Published: 8 Nov, 2021 CET.Updated: Wed 23 Nov 2022 15:56 CET
Stockholm Old Town's Christmas market may be one of Europe's oldest. Photo: Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se
You may be wondering where you will be able to get this year's dose of Christmas cheer in Sweden. Here are our suggestions for some of the country's best Christmas markets.
The trendy and multicultural area of Möllevången in Sweden's third biggest city has become the spot for a special Christmas market for those looking for a modern and hipster-ish atmosphere. The Mitt Möllan traders' association organises a market that promises art, culture, food and fashion. Busy that weekend? Malmö's traditional annual Christmas market in Gustav Adolfs square (also free), focusing on local products, is being held on four separate weekends leading up to Christmas, from November 24th-27th, December 1st-4th, 8th-11th and 15th-18th.
This spectacular 800-year-old castle has established itself as one of the largest Christmas markets in Sweden. For four days, the whole building will be opened to the public and visitors get the chance to wander around in the historic decorated halls. Listen to Christmas and winter music, and walk around the castle and visit some of the about 120 craftsmen from all over Sweden who set up their stands and sell handmade items.
When: November 24th-27th
Tickets: 100 kronor (free for under-12s)
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Kalmar Castle in Småland provides a scenic location for one of Sweden's largest Christmas markets. Photo: Emmy Jonsson/Scandinav Bildbyrå/imagebank.sweden.se
Katrinetorps Landeri, also known as Gourmetgården, is Malmö's Christmas market for foodies. This market, situated in the house and gardens of Katrinetorp, built in the 1800s, will have a focus on Christmassy food such as glögg (mulled wine), as well as a horse and cart, antiques, a Lucia parade and dancing around the Christmas tree. They will also be offering their own handmade products in their deli.
When: December 2nd-4th
Tickets: 80 kronor for adults, free for children under 15
Christmas at Bosjökloster monastery is also back for 2022! As in previous years, this market will feature Christmas concerts in the church, as well as locally produced gifts and food for perfect Christmas gifts. Visitors will also be able to eat a traditional Swedish julbord, meet Santa, ride a horse and cart and "look for presents in the maze". This market is taking place on the first weekend of advent, meaning you can start getting into the Christmas spirit as early as November!
When: November 25th-27th
Tickets: 100 kronor for adults, dropping to 50 kronor after 3pm on Sunday. Free for children under 16. Over-65s pay 80 kronor on Friday
Sweden's biggest amusement park, Gothenburg attraction Liseberg, lights up every year with millions of Christmas candles. A traditional Christmas Market and an old-fashioned Christmas market in different areas of the park offer everything from carol singing to pony carousel rides. Ice shows, Santa's grotto, an ice skating rink and the park's rabbits are sure to keep your little ones entertained. More information here.
Tickets: Entrance from 125 kronor without rides (free for children up to 110 centimetres) to 335 kronor for unlimited rides. The price varies depending on which day you visit as well as whether you want to go on the rides or not.
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Gothenburg's Liseberg theme park is host to a Christmas market complete with festive lights. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/Scanpix/TT
Take the ferry over to Stockholm's Djurgården island from Slussen and stroll over to Skansen, Europe's biggest outdoor museum, which has organized its own Christmas market since 1903. It's a great place to snap up some presents in the form of traditional Swedish arts and crafts, as well as having a feel of how Christmas was celebrated in the past.
When: Fridays-Sundays between November 25th and December 18th.
Tickets: 70 kronor for children aged 4-15, 200 kronor for adults and 220 kronor for concessions.
Around 40 stands set up shop right in the middle of Stockholm's Old Town ahead of the festive season, selling Swedish Christmas sweets, smoked reindeer, elk meat, a range of Swedish handicrafts and decorative arts, and much more. The setting alone is enough to get anyone into a romantic Christmas mood. This market might actually be one of the oldest in Europe, since the first Christmas market in the square was held as early as 1523 (although it started in its current format in 1837).
The Wadköping outdoor museum, which is an echo of what Örebro looked like centuries ago, organises a Christmas market full of the usual traditions: Christmas decorations, sausages, cheeses and arts and crafts. 2022's Christmas market will also feature outdoor Christmas songs and pony riding.
Brave the cold (and it will be cold) for a Christmas market in the far north of Sweden. The Gammelstad Church Town is the country’s largest and best preserved church town, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is over 400 years old, and comprises of 405 cottages, six stables and a privy, sprawling around a large medieval stone church. The Christmas market takes place at the Hägnan open air museum, where around 80 exhibitors sell products from home-baked goods to arts and crafts. Visitors this year will be able to make their own candles, meet Santa and go on a candle-lit walking tour through the museum.
When: December 3rd-4th
Tickets: 30 kronor online, 50 kronor if bought at the entrance on the day
Are you in Skellefteå this December? Pay a visit to the Christmas market at Nordanå, which started in 1975. It is particularly known for its arts and crafts, and in past years visitors have been able to buy handmade ceramics, knitted baby clothes, and tin thread jewellery.
This Umeå museum dedicated to the region of Västerbotten organises its annual Christmas market again. It promises a candy shop, horse-drawn carriage rides, a bakehouse and more than 80 artisans selling locally produced food and quality wares. Hungry visitors can also learn about what Christmas dinner from this region may have looked like in the 1870s.
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Kalmar Castle in Småland provides a scenic location for one of Sweden's largest Christmas markets. Photo: Emmy Jonsson/Scandinav Bildbyrå/imagebank.sweden.se
Gothenburg's Liseberg theme park is host to a Christmas market complete with festive lights. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/Scanpix/TT
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