Stuttgart Christmas Market

The 2028 market in Stuttgart

Stuttgart's Christmas market occupies the squares around the Altes Schloss and the Schillerplatz, with stalls arranged along a walkable route in the centre. In our calendar, the 2028 edition is the shorter of the two estimates: 25 days, from Wednesday 29 November to Saturday 23 December.

The late first Advent in 2028 shapes the whole season, as explained below.

Dates and status

The status is estimated because the organiser has not announced the 2028 programme. We applied the pattern of recent years, an opening on the Wednesday before the first Sunday of Advent. In 2028 the first Advent is 3 December, so the Wednesday before is 29 November, and the market would close on Saturday 23 December, the day before Christmas Eve.

If the organiser changes the opening day rule, the season could be longer. Please check the official market website once the dates are posted.

Character, sights and food

The market is large but arranged in lanes between historic buildings, which keeps it from feeling like a single sea of stalls. The Rathaus becomes an Advent calendar, and the market's decorated roofs are a visual signature.

Visitors from other regions and from abroad join local families, so you will hear several languages on a busy weekend.

Warm up with Glühwein or hot punch, and try Swabian dishes such as Maultaschen or Schupfnudeln with sauerkraut. Sweet options include Springerle, a pressed biscuit, as well as gingerbread. In the old courtyard of the Altes Schloss, the Landesmuseum gives you something indoors for an hour.

Families can visit the children's area, and anyone interested in shopping will find the main pedestrian street, the Königstraße, nearby.

Getting there and where to stay

Reach the market on foot from the main station or by Stadtbahn to Schlossplatz. Regional and long-distance trains serve Stuttgart from many cities. Choose a hotel near the station for the shortest route, and book early as this is a short, popular season.

If you drive, use a park and ride at the edge of the city.

Public holidays and vacation days in Baden-Württemberg, 2028

The estimated opening is Wednesday 29 November 2028 and the closing day is Saturday 23 December. Christmas Day is Monday 25 December and Boxing Day Tuesday 26 December, both holidays in Baden-Württemberg. Allerheiligen on 1 November is a Wednesday, well before the market. Dreikönig falls on Thursday 6 January 2029, outside the period.

The first full weekend of the market, 2 and 3 December, needs no vacation days. A visit on Wednesday 6 December costs one day. Combining the market's last weekend with Christmas is cheap: Saturday 23 December, Sunday 24 December and the two holidays give four days off at no cost, and taking Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 December adds three vacation days for a block from Saturday 23 to Sunday 31 December of nine days.

Tips and who it suits

A short season means busy weekends, so weekday afternoons are the best time for a relaxed visit. The market suits couples and families, and it works well as a day trip from Munich, Karlsruhe or Heidelberg.

These dates are estimated, so reconfirm them before you book trains or rooms.

The short 2028 season compresses all the Advent atmosphere into just under four weeks, so the weekends of 2 to 3, 9 to 10 and 16 to 17 December will be the peak. A weekday visit around midday, or an early evening before the after-work crowd arrives, gives you the best chance of space at the stalls. Bring cash as a backup, wear shoes with grip for wet paving, and allow time to cross the centre on foot rather than relying on crowded trams.