From 27 November 2026 to 6 January 2027 San Candido and Dobbiaco each run their own Christmas market, separate from South Tyrol's five original ones: stalls in the village centres, local food and, in San Candido, an underground market inside the DoloMythos museum.
Alta Pusteria has two Christmas markets, one in San Candido and one in Dobbiaco, both open from 27 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. They are not part of South Tyrol's five original markets, which are Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone, Vipiteno and Brunico, and they keep their own hours: San Candido closes at 19:00, Dobbiaco at 21:30.
In San Candido the market is called the Dolomites Christmas Market and stands in the village centre. The official list has fifteen stallholders. Four of them cook, with polenta and cheese, goulash, Kaiserschmarrn, Tirtlan, strudel and chestnuts; the rest sell speck and cured meats, cheese, wood carvings and nativity figures, schnapps and honey, bread and Christmas baking, lights and soaps. Inside the DoloMythos museum there is also the underground Christmas market, open since 13 November: Christmas stalls, a stube serving mulled wine and punch, strudel and Lebkuchen, dioramas and a film on Dolomite legends such as Dolasilla and Aurona.
In Dobbiaco the market is the Drei Zinnen Christmas Market, in the old village centre, and it is mostly about food, with huts run by the village's restaurants. In the pavilion of the Christmas shop local craftspeople and organic producers sell their goods, and on the stage of the Music Hut musicians and traditional groups play on many afternoons, usually from 17:00 to 19:00. For children there is forKIDS, in the former Garni Café Sport: a craft workshop, a campfire, face painting and games. Sesto has a market of its own for three days only, LiachtZeit, from 18 to 20 December, run by the village associations with local specialities.
Where Christmas markets in Alta Pusteria (San Candido and Dobbiaco) falls in the Dolomites year, and what happens in the other weeks: Best time to visit the Dolomites: a month-by-month guide.
Good to know
- Admission: Entry is free and the official sources mention no tickets: you only pay for what you buy at the stalls. The underground market at the DoloMythos is free to enter as well, and the forKIDS children's programme in Dobbiaco is free with no booking needed.
- San Candido, 10:30 to 19:00: 27-29 November, 4-8 December, 11-13 December and then every day from 18 December to 6 January; on 24 December until 14:00, closed on the 25th. From 30 November to 3 December and on 9 and 10 December the official table lists no opening.
- Dobbiaco, 11:00 to 21:30 on the Advent weekends (28 and 29 November, 4-8, 11-13 and 18-20 December), but from 16:00 on Fridays; from 21 December to 6 January every day, until 17:00 on 24 December and until 2:00 at night on the 31st. On Friday 27 November the hours are unclear: the music programme puts the opening ceremony at 17:00, while the Italian and German hours table says 18:00 to 24:00 and the English one 11:00 to 17:00. Check before you go. The programme is at dreizinnen.com/christmas-market.
- Underground market at the DoloMythos (Via P.-P.-Rainer 11, San Candido): 13 November to 6 January, every day from 8:00 to 19:00; 25 December is not in the calendar. LiachtZeit in Sesto: Friday 18 December from 18:00 to 22:00, Saturday 19 from 16:00 to 22:00, Sunday 20 from 16:00 to 20:00.
- Dates to note in Dobbiaco: on Monday 7 December the Krampus parade, with the market open from 11:00 to 21:30; on 31 December the New Year's Eve party with a DJ from 20:00 to 2:00; on 6 January at 17:00 a DJ for the opening of the Dolomiti Balloonweek.
- Without a car: you reach Dobbiaco by train, changing at Fortezza from the Brenner line onto the Val Pusteria train. For San Candido the tourist board recommends public transport and says the car parks are a few minutes' walk from the market. If you stay at a member accommodation you get the digital South Tyrol Guest Pass, valid on public transport.
Official website (tickets & info) ↗
Dates, times and prices change every year: always check the official pages before you go.