Christmas markets 2026: Cluj, Bucharest, Sibiu, Timișoara and Iași

From November, five big cities put their wooden huts out in the centre: Cluj in Piața Unirii, Bucharest in Piața Constituției, Sibiu in Piața Mare, Timișoara in its central squares and Iași on the pedestrian Ștefan cel Mare boulevard. For each, this guide tells you when it opens, what you will find, what it costs and how to get there. We start with Cluj, in detail, then take the others in turn.

The tricky part is the dates. On 4 October 2026 we checked the organisers' websites, the city halls' announcements and the local press. Four cities already had the dates of the 2026–2027 edition; Iași did not. Opening hours were published only in Sibiu, and the stage programme nowhere. So everything marked "(2025)" comes from last year's edition and shows what to expect, not what is certain this year. We update the guide as the announcements come.

When each one opens

• Sibiu: 13 November 2026 – 3 January 2027, announced by the organiser on the market's website
• Cluj-Napoca: 20 November 2026 – 1 January 2027, according to the calendar in the city hall's concession
• Bucharest: 27 November – 27 December 2026, announced by Bucharest City Hall on 2 October
• Timișoara: 29 November 2026 – 7 January 2027, announced by the city's Casa de Cultură
• Iași: not announced on 4 October 2026; in 2025 the winter festivities began on 1 December

Cluj-Napoca: the Christmas market in Piața Unirii

The Cluj market sits in Piața Unirii, at the foot of St Michael's Church, and is organised by UNTOLD Universe together with the city hall, under the name Planeta Crăciun. It is an evening market: lights, a stage with concerts, a Ferris wheel and a lot of people. According to the organisers, the 2024 edition drew more than a million visitors.

For 2026, the calendar of the concession under which the city hall handed the market to an organiser for five years (2023–2027) gives 20 November 2026 – 1 January 2027, and the business press repeated those dates at the start of October. On 4 October 2026, though, the organiser had published neither the opening hours, nor the stage programme, nor the prices. Below, next to the dates, is what happened in 2025, when the market opened on 21 November at 19:00.

• Where: Piața Unirii, in the city centre
• 2026 dates: 20 November 2026 – 1 January 2027
• Hours (2025): daily, 10:00–22:00; the 2026 hours were not yet published
• Entry (2025): free
• Huts (2025): 75, with Romanian and international food, seasonal sweets and handmade goods
• Attractions (2025): Ferris wheel, carousel, a VR sleigh and Santa's House
• Stage (2025): more than 80 acts, with Puya, Bosquito, Guess Who, Vlăduța Lupău and Fuego among the guests
• Light shows (2025): ten minutes each, at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:30

For children, in 2025 Santa's House ran craft workshops every day from 16:00 to 20:00, from 1 to 23 December: decorations, painting, clay modelling. On Sundays, from 18:00 to 18:45, there were fireside stories (Povești la Gura Sobei).

Prices in 2025, as the local press noted them on the opening weekend: 19 lei for a glass of mulled wine, 12 lei for tea, 15 lei for hot apple juice, 20 lei for hot chocolate, 30 lei for a kürtőskalács, 15–25 lei for a cheese pie, 15 lei per 100 grams of roasted chestnuts and 70–75 lei for a portion of pork knuckle. We could not find the 2025 price of the Ferris wheel; in 2024 a ride cost 30 lei.

When to go. People come in the evening: in 2025 the light shows started at 19:00, and on the opening weekend the concerts began at 19:10 and 20:15. If you want to stroll freely among the huts, come on a weekday, before 17:00. If you want the lights and the stage, pick an evening from Monday to Thursday rather than a weekend one.

Getting there. Piața Unirii is right in the centre, so the simplest way is on foot or by public transport. By car, the car parks in Piața Unirii and Piața Mihai Viteazul were, in autumn 2025, among the most expensive in the city: 4 lei for the first half hour and 16 lei for two hours. The Moților car park, with 382 spaces, cost the same on weekdays, but at weekends 2 lei per half hour and 4 lei for two hours.

Piața Unirii, Cluj-Napoca on Google Maps

Cluj: the ice rink is at the Winter Market, by Sala Sporturilor

The Cluj ice rink is not in Piața Unirii but at the same organiser's second market: the Winter Market (Târgul de Iarnă) on the esplanade of the Horia Demian Sports Hall. It is smaller, with a few huts and a carousel, but it stays open long after the holidays. Last winter it ran from 28 November 2025 to 15 February 2026, daily from 10:00 to 22:00. For this winter, the concession calendar gives 27 November 2026 – 15 February 2027; the organiser had not confirmed the opening date on 4 October.

• Ice access (winter 2024–2025): 30 lei
• Skates (winter 2024–2025): 20 lei to hire; a penguin or dolphin skating aid for children, 30 lei
• Sessions (winter 2024–2025): an hour and a half each, starting at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00; the last one, 20:00–22:00
• Ice: at least 600 square metres, as the concession contract requires

Horia Demian Sports Hall on Google Maps

Bucharest: the Christmas market in Piața Constituției

Bucharest City Hall announced the 2026 edition on 2 October, through AEUB – Arte și Evenimente Urbane București, when it opened registration for exhibitors: the market runs from 27 November to 27 December 2026, in Piața Constituției. The announcement promises concerts, children's shows, Santa's House, a Ferris wheel, a carousel, a Christmas tree and an area with festive food. An ice rink is not on the list. The hours and the stage programme come later: the final list of exhibitors is only due on 3 November.

• Where: Piața Constituției
• 2026 dates: 27 November – 27 December 2026
• Hours (2025): Monday–Friday 12:00–22:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00–22:00, including 25 and 26 December
• Entry (2025): free
• What was there in 2025: more than 120 huts, a 30-metre eco Christmas tree, a 10-metre Christmas pyramid, a Ferris wheel and a carousel
• Santa (2025): arrived on 13 December at 17:00 and met children every day until 24 December

Prices in 2025, at the start of December: 15–20 lei for a glass of mulled wine, depending on the stall, 20 lei for hot chocolate or coffee, 40 lei for sarmale with polenta and 30 lei for a three-minute ride on the Ferris wheel.

Getting there, and when. Take the metro: the organiser of the 2025 edition pointed to Piața Unirii station (lines 1, 2 and 3) and Izvor (lines 1 and 3), and trams 7, 23, 27, 32 and 47 also stop at Piața Unirii. The city hall's three markets drew more than 1.5 million visitors in 2025, so weekend evenings are crowded; on a weekday, at opening time, there is room. In 2025 the city hall also ran markets in Piața Universității and on the esplanade of the National Opera; the 2 October announcement speaks only of Piața Constituției.

Piața Constituției, Bucharest on Google Maps

Sibiu: the Christmas market in Piața Mare

Sibiu is the only one of the five that had, on 4 October, both its dates and its hours on the official website. The 2026 edition, the 19th since the first market in 2007, runs from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, which is 52 days. It is the first to open, and it has the ice rink and the wheel right in the square.

• Where: Piața Mare, in the historic centre
• 2026 dates: 13 November 2026 – 3 January 2027
• 2026 hours: Monday–Friday 11:00–22:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00–22:00
• Entry: free
• Exhibitors: more than 120, from 36 counties and from abroad
• Ice rink: 600 square metres of ice, for around 300 people at a time, with skates for hire
• Ferris wheel: about 22 metres tall
• For children: Santa's Workshop (ages 5–9), the Enchanted Lift, a carousel and a mini-train
• Golden Ticket: 100 lei, unlimited access for a whole day to the wheel, the carousel, the mini-train and the Enchanted Lift

Apart from the Golden Ticket pass, the website did not show the price of each attraction for 2026. In 2025, a three-minute ride on the wheel cost 20 lei, the same as the carousel or the mini-train, Santa's lift cost 30 lei, and an hour and a half on the rink, skates included, 65 lei. Mulled wine was between 12 and 25 lei a glass. Also in 2025, the hours were shortened over the holidays: 10:00–16:00 on 24 and 31 December and 16:00–22:00 on 25 December and 1 January.

Getting there. The historic centre is for walking. The organiser recommends the city's barrier car parks, Cazarma 90 and Piața Teatrului, at 3 lei an hour; the railway station is about a quarter of an hour's walk from Piața Mare, and the airport around 5 km from the centre. Tickets for the attractions are also sold online, at ticket.targuldecraciun.ro, and places at Santa's Workshop are limited and must be booked in advance. If you can choose, come from Monday to Thursday.

Piața Mare, Sibiu on Google Maps

Timișoara: a market spread over several squares

In Timișoara the market does not stay in one square. The 19th edition, organised by the city hall through the city's Casa de Cultură, is announced from 29 November 2026 to 7 January 2027, in Piața Victoriei, Piața Libertății, Piața Sfântul Gheorghe, Piața Unirii and Parcul Central. Of the markets announced, it is the last to close. The traders and the attractions (the organiser is looking for an ice rink, a Ferris wheel, a carousel and a mini-train) are selected in October, with the final results on the 21st, so the programme and the prices come after that.

• Where: Piața Victoriei, Piața Libertății, Piața Sfântul Gheorghe, Piața Unirii and Parcul Central
• 2026 dates: 29 November 2026 – 7 January 2027
• Hours (2025): Monday–Thursday 11:00–22:00, Friday–Sunday 10:00–22:00
• Over the holidays (2025): on 24 and 25 December and on 1 January, 11:00–16:00; on 31 December, from 16:00 until the end of the stage programme
• Entry (2025): free
• Ice rink (2025): in Piața Libertății; 35 lei per adult for an hour, skates included; children aged 3–6 free until 16:00
• Ferris wheel (2025): 30 lei per adult and 20 lei per child, for two turns
• Mini-train and carousels (2025): the train, 30 lei per adult and 20 lei per child, 20 minutes; the carousels, 20–30 lei for three minutes

In 2025 the attractions ran from Monday to Thursday from 12:00 to 22:00 (the mini-train from 13:00), and from Friday to Sunday from 11:00. At the huts, a small glass of mulled wine cost 12 lei and a large one 15, a langoș 20 lei and a kürtőskalács 25–35 lei, depending on the kind.

The stage is in Piața Victoriei: in 2025 the market opened there with the lighting of the tree at 18:00, followed by a Ștefan Bănică concert. According to the organiser, the area is served by trams 2 and 5 and buses 16 and 33, and there is paid parking in the centre.

Piața Victoriei, Timișoara on Google Maps

Iași: the 2026 dates are not yet announced

For Iași we found, on 4 October 2026, no announcement from the city hall about the dates or the place of this winter's market; the city was then preparing Sărbătorile Iașului, its October festival. Everything that follows comes from past editions and only shows what the market usually looks like. We will update this section when the announcement comes.

• Where (2025): on Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt boulevard and I.C. Brătianu street, with the ice rink in Piața Unirii
• Opening (2025): 1 December, with the festive lights switched on at 17:00, by the tree on the pedestrian boulevard
• Dates (2025): event listings gave 30 November 2025 – 5 January 2026
• Huts (2025): 40, decorated with lights
• Attractions (2025): a Ferris wheel and the Children's Town (Orășelul Copiilor), where the boulevard meets I.C. Brătianu street
• Ice rink (2025): in Piața Unirii, for the first time; 1 December 2025 – 18 January 2026, daily 8:00–22:00; 25 lei a session and 25 lei to hire skates
• Prices (2024): 12–15 lei for mulled wine or hot chocolate, 20–25 lei for a kürtőskalács

Last winter, Ștefan cel Mare boulevard was closed to traffic from 24 November 2025 to 11 January 2026, so you reach the huts on foot. The city also bought 850 potted fir trees, spread around town. We did not find the 2025 hours of the huts in an official source; in 2024 they were open daily from 10:00 to 22:00.

Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt boulevard, Iași on Google Maps

Which one to choose

• If you want to go early: Sibiu, open from 13 November, a week before Cluj and two before Bucharest
• If you only arrive after New Year: Timișoara runs until 7 January and Sibiu until the 3rd; Bucharest closes on 27 December
• With small children: Sibiu, with the wheel, the carousel, the mini-train and the Enchanted Lift on a single day ticket, or Cluj, for the daily workshops in Santa's House (2025)
• For skating: Sibiu has the ice right in the square; in Cluj it is by Sala Sporturilor, and in 2025 Timișoara had it in Piața Libertății and Iași in Piața Unirii
• For concerts: Cluj, with more than 80 acts on stage in 2025, or Bucharest, where the 2026 announcement promises concerts and children's shows
• On a small budget: in 2025 a glass of mulled wine cost 12–15 lei in Timișoara, 15–20 in Bucharest and 19 lei in Cluj; in Sibiu, between 12 and 25

Practical tips

• Money: bring some cash as well, for the huts that do not take cards
• Budget (2025 prices): a glass of mulled wine was between 12 and 25 lei, a kürtőskalács between 25 and 35, a ride on the wheel between 20 and 30
• Clothes: at a market you stand still in the cold for a long time; Timișoara's tourism website gives an average of 0–5°C for the season, so bring thick shoes, a hat and gloves
• The holidays themselves: in 2025, on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 January the hours were shortened in Sibiu and Timișoara; check them before you set off
• Tickets and bookings: in Sibiu, tickets for the attractions are also sold online, and Santa's Workshop must be booked ahead
• Ice rink: in Cluj, skating ran in sessions of an hour and a half, with a half-hour break between them to resurface the ice; arrive at the start of a session

What we do not know yet

• Cluj: the hours, the stage programme and the prices of the 2026 edition; the date the Winter Market opens
• Bucharest: the hours, the concert programme and whether the city hall will again run markets in Piața Universității and at the Opera
• Timișoara: the programme, the attractions chosen and their prices, after the selection in October
• Iași: everything: the dates, the place and the ice rink

The dates above are the ones we could verify on 4 October 2026. Everything labelled 2025 or 2024 comes from past editions and is not a promise for this year. The day-by-day programme usually appears shortly before the opening, and the hours change over the holidays, so look at the market's page on the day you go. We will come back with the guide brought up to date when the announcements are made.