Tallinn Christmas Market

Tallinn’s market fills Raekoja plats, the Town Hall Square at the centre of a medieval old town that survived the twentieth century remarkably intact. The city claims the first public Christmas tree in Europe, raised here in 1441, and a tree has stood in the square most years since.

Small, and that is the point

This is not a large market — the square is not big enough for one. What it has instead is a setting that none of the bigger markets can match: a complete walled medieval town, usually under snow, with the Gothic town hall and its spire on one side and merchants’ houses on the others. It regularly appears on lists of Europe’s most beautiful Christmas markets, and for once the lists are right.

What to eat and buy

Estonian rather than German: black pudding with lingonberry jam, sauerkraut, baked potatoes, gingerbread, and hot spiced wine. The craft is genuinely local — knitted woollens, juniper woodware, ceramics, felt and amber. Prices are noticeably lower than in western European markets.

Getting there

Tallinn airport is fifteen minutes from the old town by tram, which is unusually convenient. The ferry from Helsinki takes about two hours and makes a Helsinki-Tallinn Christmas trip straightforward.

When to go, and what to wear

It runs 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, running right through the Christmas and New Year holidays. Check the organiser’s site for opening on Christmas Day itself. Be realistic about the weather: Tallinn in December is properly cold, frequently well below freezing, with limited daylight. Dress for standing still outdoors in sub-zero temperatures — see our guide to what to wear to a Christmas market. The cold is also why the enclosed square, the glögi and the warm cafés matter more here than anywhere else on this site.

Value for money

Tallinn is markedly cheaper than the western European markets — food, drink, craft and accommodation all cost noticeably less than in Germany, Austria or the UK. Combined with cheap flights and a fifteen-minute tram from the airport, it is one of the best-value Christmas market trips in Europe, and that is a large part of its appeal.

Beyond the square

The old town rewards wandering: the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Toompea on the upper town hill, the medieval walls and towers, and the viewing platforms at Kohtuotsa and Patkuli that look out over the red rooftops. The Telliskivi Creative City, a converted industrial quarter ten minutes’ walk from the old town, has its own markets and is where the contemporary design and food scene lives.