date as of 21 October 2026.
Rules are simple: entry is free for everyone, and cycling through the market is not allowed.
Vörösmarty tér sits at the top of Váci utca and is the traditional home of Budapest's Christmas fair; it has run under the name Vörösmarty Classic Xmas since 2022. Expect Hungarian craft stalls, food and drink stands, a large tree decorated in classic Christmas colours, music, and charity events.
• Kids' train: free to ride. Hours are Monday to Friday 14:00 to 20:00 and weekends 11:00 to 20:00. On 24 December it runs 10:00 to 14:00, and on 26 December it starts at 14:00. Its last day is 28 December.
• New Year's Eve: the craft stalls leave after 28 December and the square hosts a New Year's Eve party on 31 December, open until 03:00.
Neither organiser publishes a full 2026 price list. The most useful benchmark is the Hungarian business site Economx, which checked prices at both markets in late November 2025. Treat these as last season's prices; expect them to be similar or slightly higher in 2026.
• Mulled wine (forralt bor): 1,900 HUF (≈ $5.8) at Vörösmarty tér; 1,500 HUF (≈ $4.6) for 3 dl at the Basilica
• Chimney cake (kürtőskalács), filled: 3,600 HUF (≈ $11.0) at Vörösmarty tér; 3,200 HUF (≈ $9.8) at the Basilica
• Lángos with cheese and sour cream: 3,200 HUF (≈ $9.8) at Vörösmarty tér
• Stuffed cabbage (töltött káposzta): 5,700 HUF (≈ $17.4) at both
• Budget daily dish: 1,600 HUF (≈ $4.9) at both
The Vörösmarty site currently shows one caterer's menu with most mains between 4,200 and 6,900 HUF (≈ $21) and a 1,500 HUF (≈ $4.6) budget dish (csirke brassói), but it doesn't say which season the menu is for. Economx's reporter noted that the same chimney cake costs about half as much in the Deák tér metro underpass, a few minutes' walk away.
Bring some forint as well as a card for small purchases: Hungary's currency is the forint (HUF), not the euro. For sit-down meals afterwards, our Budapest tipping guide covers service charges.
The two markets are about a 10-minute walk apart in District V, so most people visit both on the same evening.
• Advent Bazilika: Arany János utca (M3) and Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út (M1) are a few minutes away; Deák Ferenc tér (M1, M2, M3) is about five minutes on foot.
• Vörösmarty tér: the M1 line ends right on the square at Vörösmarty tér station.
• From the airport: the 100E bus runs to Deák Ferenc tér, between the two markets. See our Budapest airport transfer guide.
Crowds peak on Friday and Saturday evenings and around the 17:30 light show at the Basilica. For browsing the craft stalls, come at 11:00 on a weekday, then return after dark for the lights. It gets dark early in December: the sun sets around 16:00 in Budapest in mid-December, so the lights are on by late afternoon.
December in Budapest is cold and often damp, with daytime highs usually just a few degrees above freezing. A thermal bath is the best way to warm up between markets; our thermal baths guide compares Széchenyi, Rudas and Gellért. If you are combining cities, our Prague Christmas markets guide has the 2026 dates there; Prague's main markets open two weeks later, on 28 November.
Compare dates with Bath, Prague and Germany in our Christmas markets hub.
Both main markets open on 13 November 2026. Advent Bazilika on Szent István tér runs until 1 January 2027; Vörösmarty Classic Xmas on Vörösmarty tér runs until New Year's Eve, with its craft stalls staying until 28 December.
Advent Bazilika is open 11:00 to 22:00, and until 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Vörösmarty tér is open 11:00 to 21:00, and until 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Both have shorter hours on 24 to 26 December and stay open until 03:00 on 31 December.
Yes. On 25 and 26 December 2026, Advent Bazilika is open 11:00 to 20:00 and Vörösmarty tér 12:00 to 18:00. On 24 December both close early: the Basilica at 15:00, Vörösmarty tér at 14:00.
No. Entry to both markets is free; you only pay for food, drink and crafts. The kids' train at Vörösmarty tér is also free.
In late 2025, Economx found mulled wine at 1,900 HUF (≈ $5.8) at Vörösmarty tér and 1,500 HUF (≈ $4.6) for 3 dl at the Basilica market. No 2026 price list has been published, so expect similar or slightly higher prices.
The 2026 Advent Bazilika programme doesn't list one. The main place to skate is the City Park Ice Rink, which reopens in November; its 2026–27 opening date had not been announced as of 21 October 2026.
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