Christmas 2026: day trips in Germany for 24 to 26 December

In 2026, Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday and the two Christmas holidays on Friday and Saturday. That makes a long weekend, but also a few traps: many palaces are completely closed on 24 and 25 December, zoos and markets shut early on the 24th, and the places that are open on the 26th are correspondingly busy. Here is what is really open in Germany on these three days, which Christmas markets keep going after the holiday, and how to plan your trip without arriving at a locked gate.

All hours come from the websites of the operators and venues, which we checked in October 2026. Where a page does not mention the holidays, we say so instead of guessing.

Christmas 2026 in Germany at a glance

Thursday, 24 December	Christmas Eve is not a public holiday, but in many federal states it counts as a quiet day. In practice zoos, markets and castles close early (examples below: 1, 2 or 3 pm).
Friday, 25 December	First day of Christmas, a public holiday. Many palaces, markets and theme parks are closed; zoos and a few markets are open.
Saturday, 26 December	Second day of Christmas, also a public holiday. The best day for trips: palaces and museums reopen and many markets start in the afternoon.
Markets after Christmas	Several markets run until 27 or 30 December, the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin until 31 December, and the ice rinks in Cologne and Heidelberg until 10 January 2027.
Trains	Deutsche Bahn has not published a Christmas 2026 timetable yet.

Quick picks: what suits you?

Type	Idea	Good to know
City and culture	Cologne Cathedral, Museum Island Berlin, Zollverein	Cathedral open daily, sightseeing on church holidays only in the afternoon
Nature and winter walks	Brocken, Jasmund on Rügen, Saxon Switzerland	Open terrain, visitor centres closed on 24 Dec
Thermal baths and spa	Therme Erding and other thermal baths	Special holiday hours, check first
Palaces and castles	Heidelberg Castle, Sanssouci, Wartburg	Often closed on 24 and 25 Dec, usually open again on 26 Dec
Families	Berlin Zoo, Leipzig Zoo, Miniatur Wunderland	Zoos open on holidays, but with short winter hours
Christmas markets	Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Lübeck, Goslar, Berlin	Still open after 25 Dec, until 27, 30 or 31 Dec

Day by day: 24, 25 and 26 December

Thursday, 24 December: half a day

Plan for the morning on Christmas Eve. All the examples we checked close early:

• Berlin Zoo: closes at 2 pm on 24 December; otherwise winter hours of 9 am to 4:30 pm apply until 31 December (last entry 3:30 pm).
• Leipzig Zoo: 24 December 9 am to 3 pm.
• Tierpark Hagenbeck, Hamburg: 9 am to 1 pm on Christmas Eve.
• Heidelberg Castle: courtyard, terrace and the Great Barrel 9 am to 2 pm, last entry 1:30 pm; the ticket office closes at 1:15 pm.
• Christmas markets: Düsseldorf 11 am to 3 pm, Hanover (Christmas village at the main station) 11 am to 2 pm, Goslar 11 am to 2 pm, Berlin Gendarmenmarkt 12 to 6 pm.
• Closed on 24 Dec: Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, the Brockenhaus on the Brocken, Europa-Park (Winterzauber) and the Potsdam Christmas market. According to our attraction pages (as of 10 October), Neuschwanstein Castle, Nymphenburg Palace, Charlottenburg Palace and the Deutsches Museum are also closed that day.

Most families spend the afternoon and evening at home. If you are on your own or as a couple, a walk is the easy option: the garden of Charlottenburg Palace is open daily from 8 am until dusk according to our attraction page, and Saxon Switzerland or the Brocken are open terrain anyway.

Friday, 25 December: the quietest day

On the first Christmas Day the choice is smallest. According to the operators, Sanssouci Palace, Heidelberg Castle and Europa-Park are closed, as are the markets in Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Lübeck and Hanover. What is open:

• Leipzig Zoo: "open daily, including public holidays", 9 am to 5 pm in November and December. The page gives no separate hours for the 25th.
• Berlin Zoo: the page lists no exception for 25 December, so the winter hours apply.
• Hagenbeck Tropical Aquarium: 25 to 30 December 9 am to 6 pm. For the zoo itself, the page gives no hours for these days.
• Miniatur Wunderland, Hamburg: "open 365 days a year". Daily hours vary, and the calendar for 25 and 26 December is on its website.
• Christmas markets: Goslar 12 to 7 pm, Potsdam 11 am to 6 pm; in Berlin, according to our market guide, also the market at Charlottenburg Palace and Alexanderplatz.
• Walking: the Brocken, Jasmund and Saxon Switzerland are open terrain. Mountain railways, visitor centres and cafés have their own hours, so check first.

Saturday, 26 December: the day for trips

On the second Christmas Day, palaces, museums and markets reopen, and everybody has the same idea. Expect full car parks at the well-known sights and queues for guided tours.

• Sanssouci Palace: Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 4:30 pm in November and December, so open on 26 December. Closed on Mondays.
• More palaces (from our attraction pages, as of 10 October): Neuschwanstein daily 10 am to 4 pm (guided tours only), Nymphenburg daily 10 am to 4 pm, Charlottenburg Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 4:30 pm.
• Heidelberg Castle: according to our attraction page, open daily 9 am to 6 pm all year except the special days mentioned above.
• Europa-Park: Winterzauber from 28 November 2026 to 9 January 2027, daily from 11 am to at least 7 pm, except 24 and 25 December.
• Markets: Düsseldorf 2 to 9 pm, Dortmund 12 to 9 pm, Lübeck 1 to 8 pm, Hanover (Christmas village) 11 am to 9 pm, Goslar 12 to 7 pm, Potsdam 11 am to 6 pm.

Christmas markets after Christmas

The big markets in Munich, Nuremberg, Dresden and Augsburg end on Christmas Eve around 2 pm, and those in Cologne, Frankfurt, Leipzig or Stuttgart as early as 22 or 23 December. If you still want mulled wine after the holiday, these are your options:

Market	Runs until	24 Dec	25 Dec	26 Dec
Düsseldorf	30 Dec	11 am to 3 pm	closed	2 to 9 pm
Dortmund	30 Dec	11 am to 2 pm (some stalls)	closed	12 to 9 pm
Lübeck	30 Dec	closed	closed	1 to 8 pm
Goslar	30 Dec	11 am to 2 pm	12 to 7 pm	12 to 7 pm
Hanover, Christmas village at the main station	30 Dec	11 am to 2 pm	closed	11 am to 9 pm
Potsdam	27 Dec	closed	11 am to 6 pm	11 am to 6 pm
Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt	31 Dec	12 to 6 pm	not listed separately	not listed separately

Berlin has more: the Berliner Weihnachtszeit at the Rotes Rathaus runs until 3 January 2027 (closed on 24 December), the market at Charlottenburg Palace until 27 December and Alexanderplatz until 26 December. Entry to the Gendarmenmarkt costs 2 euros, and the free window from 11 am to 2 pm does not apply on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December.

In Cologne, the Heumarkt with its ice rink stays open until 10 January 2027 (closed on 24 and 25 December), and the harbour Christmas market at the Chocolate Museum until 3 January 2027. Heidelberg closes its market on 22 December, while the ice rink at Karlsplatz runs until 10 January 2027; see our Heidelberg Christmas market guide. For all the big markets, see Christmas markets in Germany 2026.

Ideas by type of trip

Cities and culture

Cologne Cathedral is usually open daily from 6 am to 8 pm according to our attraction page. Sightseeing runs Monday to Saturday from about 10 am to 5:45 pm, but on Sundays and church holidays only from roughly 1:30 to 4:30 pm, and not during services. So plan your visit for the afternoon on the Christmas days. In Berlin, Museum Island is open Tuesday to Sunday 10 am to 6 pm and closed on Mondays; the Pergamon Museum is closed for renovation until 4 July 2027. Our attraction page lists no holiday hours. For an excursion into the Ruhr, go to Zollverein in Essen: the grounds are freely accessible and the Ruhr Museum is open daily 10 am to 6 pm; there is no holiday note here either.

Nature and winter walks

Outdoors you have to worry about the weather rather than opening hours. The summit of the Brocken is always freely accessible; the Brockenhaus is open daily 9:30 am to 5 pm (last entry 4:30 pm) and closed on 24 December. In Jasmund National Park on Rügen (Jasmund) the terrain is open to everyone, while the national park centre with its skywalk is open 10 am to 5 pm from November to March and closed on Christmas Eve. Saxon Switzerland National Park is free all year; its centre is open Tuesday to Sunday 9 am to 5 pm in November and December and closed on 24 December. Pack warm clothes and a head torch, because it gets dark early in December.

Thermal baths and spa

Thermal baths are a classic for 25 and 26 December. Therme Erding publishes special hours for 24, 25 and 26 December and New Year's Eve. Its page is not consistent on this point, so we do not list any times here. The same goes for many other baths: holiday hours often differ from the normal schedule. Check your preferred bath on its own website shortly before, and book a ticket in advance if you can.

Palaces and castles

Palaces are your best plan for 26 December. On 24 and 25 December many are closed, for example Sanssouci, Neuschwanstein and Nymphenburg (operator pages and our attraction pages). The Wartburg near Eisenach is open daily from 2 November to 25 March (tickets 9:30 am to 3 pm, grounds until 4:30 pm). At Moritzburg Palace near Dresden, the winter exhibition "Three Wishes for Cinderella" runs from 20 November to 28 February, daily 9:30 am to 5:30 pm; it is closed on 24 and 31 December. For more ideas, see our winter day trips in Germany.

With children

Zoos are the most reliable choice because they open on holidays, if with shorter hours. The Tropical Aquarium at Hagenbeck is open 9 am to 6 pm from 25 to 30 December and is the better pick in rain. When it is dark and wet, Miniatur Wunderland is open every day of the year. The Deutsches Museum in Munich is open on 26 December according to our attraction page, but closed on 24, 25 and 31 December. Europa-Park offers a full day out with its Winterzauber from 26 December. For Berlin's animal parks, see Zoos in Berlin.

Getting there by train and car

Deutsche Bahn has not announced a Christmas timetable or extra trains for 2026, and bahn.de shows nothing on it yet. We will add details here once they are out. Until then: book long-distance trains early and check your connection the day before in the DB Navigator app. For local and city transport, the holiday frequency depends on the regional transport association, so check its app. If you drive, arrive early at well-known sights such as Neuschwanstein or Heidelberg and expect full car parks on 26 December.

Practical tips

• Check hours the day before: operators change holiday hours at short notice, for example because of weather or staffing.
• Bring supplies: shops are closed on 25 and 26 December as public holidays, and many close early on Christmas Eve. Take drinks and food with you, also on hikes.
• Book tickets in advance: for timed tickets such as Miniatur Wunderland, or for guided tours in palaces.
• Start early: in winter, zoos and parks close between 4:30 and 5 pm, and the last entry is sometimes an hour earlier.
• Plan for darkness: it is dark after 4 pm in December. Markets are at their best in the evening; finish hikes before then.

Gift idea: if you would like to give a keepsake of your Christmas trip, design a personal poster with us.

FAQ

Is Christmas Eve a public holiday in Germany?

No. 24 December is not a public holiday, but many state laws treat it as a quiet day from the afternoon. 25 and 26 December are public holidays.

Which attractions are open at Christmas?

Zoos such as Berlin and Leipzig, the Hagenbeck Tropical Aquarium, Miniatur Wunderland, the national parks and a few Christmas markets. Palaces usually reopen on 26 December.

Are Christmas markets still open after Christmas?

Some are: Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Lübeck, Goslar and the Christmas village in Hanover until 30 December, Potsdam until 27 December and the Gendarmenmarkt in Berlin until 31 December. On 25 December, of the markets listed here only Goslar, Potsdam and some Berlin markets are open.

Is Neuschwanstein Castle open at Christmas?

According to our attraction page (as of 10 October), it is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January, and open 10 am to 4 pm on other days, guided tours only.

Do trains run at Christmas?

The timetable for the 2026 holidays has not been published by Deutsche Bahn yet. Check your connection shortly before in the DB Navigator app.

Should I book tickets in advance?

Yes, especially for guided tours, thermal baths and timed tickets on 26 December.

Read more

For more ideas for the cold season, see our article Winter day trips in Germany.

And if you want to keep a memory of your Christmas trip: create a poster of your route.

Last checked: 26 October 2026. If anything changes before December, we will re-check the hours.

Sources

• https://www.zoo-berlin.de/de/tickets-service/oeffnungszeiten
• https://www.zoo-leipzig.de/zoobesuch-planen/oeffnungszeiten/
• https://www.hagenbeck.de/de/tierpark/tierpark/besucherinfos.php
• https://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/besuchen/planen/oeffnungszeiten
• https://www.schloss-heidelberg.de/besuchsinformation/oeffnungszeiten
• https://www.spsg.de/schloesser-gaerten/objekt/schloss-sanssouci/
• https://www.europapark.de/de/oeffnungszeiten
• https://www.nationalpark-harz.de/de/besucherzentren/brockenhaus/
• https://www.therme-erding.de/en/info/prices-opening-hours-revisions/
• https://www.visitduesseldorf.de/erleben/veranstaltungen/weihnachten-in-duesseldorf/faq
• https://www.visitberlin.de/de/weihnachtsmarkt-weihnachtszauber-gendarmenmarkt-berlin
• https://www.weihnachtswald.de/
• https://potsdamer-weihnachtszauber.com/
• Christmas village at Hanover main station (hannover.de)
• https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heiligabend
• https://www.bahn.de

Image credits

• Photo: Markus Trienke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cover image, Brocken railway in winter)
• Photo: Eugene Alvin Villar (seav), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0