Christmas Markets Around Mariánské Lázně: Bohemia and Bavaria in a Day

Advent here starts earlier than you would think

Mariánské Lázně keeps its Advent deliberately small and a little old-fashioned — and that is its virtue. The Christmas market on the colonnade opens only on Advent weekends; in between, the town returns to its usual rhythm of treatments, long walks and coffee somewhere warm. For a guest staying a week or three, that raises a rather pleasant question: what about the days in between?

The answer lies within an hour's drive. The town sits in the westernmost corner of Bohemia, closer to the Bavarian border than to Karlovy Vary, and through December this triangle lights up with several very different markets. Some fit into an afternoon between treatments; others fill a whole day. And if you are wondering when the season starts, the Christmas markets near Mariánské Lázně open remarkably early this year — the first one on 15 October.

Within half an hour: Cheb and Waldsassen

Two drives of equal length, two countries, two entirely different moods. Both are comfortable afternoon trips with time to spare before dinner.

Cheb — a market beneath the half-timbering

By car: 30 minutes | By train: direct, about 30 minutes

No market in the region has a finer backdrop: the triangular King George of Poděbrady Square with the half-timbered Špalíček, a terrace of houses straight out of a picture book and church towers above it. The stalls here are not a weekends-only affair — in recent years the market has opened on the first Saturday of Advent and stayed up continuously until 26 December, with an ice rink in the middle of the square. In 2025 that meant 29 November to 26 December. The town confirms the following year's dates only during the autumn, so check the official calendar before setting out for a particular performance.

Cheb has another advantage: it is the best destination of all for guests without a car. Mariánské Lázně sits on the main line, the direct train takes half an hour, and the square is a short walk from Cheb station. If the market dates do not fall conveniently, Cheb is worth the journey anyway — the castle with its Romanesque double chapel and the Wallenstein museum are open through the winter.

Waldsassen — with an anniversary this year

By car: 30 minutes

Just across the border lies Waldsassen, home of the Cistercian abbey whose library hall is carried by carved wooden atlantes. Its Christmas market is a modest affair, but in 2026 it has something to celebrate: the town marks the 50th anniversary of the first Waldsassen Christmas market. It runs on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November 2026, 13:00 to 20:00 each day, in the Neue Gärten in the centre. Only two days, but exactly the kind of market where nobody jostles you and the stallholder has time to talk. Combine it with the basilica or with the Kappl pilgrimage church on the hill above the town — a rewarding pairing for one afternoon.

Half a day: Loket and Karlovy Vary

Loket — two days at the castle

By car: 40 minutes

Loket is one of the most photogenic places in Bohemia: a medieval castle on a rocky spur, the river Ohře looping beneath it, and a square you can take in at a single glance. The Ore Mountains Christmas market is held here in 2026 on 12 and 13 December only, from 10:00 to 18:00 — a narrow window, but in a setting no other market can offer. A castle courtyard, craft stalls and the smell of mulled wine between stone walls: if the dates work out, this is the finest half-day on the list.

Karlovy Vary — stalls on the Mill Colonnade

By car: 45 minutes | By train: a scenic line through the Teplá valley

West Bohemia's other great spa town puts its Christmas market directly onto the Mill Colonnade — that is, into architecture worth the journey in its own right. The market is usually open daily and runs well into the new year: the 2025 edition ran from 29 November to 1 January, from midday until eight, and until nine on Fridays and Saturdays. The 2026 dates had not been published in early October, so check the city portal before you travel.

There is a certain pleasure in comparing two colonnades in one Advent. If you are curious how the two towns differ, December shows it most clearly, because the Marienbad Advent is so much quieter.

A full day: Plzeň and the Bavarian three

Plzeň — the longest season in the region

By car: 55 minutes | By train: direct, about an hour

The Advent market on Republic Square has a confirmed 2026 date: 21 November to 23 December — the longest Advent season in the area and the only market to open before the first Sunday of Advent. The square is among the largest in the country, St Bartholomew's Cathedral with the tallest church tower in Bohemia rises above the stalls, and you can add a brewery tour or the historic underground. The ideal destination for a day when the weather rules out walking — and by train, with no parking to worry about.

Marktredwitz — Adventszauber at the Glasschleif

By car: just under an hour

Marktredwitz does Advent differently: its Adventszauber is held not on the market square but in the warmly lit grounds of the old Glasschleif glassworks, with a skating rink beside the stalls. The town gives only the recurring window — "late November to late December, Thursday to Sunday" — and publishes exact dates during the autumn. For guests travelling with grandchildren, it is the most rewarding stop on the German side.

Bayreuth — the Winterdorf that opens in October

By car: about an hour and a half

Bayreuth's Winterdorf is often called the earliest Christmas market in Germany, and in 2026 it lives up to the billing: it opens on Thursday 15 October and stays until the end of the year. It occupies the courtyard of the Old Palace on Maximilianstraße, open Mon–Sat 11:00–23:00 and Sundays from 12:00, with 11:00–14:00 on Christmas Eve and 11:00–14:00 plus an open-ended evening from 20:00 on New Year's Eve. It is not a traditional craft fair but a heated winter village of wooden huts, fire bowls and mulled wine — an evening destination rather than a morning one.

Nuremberg — the Christkindlesmarkt

By car: 170 km, roughly two hours

One of Europe's most famous Christmas markets stands on Nuremberg's Hauptmarkt from 27 November to 24 December 2026, open daily from 10:00 to 21:00 and until 14:00 on Christmas Eve. At the opening on 27 November at 17:30, the Nuremberg Christkind delivers the prologue from the balcony of the Frauenkirche. It is the opposite of everything else on this list — 168 wooden stalls, crowds, gingerbread hearts, gold-foil angels — and worth one outing for exactly that reason. One caveat: in its own official notice the city states plainly that it gives no guarantee the market will take place as announced.

Fitting the trips around a spa stay

One thing is worth saying plainly: treatments come first. What goes into your treatment plan, and when, is decided by the spa physician, and the timetable follows the therapy rather than the markets. So plan your excursions once you have your schedule in hand — not the other way round.

In practice it works out well. Most treatments fall in the morning, which leaves the afternoon for Cheb, Waldsassen or Loket. Save the full-day destinations — Plzeň, Bayreuth, Nuremberg — for a day when your schedule is lighter. And because winter here has a charm of its own, count on days when you go nowhere at all: at 630 metres above sea level, Advent is colder and more often white than in the lowlands, which suits a walk along the colonnade rather well.

Before you set out

• Check the dates. The Bohemian markets in Cheb and Karlovy Vary are confirmed by their organisers only during the autumn; the German ones are fixed earlier, though changes remain possible there too.
• There is something at home, too. The Mariánské Lázně Advent weekends in 2026 fall on 27–29 November, 4–6 December and 18–20 December — the full programme is in our Advent guide.
• Carry your ID. The crossing into Bavaria is an internal Schengen border, but a passport or identity card belongs in your bag. Bohemian markets price in Czech crowns and Bavarian ones in euros; at market stalls, cash is the safe option either way.
• A car is not essential. Cheb, Karlovy Vary and Plzeň all have direct trains from Mariánské Lázně; the full catalogue with a "no car" filter is in our day-trip guide.
• The fountain has already fallen silent. The Singing Fountain on the colonnade closes its season on 31 October, so do not look for it in Advent — the winter backdrop is the illuminated cast-iron colonnade of 1888–89.

There are two ways to spend Advent in Mariánské Lázně: stay, and let the quiet rhythm of a spa town carry you — or treat the town as a base and set out every other day for a different market, a different language and a different sort of mulled wine. The best Decembers mix the two.

Cover photo: VitVit, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Studies and official documents this article relies on. Our content does not replace medical advice.

1. Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt 2026 — official notice of the City of Nuremberg (PDF) — "Die Stadt Nürnberg veranstaltet vom 27. November bis 24. Dezember 2026 auf dem Hauptmarkt den Christkindlesmarkt." Open Monday to Sunday 10:00–21:00, Christmas Eve 10:00–14:00, with a break on opening day from 17:25 to 18:00. The city explicitly gives no guarantee that the market will take place as stated.
2. Bayreuther Winterdorf 2026 — official event site — Opens Thursday 15 October 2026 at the Altes Schloss / Ehrenhof, Maximilianstraße 12–14. Mon–Sat 11:00–23:00, Sun 12:00–23:00, Christmas Eve 11:00–14:00, Christmas holidays 13:00–23:00, New Year's Eve 11:00–14:00 and again from 20:00.
3. Weihnachtsmarkt 2026 in Waldsassen — Town of Waldsassen — "Samstag, 28. November und Sonntag, 29. November 2026 jeweils von 13 bis 20 Uhr", in the Neue Gärten in the town centre. The town notes the 50th anniversary of the first Waldsassen Christmas market.
4. Termíny trhů 2026 — Trhy Plzeň (operator of the markets on Republic Square) — Advent market on Republic Square in Plzeň from 21 November to 23 December 2026.
5. Christmas markets at Loket Castle 2026 — Kudy z nudy (CzechTourism) — Ore Mountains Christmas market at Loket Castle on 12 and 13 December 2026, 10:00–18:00 each day.
6. Marktredwitzer Adventszauber — Town of Marktredwitz, annual events — The town gives only the recurring window: "Ende November bis Ende Dezember (Donnerstag bis Sonntag)" at the Glasschleif. Exact 2026 dates are published during the autumn.
7. Chebské Vánoce (Cheb Christmas) — official event site — Documents the 2025 edition (market 29 November to 26 December on King George of Poděbrady Square, ice rink until 4 January). The 2026 dates had not been published as of early October.
8. Karlovy Vary Christmas markets — city portal kvcity.cz — Documents the 2025 edition on the Mill Colonnade (29 Nov 2025 – 1 Jan 2026; Mon–Thu 12:00–20:00, Fri 12:00–21:00, Sat 10:00–21:00, Sun 10:00–20:00). The 2026 dates had not been published as of early October.
9. Advent markets 2026 in Mariánské Lázně — official town tourism portal — Advent weekends on the colonnade on 27–29 November, 4–6 December and 18–20 December 2026; the organiser reserves the right to change the programme.

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