Christmas markets 2023

Madrid is a fantastic city to visit before Christmas, during Christmas, and after Christmas. The city spends a lot of time and energy making it the perfect place to celebrate Christmas, and the traditional Christmas market at Plaza Mayor is the most popular place to go if you come to Madrid in this period.

There are many locations worth visiting if you visit Madrid during this period. The city has lots of fantastic lights added all around the city, giving visitors an authentic Christmas atmosphere as they walk up and down the streets at night. If you are eager to see all the Christmas lights, there is even a bus operated by Naviluz that will show you the beautiful lights of Madrid in a traditional tourist bus.

The Christmas market at Plaza Mayor

The most famous and oldest Christmas market in Madrid is at Plaza Mayor. It all started by people selling fruits, vegetables, and Christmas decorations at Plaza de Santa Cruz (nearby). This was later formalized and became the Christmas market present at Plaza Mayor today.

There are 104 stalls in total at Plaza Mayor. If you walk around all these stalls, you will have the chance to buy all sorts of products including lights, stars, little soldiers, Christmas figures (such as kings, shepherds, and animals), Christmas trees, Christmas lightning, candles, flowers, masks, caps, hats, glasses, and lots of other great stuff. You will also find delightful things to eat and drink at the market, and that is something you should try to experience what the locals like to eat and drink at such markets.

Plaza Mayor Christmas market dates 2023

November 24 – December 31

The Christmas market normally opens at 10:00 and remains open until 21:00. The market remains open until 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

christmas market at plaza mayor

Accommodation close to the Christmas market at Plaza Mayor.

Would you like to book a hotel or apartment close to Plaza Mayor? This is ideal, not only because of the Christmas market but because it means that you live in a very central location in Madrid. As a result, you can easily walk to famous attractions and activities in Madrid without wasting a lot of time. Look at the map below to see a wide selection of hotels and apartments close to the Christmas market at Plaza Mayor.

 

Look closer at the map above to find hotels and apartments that are good for you. The price estimation will immediately give you an impression about whether or not a given hotel or apartment is for you.

How to get to Plaza Mayor?

As we mentioned earlier, Plaza Mayor is a very central and popular location in Madrid. The easiest way of traveling to the Christmas market at Plaza Mayor is by the metro. You can travel by metro and get off at the stops Sol (which is the heart of Madrid) or the Opera. From there, you can easily walk to Plaza Mayor within a few minutes.

If you prefer to use the bus, you should travel with one of the following buses: 48,17,18,35,41,60.

Are there any other Christmas markets in Madrid?

There are some small markets here and there, but they are not permanent and not big enough to mention here. There is a mini market by Saint George’s Church, but that is only available for one single day, so you must be lucky if you are to experience this while in Madrid.

It might not be a Christmas market, but a very popular place to go in December and the start of January is the ice rink in Cibeles Palace. Here you have a 300m2 indoor ice skating rink in a beautiful environment. The ice skating rink has been an annual tradition since 2012. It is a fantastic opportunity to move your body and to visit a beautiful building in Madrid at the same time.

There are other happenings in Madrid during Christmas, and there are also Christmas villages with beautiful lights outside Madrid. If you want to read more about these and other happenings, look at our Madrid calendar to find out what’s going on in Madrid, the capital of Spain.