Luxembourg Christmas Market

Luxembourg Christmas market spreads across five squares in the historic centre of the Grand Duchy’s capital, with wooden chalets, the scent of mulled wine and garlands strung above the pedestrian streets. Under the name Winterlights, the programme run by the city tourist office (LCTO) runs this year from 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, one of the longest Christmas seasons in the region. From Metz or Thionville, the capital is less than an hour away and makes a good day trip or weekend break.

Five squares for a Christmas market in Luxembourg

Luxembourg Christmas market stretches over five squares in the centre, linked by the tram and the pedestrian streets. Place d’Armes, the historic heart of the city, has the first chalets and the concert stage, beneath the pruned lime trees that line the square all year round. Place de la Constitution, at the foot of the Gëlle Fra and facing the Pétrusse valley, adds an open view over the lower town and the rooftops of the Grund quarter. Place de Paris, near the station, completes the set for anyone arriving by train: the chalets are grouped around the fountain, five minutes’ walk from the station concourse. Place Guillaume II and the Kinnekswiss, the large municipal park north of the old town, close the loop.

On Place Guillaume II, which locals call the Knuedler, two areas are set aside for children: an activity corner called Winterkids and an Advent calendar house, where a window opens every day in December. The 2026 opening hours are published by the LCTO: 11am-9pm Sunday to Thursday and until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. In 2025, the Place d’Armes market closed at 6pm on 24 and 31 December and stayed closed on 25 December; these exceptions have not yet been specified for 2026. The LCTO also offers a paid guided tour, the “Winterlights Promenade” (1 hr 30, departing from the tourist office on Place Guillaume II, ending on Place d’Armes, with a drink at the market included), as a private group from €150 for 1 to 20 people or on scheduled departures to be booked; in 2025, it was called “Winterlights by Night” and left on the Fridays of Advent at 5.30pm, in French, German or English depending on the date.

The Kinnekswiss has a special place on this route: this large park, north of the old town, leaves more room between the chalets than the cobbled squares of the centre, a plus for families with pushchairs. This is also where the Wanterpark sets up, with its ice rink.

Luxembourg specialities and sweet treats

Christmas food in the Grand Duchy borrows as much from Belgian cooking as from German tradition, with its own names in Luxembourgish. Gromperekichelcher, fried grated potato cakes, are eaten hot from a paper cone, often with garlic sauce or apple sauce. Boxemännchen, little brioche men representing Saint Nicholas, appear on most stalls around 6 December, the date of his eagerly awaited visit to the LCTO office, between 2pm and 5pm in previous years. Glühwäin, the Luxembourg version of mulled wine, is served in glass mugs that many visitors keep as a souvenir rather than returning them for the deposit. Luxembourg Glühwäin is a close cousin of German Glühwein; to compare it with the French red wine version, read our article on mulled wine in all its forms. The stalls also offer local crafts and gift ideas, from jewellery and ceramics to wooden decorations, spread across the different squares on the route.

Getting there from France: train, free public transport and car

Luxembourg City is easy to reach from Lorraine. The TER regional train links Metz to the capital in about an hour, and Thionville in about thirty minutes, arriving at the central station, five minutes’ walk from Place de Paris. From Nancy, the journey takes longer; the road via the A31 is an option for those who want to combine the trip with a stop at Nancy Christmas market.

Once over the border, public transport in Luxembourg has been free across the whole country since 2020, including trams, buses and second-class trains. This free travel even extends to some cross-border journeys, notably from the Moselle stations of Audun-le-Tiche and Volmerange-les-Mines, two useful starting points for anyone in northern Moselle who prefers to leave the car at home. By car, the A31 takes you to the border from Metz and Thionville, then the A3 leads to the city centre; there are paid car parks in town, best booked for Saturdays, the busiest days. The free tram then links the station with the main stops in the centre, including Hamilius, with no need to get back in the car once parked. The trip also lends itself to a double stop, with Thionville Christmas market or Metz Christmas market on the way home.

Practical information for planning your visit

Access to the five market squares is free, with no tickets needed. Plan instead on a budget of 15 to 30 euros per person for food and hot drinks on site, a little more if you pick up some crafts. The pedestrian streets and squares of the city centre are generally wheelchair-friendly, with a few uneven cobbles on some streets, especially around the old town. Two to four hours are enough to see all the sites at a relaxed pace, longer if you add the concerts and the evening guided tours. French, German and Luxembourgish coexist in the capital, and most shopkeepers also speak French, which helps visitors from Moselle or Meurthe-et-Moselle feel at home.

The LCTO’s online Advent calendar, open from 1 to 24 December in previous years, adds to the visit for families who want to keep the countdown to Christmas going once they are back home.

The first fortnight, between late November and mid-December, usually leaves more room in the pedestrian streets than a Saturday just before Christmas. The period between 26 December and 3 January combines the market with the French school holidays, a good time to make the outing part of a slightly longer stay in the region. Temperatures regularly drop below zero in the evening in December: closed shoes and several layers of clothing matter more than just a coat, especially for visits that stretch on after dark on the Kinnekswiss or Place de la Constitution, which are more exposed to the wind than the narrow streets of the old town.

Heritage and surroundings of the market

Luxembourg’s old town, with its fortifications and network of casemates carved into the rock, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Bock Casemates, a few minutes’ walk from Place de la Constitution, can be visited outside market hours and extend the outing with a glimpse of the city’s military history, in galleries cut into the rock. The Pétrusse valley, visible from several points along the route, adds a backdrop that makes a change from the cobbled squares of the centre, especially at the end of the day when the market lights are reflected on the stone. The Grund quarter, down below, is reached by stairs or a public lift and offers another view of the upper town, for anyone who has kept a little time after the chalets.

• Five sites: Place d’Armes, Place de la Constitution, Place de Paris, Place Guillaume II (Winterkids children’s area) and the Kinnekswiss (Wanterpark and ice rink).
• From 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; 11am-9pm, until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays (hours for 24, 25 and 31 December to be specified; in 2025: 6pm on 24 and 31, closed on 25).
• Free entry, free public transport throughout the country.
• About an hour by train from Metz, half an hour from Thionville.
• Saint Nicholas: on 6 December in previous years, 2026 dates to appear on the LCTO website.