The Christmas Market in Old Town Stockholm

The Swedish winter is here, which means that in Stockholm, the sun is going down around 3 in the afternoon. It makes for very short days.

Swedes though, are well versed in how to combat the darkness. Christmas lights line the streets and candles shine in windows throughout town. It makes for a beautiful stroll through Stockholm. One of the best places to end up during your stroll is the Christmas market in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s Old Town.

Open from November 21st through December 23rd, the market is located in Stortorget a small square near the Royal Castle and Storkyrkan. Wandering around the Christmas market is completely free, although buying any of the homemade crafts and other traditional Swedish Christmas gifts is far from free.

While the gifts might be expensive, the glögg and pepparkakor are not. Glögg and pepparkakor are a Christmas tradition in Sweden; glögg is a type of spiced wine and pepparkakor are gingerbread cookies. A cup of glögg is well worth buying to keep you warm as you enjoy the Swedish winter. The temperature will dip below freezing in the evening, and while it doesn't actually snow that much in Stockholm in December, the dark frosty nights are wonderfully wintery.

Be warned, the Christmas market in Gamla Stan will be packed with people. Expect to be jostled around a little bit, but once you grab your glögg, escape to the steps of the Nobel Museum. You’ll get out of the crowd and be able to look out over the market while you enjoy the Swedish Christmas spirit.

Christmas Markets are increasingly popular, and while most Brits will head to markets in Germany, France and the Czech Republic, I can definitely recommend Stockholm. Take a look at the best Stockholm holiday deals here.


Picture of Europe a la Carte

Posted by Europe a la Carte
on 2nd December 2009 and
updated on 5th February 2021

Destinations

Sweden Stockholm

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