Christmas in Zurich: the markets, the Singing Christmas Tree and New Year over the lake

The Old Town and the Münsterhof

In the Niederdorf, which locals call the “Dörfli”, the Old Town market (19 November – 23 December 2026) sells crafts and food from around the world, with an ice rink for children on the Rosenhof. Across the river, the market on the Münsterhof (19 November – 24 December 2026), among historic façades, sells local products and goods from Zurich brands.

The market in the main station

Under the roof of the main station’s great hall, more than 100 stalls gather around a towering Christmas tree from 19 November to 24 December 2026, in Zurich Tourism’s words.

The Singing Christmas Tree

On the Werdmühleplatz, just off the Bahnhofstrasse, choirs from the region sing carols every day from a stage shaped like a giant Christmas tree, with a market of local organic specialities and a fondue chalet beside it (19 November – 23 December 2026).

Bellevue Noël, in front of the Opera House

The market in front of the Opera House is called “Bellevue Noël” from 2026, with a walk-through wreath, stalls and a fondue chalet (19 November – 23 December 2026). On the Europaallee, the Zürcher Weihnachtsallee brings food from around the world, design stalls, a karaoke bar and a fondue chalet over the same dates.

Above the city and in the museum

The Uetliberg Winter Wonderland, above the city, runs from 6 November 2026 to 31 January 2027, with lights, stalls, candle-making and curling. In the courtyard of the Swiss National Museum, the Illuminarium is a world of light, music and food from 5 to 30 December 2026. Note that until 12 December 2026 the S10 to the Uetliberg starts at Selnau, not the main station.

Christmas markets around Zurich

Winterthur’s Old Town has more than 70 market huts from 26 November to 23 December 2026; Rapperswil-Jona holds its Christkindlimärt from 3 to 20 December; and Einsiedeln’s market stands below the great Benedictine monastery from 27 November to 6 December 2026.

Christmas sweets

Sprüngli on the Paradeplatz has its Christmas range and Advent calendars; Tirggel, Zurich’s honey biscuits, are sold at Globus.

Samichlaus and the Grittibänz: 6 December

In Switzerland Christmas begins early, on 6 December, the Chlaustag or St Nicholas’s Day. Its bread is the Grittibänz, a yeast-dough figure of a man, rarely a woman, anything from 100 grams to two kilos, with raisins for eyes. Around Basel it is made from a sweet dough scattered with pearl sugar and called the Grättimann; elsewhere the dough is unsweetened.

The name, the Culinary Heritage of Switzerland explains, joins “gritten”, to walk with legs apart, and “Bänz”, the short form of Benedikt, once so common that it simply meant “man”. Every bakery in the country sells Grittibänze from mid-November to the end of December.

Weihnachtsguetzli: baking through Advent

Advent is the season of Guetzli, Christmas biscuits, baked by the trayful at home and in every bakery. The Mailänderli, a buttery shortbread cut into stars, hearts and crosses, sometimes scented with lemon zest, is the most eaten of all, in the Culinary Heritage of Switzerland’s words, and has been a Swiss classic since at least the 18th century.

Beside it come Zimtsterne, cinnamon stars of almonds, sugar and egg white under a thin crust of white icing; Spitzbuben, two layers of shortbread sandwiching jam, usually raspberry, with one to three holes in the lid; and Brunsli, dark, chewy biscuits of almonds, chocolate, sugar and egg white, eaten all over Switzerland but best loved in Basel.

Tirggel and Leckerli: Zurich’s Christmas biscuits

Zurich has its own. Tirggel are very hard, thin honey biscuits, spiced with ginger, anise and coriander, pressed in moulds so the pictured top bakes brown and the underside stays pale. Their home is the canton of Zurich, and production rises sharply at Christmas and at Sechseläuten.

Zürcher Leckerli are different from the gingerbread Leckerli of Basel, Bern and Appenzell: they are made from a marzipan of almonds and egg white, pressed in wooden moulds and sold in mixed boxes of flavours. Their tradition in Zurich, especially at Christmas and New Year, goes back to the guilds; a Zurich Leckerli recipe survives from 1679.

Glühwein and fondue at the markets

At the Christmas markets the scents are of mulled wine, melting raclette and sweet waffles, and the fondue chalet is never far away: cheese fondue is the Swiss winter dish, eaten from one pot at the table.

Our advice: buy your Guetzli from a good confiserie in Advent, when the trays are fresh, and look for Tirggel and Leckerli to take home: they keep well and travel well.

Many restaurants close on 24 and 25 December or serve set festive menus: book early, and check the hotels’ own websites for their Christmas and New Year dinners.

New Year’s Eve over the lake

On New Year’s Eve the city gathers around the lake basin to hear the Grossmünster’s bells, which ring from 23:40 to 23:58; the lights go out at 00:19 and the fireworks over the lake run from 00:20 to 00:40. The Silvesterzauber festivities begin at 14:00 by the lake, with three festival sites at the Schifflände, the Bürkliplatz and the General-Guisan-Quai from 20:00.

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