Dordrecht Christmas Market

Around the Grote Kerk, in the streets of the Grotekerksbuurt and on the Groenmarkt, the Dordrecht Christmas market returns from Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 December 2026 under its current name of Decembermarkt: wooden chalets, food trucks, carols sung together in the evening in front of the town hall, and walks through the illuminated old town. This neighbour of Rotterdam was long known for a huge kerstmarkt; since 2023, it has opted for a shorter, tighter format, folded into the Dordtse Decemberdagen, which bring the centre to life from 10 December to 3 January.

From the great kerstmarkt to the Dordtse Decemberdagen

If you search for “kerstmarkt Dordrecht”, you will come across accounts of a sprawling market that filled the town one weekend in December. That market really did exist: its last big edition, in 2019, drew 250,000 visitors according to RTV Dordrecht. On 31 May 2023, the municipal executive decided to give it up in favour of smaller-scale “decemberdagen”. Alderman Maarten Burggraaf, quoted by the local television station, justified the choice by the growing number of outside traders selling goods with nothing to do with Christmas, socks and underwear first among them.

The Decembermarkt took over from December 2023. In 2024, it was held on Saturday 14 (from 10am to 10pm) and Sunday 15 December (from 12pm to 8pm), moving to 50 wooden chalets. The 2025 edition was held on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 December, with 50 chalets. For 2026, the organiser, claiming three successful editions, announces a bigger market over four days, from Thursday to Sunday. The number of chalets for this fourth edition has not yet been published.

The Dordrecht Christmas market around the Grote Kerk

The setting is the quarter of the Grote of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, the great church of the old town: the chalets take up the Grotekerksbuurt and the Groenmarkt, the concerts the Stadhuisplein in front of the town hall, and the food trucks line up around the Grote Kerk garden. They serve savoury snacks, sweet treats and hot drinks; to find your way between glühwein and bisschopswijn, the two names for mulled wine in the Netherlands, read mulled wine and its variants.

The 2026 opening hours are published: Thursday 10 December from 12pm to 8pm, Friday 11 from 12pm to 10pm, Saturday 12 from 10am to 10pm and Sunday 13 from 12pm to 8pm. On Friday and Saturday, a sing-along gathers visitors in front of the town hall from 8pm to 9pm; on Saturday and Sunday, musicians play on the Stadhuisplein. Walks through the illuminated town and guided tours round off the programme. The organisation is in the hands of the Dordtse Decemberdagen, an arm of Dordrecht Marketing & Partners, which publishes no entry price.

Dwaalspoor, Wintertuin and cruises: the Decemberdagen

The four-day market opens a longer period, the Dordtse Decemberdagen, from 10 December to 3 January. The Dwaalspoor is a night-time trail of light installations through the centre. Between Christmas and New Year, the Grote Kerk garden hosts the Wintertuin, a winter garden with chalets and an ice rink, whose 2026 dates and prices are still to be published. Cruises circle the illuminated town from the water, and themed guided tours are offered throughout the period. The detailed programme is on dordtsedecemberdagen.nl.

• Dates: from Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 December 2026, according to the organiser.
• Opening hours: 12pm to 8pm on Thursday, 12pm to 10pm on Friday, 10am to 10pm on Saturday, 12pm to 8pm on Sunday.
• Location: chalets in the Grotekerksbuurt and on the Groenmarkt, around the Grote Kerk; concerts and sing-along on the Stadhuisplein.
• Sing-along on Friday and Saturday from 8pm to 9pm, music on Saturday and Sunday.
• Dordtse Decemberdagen from 10 December to 3 January: Dwaalspoor, Wintertuin, cruises, guided tours.

Getting to Dordrecht from France

By train, the Eurostar links Paris-Nord to Rotterdam Centraal in about 2h37, with up to 13 departures a day and Standard tickets from €35 (introductory fare shown in September 2026). From Rotterdam, an NS train heads down to Dordrecht; the journey time depends on the service you choose. By car, allow 426 km and nearly 5 hours from Paris, 208 km and 2h30 from Lille, without traffic. The organiser gives no details of car parks or shuttles; on Saturday, the market opens at 10am, which leaves the morning for the chalets and the afternoon for the town.

Dordrecht fits neatly into a weekend in the Netherlands or Flanders. On the road from France, the Antwerp Christmas market is an obvious stop, and the Brussels Christmas market lies on the same route. On the Dutch side, the Efteling park also dresses its avenues for winter.