Tallinn Christmas Market: Dates, Location and Tours Worth Adding
4 min read
The Christmas Market takes place on Town Hall Square in the Old Town from 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, according to Visit Tallinn. The same page says the tree’s lights are switched on on the first Sunday of Advent, which in 2026 is 29 November. Check Visit Tallinn’s page again shortly before you travel for opening hours and any entry fee; the market itself is a set of stalls on a public square.
When to go
The market is open for about seven weeks, so the choice is mainly the time of day and the day of the week; neither the official page nor the tour listings give crowd levels, so do not count on a quiet hour. The square is also the starting or finishing point of several Old Town tours, so you can combine a walk and the market without extra travel.
Tours that fit a market visit
The photo shoot with a local photographer costs €45 per group, lasts 20 to 90 minutes and is private for up to 10 people. The booking page gives Raekoja plats 10 as the meeting point and says the exact spot is confirmed before the shoot. The description lists Town Hall Square, the Old Town lanes, Viru Gate and the Toompea viewpoints, and says that during the festive season shots are also taken at the Christmas market. You receive up to 75 edited photos within 24 hours.
The one-hour guided walk to Town Hall Square costs €14 and ends on the square. Starting at the Victory Column on Freedom Square, it covers Toompea and the viewpoints, so you arrive at the market with the sights behind you. The page mentions stairs and cobblestones.
If you want to leave the city lights, the forest lights and sled dogs evening costs €125. It is a private experience outside Tallinn: you take the train to Aegviidu (about 50 minutes each way, not counted in the two hours the listing gives), are transferred to a farmstead, walk a lantern-lit forest and meet huskies and Alaskan malamutes, then sit round a campfire with a hot drink. The listing includes the train tickets and transfers and says the language options are English, Finnish and Estonian. It marks people with mobility impairments as not suitable.
| Plan | Where | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Photo shoot | Town Hall Square and Old Town | 20–90 minutes |
| Walk to Town Hall Square | Freedom Square to Town Hall Square | 1 hour |
| Forest lights and sled dogs | Countryside near Aegviidu | 2 hours plus the train |
What it does not do for you
None of these bookings is a ticket to the market, because the market itself is a public space. Food, drinks and shopping at the stalls are paid at the stalls. Plan the evening around the weather: the experiences above all take place outdoors.
Our recommendation
For most visitors, walk the Old Town first and the market second. The guided walk to Town Hall Square puts you in the right place at the end of the tour. If you want something different, the forest evening is an honest alternative rather than a substitute for the market. See also things to do in Tallinn and our guide to the Old Town on foot.
