Edinburgh's Christmas market in 2026: the dates, the gardens, and how to do it right

Overview

Edinburgh’s Christmas market is one market, not a city of them, and its setting does most of the work. About seventy stalls fill East Princes Street Gardens, the green valley between the Old Town and the New, with the Gothic spire of the Scott Monument rising over them and the castle rock along the skyline. It is the center of a wider event the city calls Edinburgh’s Christmas: a funfair with a big wheel in West Princes Street Gardens, an ice rink, and shows and bars spread around them.

The useful thing to know before anything else is what costs money. Walking into the market is free. The rides, the ice rink, the Santa’s Stories show and the ice bar are ticketed or paid for separately, so a family can spend an evening here for very little or a great deal, depending on how many times the children see the big wheel.

When it runs

The 2026 market runs from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, from 10:00 to 22:00 on most days, according to the official site. The exceptions are the ones that catch visitors out, so here they are in full:

• 17 November: 16:00 to 22:00
• 24 December, Christmas Eve: 10:00 to 20:00
• 25 December, Christmas Day: closed
• 26 December: 12:00 to 20:00
• 31 December, Hogmanay: 10:00 to 17:00
• 1 January: 12:00 to 20:00
• 3 January, the last day: 10:00 to 18:00.

The organizers add that opening times may change, so check the official site in the week you travel. Because it runs past Christmas into the New Year, it is one of the markets still open on a trip between the two.

Local tip: note the short day on 31 December. If you are in Edinburgh for Hogmanay, see the market by day and keep the evening for the New Year.

What to eat and drink

The official site describes the market’s food simply as bars and food huts, with mulled wine and hot chocolate as the warm drinks, and that is the honest summary: this is a market for a hot drink in the cold and something to eat in your hand, not for a dish you cannot find elsewhere.

If you want a Scottish meal rather than a market snack, eat in the Old Town or the New Town before or after; Edinburgh’s guide covers which part of the city to base yourself in.

Getting there

The market could hardly be easier to reach. Edinburgh Waverley, the main station, sits in the same valley: from its Waverley Bridge exit, which is step-free, the entrance to East Princes Street Gardens is about two minutes on foot. If you arrive by train from London or Glasgow, you can be at the stalls before you have finished looking for a taxi.

From elsewhere in the city, trams stop at St Andrew Square, Princes Street and the West End, all within a few minutes’ walk, and the city’s main bus station is about six minutes away on foot. You do not need a car for any of it.

Practicalities

Mind the new visitor levy. Since 24 July 2026 Edinburgh charges a 5% levy on overnight accommodation, applied to at most five consecutive nights, on top of the room price, so budget for it when you compare prices for a December weekend.

Book your room early. December in Edinburgh brings the market, the Christmas parties and Hogmanay, and rooms in the Old Town and the New Town go first.

Carry a little cash. The official site does not say whether every stall takes cards.