Potsdam Christmas Market 2026: dates, opening hours, tips

From Monday 23 November to Sunday 27 December 2026, the Potsdamer Weihnachtszauber (Potsdam Christmas Magic) runs through the historic centre with around 250 stalls, from Luisenplatz along Brandenburger Straße to Bassinplatz with its ice rink and Ferris wheel. During Advent, smaller markets with their own character join in: a Dutch Sinterklaas festival in the Dutch Quarter, a chocolate market on the Alter Markt, a Bohemian Christmas market in Babelsberg and a Polish star market. From Berlin it is a short S-Bahn or regional train ride.

Potsdam Christmas market 2026 at a glance

Dates 2026	23 November to 27 December 2026
Opening hours	Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11am–9pm, Friday and Saturday 11am–10pm
Holidays	closed on 24 December; 25 and 26 December 11am–6pm
Location	historic centre: Luisenplatz, Brandenburg Gate square, Brandenburger Straße, Hermann-Elflein-Straße, Bassinplatz north and south
Size	around 250 stalls, two main stages, a children's stage
Entry	free
Getting there	S7 or RE1 to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof, then tram or about 15 minutes on foot

Map: Christmas markets in Potsdam

Christmas Magic is a Christmas mile of about a kilometre. It starts in the west at Luisenplatz with the pagoda village; the city's biggest Christmas tree stands by the Brandenburg Gate. Walk along Brandenburger Straße, the old town's pedestrian street, to Bassinplatz with the ice rink and the Ferris wheel. The Dutch Quarter, home to the Sinterklaas festival, borders Bassinplatz to the north. The Alter Markt and the Kutschstall lie to the south towards the Havel river, and Weberplatz is a few tram stops east in the Babelsberg district.

Potsdam Christmas Magic: along the Christmas mile

Since 2025 Potsdam's big Christmas market has gone by the name Potsdamer Weihnachtszauber. If you know it from earlier years as "Blauer Lichterglanz", it is the same city-centre mile with a new concept.

Luisenplatz: the white pagoda village

This is where the mile begins. An all-white village of pagoda tents sells crafts and delicatessen, and the Luisenplatz stage has a jazz and swing programme. It is calmer than Bassinplatz and good for gift shopping.

Brandenburg Gate

Right in front of Potsdam's Brandenburg Gate, older than its Berlin namesake, stand a vintage children's carousel and the city's biggest Christmas tree. A good meeting point and the classic photo.

Brandenburger Straße and Sternengasse

The shopping street links both ends of the mile, with street food stalls between boutiques and cafés. On Hermann-Elflein-Straße, the Sternengasse brings huts run by local clubs and newcomers, with a crafts market at weekends.

Bassinplatz: ice rink and Ferris wheel

The heart of the market is around the church of St Peter and Paul. Bassinplatz north has an ice rink, children's carousels, the large Erzgebirge hut, Father Christmas's hut and a children's stage with fairy-tale shows. Bassinplatz south has the big Ferris wheel and the main stage with live music. The organiser has not yet published 2026 prices for the ice rink or the wheel.

The smaller Advent markets

Sinterklaas festival in the Dutch Quarter

On 12 and 13 December 2026, Sinterklaas comes to Potsdam. He arrives across the old harbour basin and rides a white horse into the Dutch Quarter, accompanied by his helpers, the Pieten, and their band. Around 100 stalls line the red-brick streets. Watch Kniepertjes, thin honey waffles, being baked over an open fire and clogs being carved, and try a glass of jenever. On Saturday the market is open from 11am to 8pm.

Potsdam Chocolate Market on the Alter Markt

From 4 to 20 December 2026, daily from noon to 8pm, the Alter Markt is all about chocolate and cocoa. Stalls surround the obelisk in front of the Museum Barberini, the Old Town Hall, St Nicholas' Church and the state parliament. Nearby, Johann Friedrich Miethe made his steam-powered chocolate from 1830 to 1860.

Bohemian Christmas market in Babelsberg

Around Weberplatz, where Bohemian weavers settled more than 270 years ago, the 26th Bohemian Christmas market takes place over two weekends in 2026:

• Friday 27 November: 5pm–10pm, opening at 5.30pm with the Crystal Fairy, Father Christmas and the cutting of the Christstollen, followed by a late mulled wine night
• Saturday 28 November: 11am–10pm, at 4pm a Bohemian shepherds' mass from Prague in the Friedrichskirche (tickets 15 euros)
• Sunday 29 November: 11am–6pm
• 4 to 6 December: Friday 5pm–10pm with a late mulled wine night, Saturday 11am–10pm, Sunday 11am–6pm

Entry is free. Children can meet the Bohemian Crystal Fairy and visit Father Christmas's office.

Star Market: Polish Christmas in the Kutschstall

On the second Advent weekend, from Friday 4 December 2026, the Sternenmarkt brings Polish Christmas traditions to the Kutschstall courtyard of the Brandenburg Museum on Neuer Markt for the 21st time. Polish artists sell handmade work, with sweet and savoury specialities, dance, theatre and concerts, and a craft workshop for children.

Advent tower brass on the Alter Markt

Between 29 November and 20 December 2026, the Potsdam Tourismus events calendar lists the Potsdamer Adventsturmblasen, Advent music played by brass players from a tower on the Alter Markt. Check exact dates and times there shortly beforehand.

What to eat and drink

• Kniepertjes and jenever at the Sinterklaas festival in the Dutch Quarter.
• Handmade chocolate on the Alter Markt, as a gift or a snack.
• Bohemian treats on Weberplatz in Babelsberg.
• Polish specialities at the Star Market in the Kutschstall.
• Mulled wine on Bassinplatz, ideally looking out over the ice rink and the Ferris wheel. 2026 prices have not been published yet.

An Advent day in Potsdam: our suggestion

1. Morning – Sanssouci: Sanssouci Palace is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4.30pm in November and December, closed on Mondays. The park is free.
2. Lunch – Luisenplatz: through the Grünes Gitter park gate you reach Luisenplatz, the start of the Christmas mile, in a few minutes.
3. Afternoon – Brandenburger Straße and the Dutch Quarter: stroll along the mile to Bassinplatz. On the Sinterklaas weekend, turn into the Dutch Quarter.
4. Dusk – Ferris wheel: the wheel on Bassinplatz south gives you a view over the lit-up centre.
5. Evening – Alter Markt: between 4 and 20 December, finish at the chocolate market in front of the Museum Barberini.

Our audio guide "Potsdam: Façades, Kings and Potatoes" follows almost exactly this route: 13 stops over 4.1 kilometres from the Alter Markt via Bassinplatz, the Dutch Quarter and the Brandenburg Gate to the terraces of Sanssouci, in English or German. The first two stops are free.

Practical tips

Best time to go

• Weekdays before 4pm: the most space on Brandenburger Straße.
• Advent weekends: the Bohemian market runs on two weekends and the Sinterklaas festival on 12 and 13 December, so expect busy streets.
• After Christmas: Christmas Magic is open until 27 December. It is closed on 24 December and open 11am–6pm on 25 and 26 December.

Getting there and parking

From Berlin, take the S7 or the RE1 to Potsdam Hauptbahnhof. Trams run from there into the centre, or it is about 15 minutes on foot across the Lange Brücke to the Alter Markt. City-centre parking is scarce in Advent, so use the train and tram if you can. For Weberplatz in Babelsberg, take a tram or the S7 to Babelsberg.

With children

For families, Bassinplatz north is the place to be: ice rink, children's carousels, Father Christmas's hut and the children's stage with fairy tales. There is a vintage carousel by the Brandenburg Gate. In Babelsberg, the Crystal Fairy and Father Christmas's office await, and the Star Market has a craft workshop.

Where to stay

Potsdam is an easy day trip from Berlin. If you stay overnight, the centre between Brandenburger Straße and the Alter Markt is ideal and leaves the next morning free for Sanssouci or the New Palace.

Gift idea: a personalised poster of Potsdam or Berlin for anyone with favourite places there.

Nearby: our tips

• Sanssouci Palace: Frederick the Great's summer palace above the vineyard terraces.
• Dutch Quarter: red-brick houses and, in December, the Sinterklaas festival.
• Museum Barberini: from 7 November 2026 to 21 February 2027 the exhibition on the Impressionists Monet, Morisot, Renoir and their network; closed on Tuesdays.
• New Palace: baroque showpiece at the western end of Sanssouci Park.
• Filmpark Babelsberg: in Babelsberg, not far from the Bohemian Christmas market.

More ideas for the city: Potsdam.

FAQ

When is the Potsdam Christmas market 2026?

Potsdamer Weihnachtszauber runs from 23 November to 27 December 2026.

What are the opening hours?

Monday to Thursday and Sunday 11am–9pm, Friday and Saturday 11am–10pm. Closed on 24 December, open 11am–6pm on 25 and 26 December.

Is Blauer Lichterglanz the same as Christmas Magic?

Yes. Since 2025 the big city-centre market has been called Potsdamer Weihnachtszauber, with a new concept on the same mile.

Is entry free?

Yes, the market itself is free. The organiser has not yet published 2026 prices for the ice rink, Ferris wheel and carousels.

When is the Sinterklaas festival 2026?

On 12 and 13 December 2026 in the Dutch Quarter.

How much is mulled wine?

2026 prices have not been published. Expect a deposit on the mug.

Can I bring my dog?

The organisers do not mention a dog ban, but Brandenburger Straße gets very crowded at weekends.

Read more

Potsdam and Berlin make a good weekend together: everything about the Berlin Christmas markets 2026, from Gendarmenmarkt to Charlottenburg. For an overview of all the big markets, see Christmas markets in Germany 2026.

Finally: Berlin and Potsdam on a route poster.

Last checked: 16 October 2026.

Sources

• https://potsdamer-weihnachtszauber.com/
• https://www.potsdamtourismus.de/event/weihnachtsmarkt-potsdamer-weihnachtszauber
• https://babelsberg-potsdam.de/termine-projekte/bohmischer-weihnachtsmarkt/
• https://potsdamer-schokoladenmarkt.de/
• https://www.sinterklaas-potsdam.de/
• https://www.potsdamtourismus.de/event/adventsmarkt-sinterklaas-fest-im-hollaendischen-viertel
• https://www.potsdamtourismus.de/event/adventsmarkt-sternenmarkt-sternenfest-weihnachtliche-begegnung-mit-polen

Image credits

• Photo: Allie_Caulfield, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cover)
• Photo: H. Zell, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0