BALTIC CHRISTMAS MARKET GUIDE

The Baltics are one of the regions I feel like I haven’t written about enough! Each city we visited took us by complete surprise. They’re all so different from one another which makes it such a cool place to visit. The Christmas Markets in the Baltic countries are unique in comparison to other European Christmas Markets. They feel more like a true small town market in comparison to larger more well-known cities in Europe.

In this article, I will take you through the Christmas Markets in Riga Latvia, Tallinn Estonia, and Vilnius Lithuania. I’ll break down everything you need to know prior to booking a trip as well as the top things to explore in town.

And don’t forget to pin this for later :)

From the airport, you can travel directly to Vilnius and Tallinn with Lux Express. The travel time from the airport is about 5 hours to both Vilnius and Tallinn with 1 transfer. You can also travel to either city from the bus station in town. The seats are spacious equipped with a tv, wifi (which worked for us), and more. You can also book a lounge seat for excess room. In the “lounge area”, there are a total of 3 seats per row rather than 4. This luxury bus company runs a number of routes through the Baltic countries; we utilized them several times. You can travel between Vilnius and Tallinn as well although I’m not going to lie, 9 hours on a bus is a lot!

Travel Tip: We created an account with PINS for a discount on our bookings. PINS has a reward program for Lux Express so I recommend taking a look at the site I’ve linked!

Another option is to rent a car to travel around the Baltics. Driving makes the trip from Vilnius to Tallinn much more convenient. We’ve rented a car a few times in Europe and it’s great for long road trips. With that said, it can be a pain to park in larger cities and not all car rental companies allow one way rentals to another country. I haven’t used Baltic Car before but you can rent the car in one city and drop if off in another.

The Christmas Markets in Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn generally begin the last weekend of November and run through the New Year. Meaning, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the markets all season long! Throughout this time, the booths are open daily from 10 am until around 10 pm. The hours generally vary on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. However, we’ve found the markets are still open most of the day.

• Riga Market Dates 2023: December 3rd, 2023 – January 1st, 2024
• Vilnius Market Dates 2023: November 26th 2023 – January 1st, 2024
• Tallinn Market Dates 2023: December 1st, 2023 – January 7th, 2024

If you’re headed to the Baltics during the holiday season, I recommend spending two to three days in each city. I would set aside 7 to 10 days for the trip since you’ll have one long travel day between Vilnius and Tallinn. If you can swing it, I recommend saving Tallinn for the end. Out of the places we visited in the Baltics, it was absolutely our favorite!

Since each of these cities are relatively small, three days will give you enough time to sightsee as well as soak in the markets. The markets are located at the center of town meaning most tourist attractions are only a short walk away. Depending on your travel speed three days also gives you enough time to take a day trip in each city. While there isn’t a bad time to visit the markets, be sure to set aside time in the evening to enjoy the lights with a hot glass of mulled wine.

If you haven’t been to Riga, it’s the perfect place to visit this holiday season! Riga, the capital of Latvia is actually the largest city in the Baltics. It’s also home to about 1/3 of the population in all of Latvia. While it’s big, it’s not overwhelming since the Old Town is small. It’s also not as touristy as other European cities so it’s easier to explore making Riga a wonderful stop during the holidays.

After a two-year hiatus due to Covid, the Riga Christmas Market is back in full swing! We visited the market in 2019 and fell in love with the uniqueness of the market. Rather than traditional market stalls, the vendors set up shop in everything from a campervan to a gingerbread house and log cabin. In my opinion, this is what makes the Riga Christmas Market so special. It feels more like an authentic small-town Christmas. Below I’ll go through the market in more detail as well as highlight the main attractions to see in town.

The main Christmas Market in Riga takes place in the heart of the Old Town, Dome Square. This is also the largest square in Old Town surrounded by several historical monuments dating back to the 19th century including the Riga Cathedral.

You’ll find traditional wooden booths as well as unique booths with everything from gingerbread cookies to candles and wool items. There’s also a variety of food, drinks, and dessert to choose from offering both traditional cuisine as well as street food. A Christmas Tree glistens at the center of the market with Santa making an appearance Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as well as on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Located at the center of Old Town, Dome Square is the busiest Christmas Market in Riga.

Less than 5 minutes walking from Dome Square, there is another Christmas Market at Livu Square. Prior to the 16th century, Livu Square was actually the Riga River. The river was best known as a shipping route transporting Latvian grain. Today, Livu Square is considered the happening place in town with outdoor cafes, restaurants, and bars. The market at Livu Square is best known for cozy wooden booths selling unique crafts, gifts, and trinkets. There’s also an ice skating rink at the center of town during the winter months.

Lastly, there is another smaller market at Esplanade Park which is about 10 minutes walking from Dome Square. This market offers traditional sweets and treats as well as trinkets. The market is best known for offering kid-friendly entertainment.

The markets offer a variety of food similar to other European Christmas Markets as well as traditional Latvian staples. As far as food goes, the market sells burgers, fries, hot dogs, and soup along with local Latvian dishes including sausage with cabbage and grey peas with bacon. You’ll also find plenty of sweet treats such as gingerbread cookies and pastries. Of course, there are several vendors selling mulled wine and hot chocolate, the Christmas Market staple! Unique to Latvia, hot Black Balsams cocktails are sold as well but I stuck to mulled wine!

The market is also a great place to do some Christmas shopping! There are some excellent handmade items you can purchase including wooden toys and ornaments. You can also expect to find a range of wool items including sweaters, scarves, and gloves as well as wooden toys and ornaments. There are several other things to buy but these are the most common.

Next on the list is Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania which will surely steal your heart. Vilnius is a relatively large city with over 500,000 residents but again doesn’t feel overwhelmingly large. Lithuania is actually the largest country in the Baltics with the largest population. The country gained recognition as the first country to gain independence from the USSR. As you can tell, Lithuania is filled with history.

The markets in Vilnius are much smaller than traditional European markets so it’s not overly crowded this time of year. While they’re smaller, you still feel the magic of Christmas as you wander the streets. The most distinguishable part of the main market is the Christmas Tree at the center. The tree hovers over the traditional market stalls with lights connecting the tree to the stalls. It looks absolutely spectacular in the evening. Below I’ll outline the Christmas Markets in town as well as the best things to do on a quick trip to Vilnius!

The main Christmas Market is held in the central part of Vilnius in Cathedral Square. As I mentioned, there is a tree at the center of the market surrounded by traditional market booths. The tree has become the focal point of the market as it’s decorated differently each year. The tree looks absolutely spectacular this year. I’ve linked an article with photos of the Christmas tree over the years.

Unlike most European Christmas Markets, we found the main market didn’t offer traditional food. The market mostly sold glintveinas (mulled wine), desserts, crafts, and gifts. We tried our fair share of desserts from the market and everything was absolutely delicious! I definitely recommend getting dessert at the market but plan to eat lunch/dinner elsewhere.

The Christmas Market in Town Hall Square is my personal favorite! It’s roughly a 10-minute walk from Cathedral Square but feels quicker – even in the cold! Rather than traditional market stalls, vendors set up shop in glass igloos. It’s significantly smaller than the main market but feels wintry and cozy. The igloos are spread out well so it’s spacious and comfortable to walk around. When we visited the market some of the igloos sold crafts and gifts whereas others were set up as a small cafe. The products sold would make great gifts since they were unique and seemed to be of great quality. This is a great market to wander during the day.

We went ice skating while we were in Vilnius and had the best time. There is something special about ice skating during the holidays. Listening to Christmas music as you attempt to be a professional ice skater in the crisp wintry air just feels festive! As you can tell, I love it!

A new ice skating rink opened this year in the main yard of the former prison, Lukiškės Prison. The prison initially opened in the early 1900s and closed in 2019. For over 100 years the historical prison was used to imprison representatives of political opposition throughout history including during the German occupation and USSR. This space transformed into a cultural and artistic hub in the summer of 2021 now known as Lukiškės Prison 2.0.

The ice rink will be open from December 1st through February 28th. The covered rink can hold up to 80 skaters at once!

Pricing (includes free rental):

• Adults: €6
• Seniors + kids under 18: €4
• Family: €10 (2 adults +1 child – additional kids are €2)

As I mentioned, the market offers a variety of desserts and hot drinks. Popular desserts include mini pancakes, waffles, and traditional Lithuanian pastries. In addition to mulled wine, the local drink sold is kisielius which is a warm jelly drink generally made from cranberries (non-alcoholic). There are also several vendors selling wool items, ornament, and other Christmas decor.

With 2-3 days in Vilnius, you’ll be able to explore quite a bit! Like most European cities, Vilnius is extremely walkable. As always, I recommend spending ample time exploring the Old Town.

One of my favorite things to do in town was Gediminas Castle Tower because it offers an incredible view of Vilnius. You can either walk or take the tram to the top of the last remaining part of the Upper Castle. At the top, you can enjoy the view and view the museum inside the tower.

The Gediminas Castle Tower sits above Cathedral Square so I suggest stopping there next. Aside from enjoying the Christmas Market, you can visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus and the bell tower. The view from the bell tower is particularly beautiful this time of year since it overlooks the Christmas Market. It’s honestly hard to photograph because of the screens in front of the windows but it’s worth the view in the winter!

From there, walk Pilies Street which is one of the oldest streets in the Old Town with incredible architectural variety. Another popular street in town is Literatai Street which was named in honor of poet Adomas Mickevičius. The street has been revitalized with works of art related to authors. Last on the list in Old Town is the Gates of Dawn which was part of the city’s defensive wall. There were 10 gates along the defensive wall and Gates of Dawn are the only ones remaining.

There are also several spectacular churches in town worth a visit. Some of my favorites include St. Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church, the Church of St. Anne and Bernardine Complex, and The Church of St. Johns. The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania is also worth a visit!

My last suggestion in town is actually something we didn’t have time for but wish we did! Trakai Island Castle is about 25 minutes from Vilnius and looks absolutely stunning. You visit the museum in the castle and can take a quick boat tour.

Last but not least, Tallinn, is the place to be during the holidays. Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, actually used to be called “Reval”. The capital name wasn’t Tallinn until 1918 when Estonia gained independence. Tallinn is the smallest city on the list population-wise but feels the busiest since it’s become a major tourist destination. The Tallinn Christmas market has been recognized by Forbes and European Best Destinations as one of the top Christmas Markets in Europe. While this recognition’s brought a lot of tourists to Tallinn for the Christmas Market, it hasn’t lost its charm.

We went to the market in 2019 and the holiday season in Tallinn is pure magic with the Christmas spirit kicked into high gear all season long. With the Christmas Market at the center of Old Town, Tallinn transforms into a wintry fairytale. There is only one market in town, so you’ll only need a few hours to enjoy the market. I’ve been to a lot of Christmas Markets in Europe and wholeheartedly believe Tallinn is simply the best. I’ll go through everything you need to know for your time at the Tallinn Christmas Market below.

Similar to the other markets in the Baltics, there are great wool products including mittens, hats, scarves, socks, and more. We bought a few items from the market; they’ve held up really well and make a great gift! There are also vendors selling, jewelry, ornaments, and other great gifts.

I suggest spending two days in Tallinn, and 3-5 days in town if you’re looking to explore a few surrounding cities. Depending on your travel speed, Tallinn is small enough to explore in one day however, the evenings are just magical; especially during the holiday season!

Aside from the Christmas Market, spend time wandering around Old Town. Tallinn is a walled city with the oldest section of the wall dating back to the 13th century. If you want to walk a section of the walls, go to the Kiek in de Kök Museum. The museum consists of four defense towers and underground passages within the Old Town walls.

Visit Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform for an incredible panoramic view of Tallinn. The infamous “the times we had” wall is here making this a popular photo destination. I also recommend visiting St. Olav’s Church which is the tallest building in Old Town. There are spectacular views from the viewing platform but unfortunately, it’s closed during the winter months. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is another beautiful church to visit in town. It’s a Russian Orthodox church, built in the early 1900s when Estonia was still under Russian Czardom.

While the Christmas Market might be the main event in Tallinn during this time of the year, be sure to spend a little time enjoying the charming streets.

Read More: Quick Guide to Tallinn, Estonia

I love reminiscing about the Christmas Markets in the Baltics. We loved exploring new cities and the Christmas Markets in town. Don’t get me wrong, we absolutely love larger European Christmas Markets but there is something special about the markets in the Baltics. They just feel authentic. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

If you’re headed to Europe during the holiday season, don’t miss these articles below!

• Budapest Christmas Market
• Vienna Christmas Market
• Prague Christmas Market
• Zagreb Christmas Market

Safe Travels,

Sarah :)