Christmas Markets in Bulgaria 2026: Dates by City

We checked every date on this page against the municipality or the local press on 10 November 2026. Opening hours appear only where an organiser has published them; most towns announce them in the week of the opening, and we will update the page as they do.

Christmas markets in Bulgaria 2026 at a glance

Sofia: two big markets, covered in our separate guide

Sofia has two big markets: the German market in the City Garden, the oldest in the city, from 14 November to 21 December 2026, and the larger Sofia Christmas Fest in front of the National Palace of Culture, from 20 November to 28 December 2026. Dates, hours, food and tips for both are in our Sofia Christmas markets guide, so this page covers the rest of the country.

Plovdiv Christmas market 2026

The "Christmas in Plovdiv" town takes over Central Square and the area around Gladstone Street from 14 November 2026 to 7 January 2027, according to the municipal notice reported by the local press. The plan has 29 wooden houses selling treats, spices, mulled wine and gifts, two large carousels, two shooting galleries and, new this year, an 84 square metre sledding slope. An ice rink is expected in the centre again; its exact place and dates have not been announced. Opening hours have not been published yet.

Last season the Ice Park on Central Square and part of Tsar Simeon Garden ran four two hour sessions a day between 11:00 and 22:00, with entry at €11.25, and the Kapana district held a separate Christmas bazaar of more than 240 makers and artists from 17 to 28 December 2025. If the pattern holds, the second half of December is the time to catch everything at once.

Getting there from Sofia: about 145 km on the Trakia motorway (A1), around 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours by car. Trains take 2 hours 45 minutes to about 3 hours 15 minutes. Our guided day trip from Sofia to Plovdiv covers the Old Town and Kapana with a guide by day. To see the market lit up after dark, stay the night: DoubleTree by Hilton Plovdiv Center is on Saint Petka Square in the city centre.

Ruse Christmas market

Ruse holds its Christmas market on Freedom Square from 28 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with 22 wooden huts, a food area with winter dishes and hot drinks, and charity stalls. The Ice Park rink, 450 square metres, opens earlier, on 14 November, and stays until 10 January 2027. At weekends a stage hosts the second edition of the "Christmas Star of the Danube" programme. Last season the decorations took the Danube as their theme, with a lit boat in the fountain and a star arch in front of the Freedom Monument. Hours have not been published yet.

Getting there from Sofia: about 309 km, 4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours by car. There is one direct train, the evening train from Sofia at 20:10, which takes about 6 hours 25 minutes; daytime trains need a change. For a family or a group, a private transfer from Sofia to Ruse takes you door to door.

Burgas Christmas market

Burgas has two main sites in 2026. The new Burgas Christmas Village opens in front of the Mladost sports hall from 1 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, with a real ice rink, a large Christmas tree, themed huts and a stage for local schools, kindergartens and artists through December. The Christmas town on Troykata Square also opens on 1 December. Last season Troykata had concerts on long weekends, an ice rink behind the Alyosha monument and the city tree lighting on 6 December, St Nicholas' Day and the city's own holiday. Closing dates and hours for 2026 have not been published yet. Last season there was also a bazaar on the alley by the Pantheon in the Sea Garden.

Getting there from Sofia: about 383 km on the Trakia motorway and then road I-6, 3 hours 40 minutes to 4 hours 15 minutes by car. Daytime trains take 6 hours to 7 hours 45 minutes, and a direct night train leaves Sofia Central at 22:20. To stay by the sea, Grand Hotel & SPA Primoretz stands in the Sea Garden.

Varna Christmas market: last season's dates

Varna has not announced its 2026 markets yet. Last season there were two. The Varna Fun Port Christmas bazaar at the Sea Station, the port's passenger terminal, ran from 21 November 2025 to 4 January 2026, Monday to Friday from 16:00 to 23:00 and at weekends from 12:00 to 23:00, with an ice rink, rides and free entry. The Chataldzha Christmas Garden, behind the flower market on Chataldzha Street, ran from 22 November to 31 December 2025, with jazz evenings from Thursday to Saturday and a children's programme at weekends. The city tree on Nezavisimost Square was lit on 6 December 2025. Similar dates are likely in 2026; check the city's tourism site, visit.varna.bg, before you travel.

Getting there from Sofia: about 440 km, 5 hours 45 minutes to 6 hours 30 minutes by car, partly on the Hemus motorway. Daytime trains take about 7 hours 40 minutes to 7 hours 55 minutes, and night trains leave Sofia at 20:50, from Central, and at 23:00. For the city itself, see our Varna guide.

Veliko Tarnovo Christmas market: last season's dates

Veliko Tarnovo's market fills Marno Pole park in the centre. Last season the huts opened on 28 November 2025 and stayed until 1 January 2026, run by the municipality and its tourist agency. The lights in front of the municipality were lit on 1 December, a few days late because of rain, with an aerial acrobatics show. The programme had concerts on the Summer Theatre stage, a post box for children's letters to Santa, pony rides and a funfair. Dates and hours for 2026 have not been announced.

Getting there from Sofia: about 220 km, 3 hours to 3 hours 30 minutes by car on the Hemus motorway and road I-4. There is no direct train: you change at Gorna Oryahovitsa, about 4 hours 30 minutes in total, and Veliko Tarnovo station sits well below the old town. A private transfer from Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo is the simpler option.

Stara Zagora: the city's first big Christmas market

Stara Zagora municipality has announced its first large Christmas bazaar for 27 November to 28 December 2026, in two zones: on Tsar Simeon Veliki Boulevard between Mitropolit Metodiy Kusev and Ruski boulevards, and south of Alexander Stamboliyski park, known locally as Alana, next to an ice rink. The announcement dates from August 2026, so check for changes before you go. Hours have not been published yet.

Getting there from Sofia: about 232 km, 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes by car on the Trakia motorway and road I-5. Two direct trains run in the late evening and take about 5 hours 20 minutes; daytime journeys need a change and take 4 to 6 hours.

Smaller markets: Pleven, Blagoevgrad, Kazanlak and Shumen

• Pleven: the Christmas town on Vazrazhdane Square opens on 1 December 2026, with wooden huts, an ice rink, rides, a stage with a programme through December and a corner to meet Santa. It is about 163 km from Sofia, 2 hours 10 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes by car, and trains take about 3 hours.
• Blagoevgrad: a small market of 10 wooden houses on the lower plaza of Georgi Izmirliev Square, known as Makedoncheto, in front of the municipality, from 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. The town's Christmas programme officially opens on 21 November. It is about 100 km from Sofia on the Struma motorway, around 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes by car, or 2 to 3 hours by direct train.
• Kazanlak: Christmas stalls on Sevtopolis Square from 11 to 31 December 2026. Last season the square also held a one day bazaar of traditional Christmas dishes with carol singers on 24 December. It is about 193 km from Sofia via Karlovo, around 3 hours by car or 3 hours 15 minutes at best by train.
• Shumen, last season: the Christmas bazaar in the City Garden opened on 30 November 2025, with a stage, evening concerts before Christmas and a Christmas train along the pedestrian street. The 2026 dates are not out yet. It is about 361 km from Sofia, 5 hours to 5 hours 30 minutes by car, or about 6 hours on the direct night train.

Chavdar, the Christmas village near Sofia: last season's dates

Chavdar, a village about 73 km east of Sofia, is known as the Christmas village of Bulgaria. Last season it ran from 29 November 2025 to 1 January 2026, at weekends and on the holidays, with free entry to all events. Expect a bazaar of wooden huts with local products, sweets and mulled wine, an arts and crafts bazaar, an open air stage with theatre and concerts, and workshops for children every weekend. On 31 December and 1 January the village keeps its old ring rituals, a New Year fortune telling custom with songs. The 2026 programme has not been published.

Getting there from Sofia: 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes by car on road I-6 towards Zlatitsa and Pirdop. There is no station in the village: the nearest is Zlatitsa, about 11 km away, so a car is the practical choice. If you do not have one, car hire at Sofia Airport makes it an easy afternoon out.

Bansko at Christmas: no market announced yet

Bansko has no Christmas market announced for 2026. Its Christmas village, planned for December 2025, was cancelled before it opened, and the municipality has not announced a replacement. What the town did have last season was the tree lighting on Nikola Vaptsarov Square on 5 December and the opening of the ski season on 13 December, with folk music, local food and fireworks on the square. Come for the snow and the hot water rather than the stalls: Pulse Therme Bansko is an adults only spa in the town, and our New Year's Eve in Sofia and Bansko guide covers the end of the holidays.

Getting there from Sofia: about 155 km, 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes by car on the Struma motorway to Simitli and then over the Predela pass via Razlog. There is no practical train; buses from Sofia Central Bus Station take 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Trains, roads and vignettes this winter

• Works at Sofia Central station: BDZ, the state railway, has closed tracks 1 to 11 at Sofia Central from 2 November 2026 to 19 March 2027. Most daytime fast trains now start from Iskar or Poduyane stations instead, and a connecting suburban train runs to them from Central. Mostly the evening and night trains still leave Central directly.
• New timetable: the 2027 timetable is due to start on 13 December 2026, and the draft adds express trains to Varna and Burgas. Check bdz.bg for your exact date before you set off.
• Vignette: motorways and main roads need an electronic vignette. Since 1 August 2026 a weekend vignette costs €6.60, a weekly one €10 and a monthly one €19.90. Buy it on bgtoll.bg or the official app, not on lookalike sites.
• Driving in December: the drive times above assume a clear road. Allow extra time on mountain passes and in snow, and drive the long stretches in daylight, since the markets are at their best after dark anyway.