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| Gamla Stan's Christmas market. |
The first market opens for business this Saturday, so this is a good time to list some of the Christmas markets in the greater Stockholm area and their opening hours/dates this season. Some are open daily, some just on the weekends while others are only open on specific dates. These markets can differ quite a bit from one another... some more traditional (decorations, local arts & crafts, traditional delicacies like jams, sausages and cookies), others a bit more modern (design articles). At any rate, you will have at least one open to visit if you are in Stockholm anytime between November 22nd and December 23rd.
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| The Bakery boys at Skansen, photo by Marie Andersson. |
- Gamla Stan (old town)- the grand dame of Christmas markets. Traditional with historic atmosphere and centrally located. Recently named one of the top ten markets in Europe by The Telegraph. Open daily (11am to 6pm) between Nov 22nd and Dec 23rd. Only a 15 minute walk from the Rival Hotel!
- Kungsträdgården- another popular market! Their central location near the NK department store, downtown shopping district and outdoor ice skating rink make this a season must. Open daily (11am to 6pm) between Nov 28th and Dec 22nd.
- Skansen- take a journey back in time and visit a Christmas market as they were 100+ years ago. Skansen, located on Djurgården, is an open air museum of Swedish traditions as well as the city's zoo. Open Saturdays and Sundays (10am to 4pm) from Nov 29th to Dec 21st.
- Hornstull Marknad- have a happy, hipster Christmas! Located on Södermalm, in the popular Hornstull neighborhood. Open on Saturdays & Sundays (noon to 6pm) from Nov 29th to Dec 21st.
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| Traditional holiday ornaments/decorations for sale... |
- Konstfack- College of Arts, Craft & Design. Creative Christmas market put on by the students. Saturday and Sunday, Nov 29th & 30th (10am to 6pm). Located in the suburb of Telefonplan.
- Royal Stables (Kungliga Hovstallet)- Combine a visit to the Royal Stables with some traditional Christmas shopping. Location. Friday, Nov 28th (noon to 7pm), Saturday, Nov 29th (10am to 6pm) and Sun, Nov 30th (10am to 5pm).
- Farmers' Christmas Market (Bondens Egen Marknad)- in the weeks leading up to Christmas, this popular farmers' market in SoFo turns into a Christmas market. Laid back and local. Four Saturdays before Christmas with start on Nov 29th (10am to 3pm).
- Beckmans- this College of Design has a popular annual Christmas market put on by the students. Location. Saturday & Sunday, Dec 13th & 14th (11am to 5pm).
There are also a few good Christmas markets just outside the city which are well worth a visit!
- Sigtuna- The capital of Sweden before Stockholm was founded. Location. Traditional Christmas market on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas (11am to 4pm) with start Nov 30th.
- Drottningholm Palace- UNESCO World Heritage site that has an annual Christmas market. Location. According to Visit Sweden: Saturday, Dec 6th and Sunday, Dec 7th (11am to 4pm).
- Steninge Slott- Castle located outside the town of Märsta. Daily Christmas market from Nov 15th to Dec 22nd (weekdays 11am to 6pm and weekends 10am to 5pm).
- Vaxholm- called the capital of the Stockholm archipelago (location), this town has a Christmas market every year put on by the Lions' Club. Saturday, Dec 6th and Sunday, Dec 7th (no opening hours mentioned yet).
- Utö- an island located in the southern archipelago. Weekends, Dec 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th. A bit difficult to get to, Strömma offers a package trip by boat including traditional Swedish Christmas meal (julbord) onboard. However, as I write this, the package trips are almost fully booked! They do also have many other julbord lunch/dinner cruises to choose from throughout the holiday season.
Click here for some other important dates during the holiday season. Now we just have to wish for a little snow so that it looks like this...
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| Skansen Christmas Market, photo by Marie Andersson. |
