Coming from Australia, Christmas Markets are so exciting for us. Visiting them was something we really looked forward to when visiting the Northern hemisphere in winter. We were lucky enough to visit five cities in Canada and went to many great Christmas markets. Of course, there must be hundreds of incredible markets in places we didn’t get to in Canada. For where we visited, we’ve put together a list of our favourite Christmas markets in Canada. We’ve updated this post with the accurate information for 2025, but make sure to double check anything before your visit!

Don’t have time to read the whole post now? Here’s a summary of the best Christmas markets in Canada and their opening dates for 2025:

1. Montreal
   • Great Montreal Christmas Market – November 21st 2025 to January 4th 2026
   • Montreal Christmas Village – November 27th to December 21st
   • Verdun Holiday Market – December 5th to 7th
   • Holiday Market at Locoshop Angus – November 15th to 16th and November 22nd to 23rd
   • Montreal Craft Show – December 11th to 21st
   • Vegan Christmas Market – December 6th to 7th
2. Ottawa
   • Ottawa Christmas Market – Thursdays to Sundays from November 21st to December 21st and December 31st
   • Ho Ho Holiday Craft Market – December 14th
   • Local Delights Holiday Market – 2025 date TBD
   • Merry Mingle Christmas Market – 2025 date TBD
3. Québec City
   • Québec City German Christmas Market – Thursdays to Sundays from November 20th to December 21st, and December 22nd and 23rd
   • Grand Christmas Market – November 22nd to December 24th
4. Toronto
   • Distillery Winter Village – November 13th to January 4th
   • Holiday Fair in the Square – 2025 dates TBD
   • One of a Kind Winter Show – November 27th to December 7th
   • Riverside C’mon Holiday Market – November 23rd
5. Vancouver
   • Vancouver Christmas Market – November 13th to December 24th
   • Shipyards Christmas Market – November 28th to December 24th
   • Port Moody Christmas Craft Fair – December 6th

There are two Christmas markets that we visited and can recommend in Montreal. The first is the Great Montreal Christmas Market which is in the city in the Quartier des Spectacles. It runs from November 21st 2025 until January 4th 2026 and is totally free to visit. There’s live music and lots of chalets with local food, drinks and arts and crafts.

The second is the Montreal Christmas Village which also runs for around a month from November 27th until December 21st. It’s a bit further out of the city than the other market, but is still easily accessible by public transport. The village has about 60 stalls with both hot food, drinks and local products and is free to visit. Outside there’s a little Christmas tree market which is cool to wander through. It’s also located outside Marché Atwater which is worth visiting as well. It is an all year round market with spices, fruits and vegetables and other speciality food.

Of course there are so many other markets around the holiday season in Montreal that we didn’t visit. Firstly there’s the Verdun Holiday Market which is free and runs for a weekend from December 5th to 7th. It’s also in one of the nicest neighbourhoods in Canada! Then there’s the free Holiday Market at Locoshop Angus that runs over two weekends in November, on the 15th-16th and 22nd-23rd. There’s also the Montreal Craft Show or the “Salon des Métiers” which runs from December 11th to 21st, but does cost $15 CAD each. Lastly there’s the Vegan Christmas Market over one weekend on the 6th to 7th of December that also has free entrance!

While Ottawa didn’t have as much to do as other places in Canada, it did have one of our favourite markets. The German themed Ottawa Christmas Market runs for around a month from late November until late December. In 2025, the market is open Thursdays to Sundays from November 21st until December 21st. It is also open on December 31st. The market has over 50 vendors in cute wooden cabins where you can find arts, crafts, food and delicious warm drinks. There’s also workshops, live entertainment, a visit from Santa and so many great decorations.

Even better is that the Christmas Market is right next to the Ottawa Farmers’ Market. This market runs every Sunday from 9am to 3pm all year round (although when we visited in December, it was definitely on more frequently). It’s held outside from May to October but during the colder months is held in the Aberdeen Pavilion. The whole pavilion is full of fresh hot and cold food, crafts and produce all from within 100km of Ottawa. There’s also live music and it’s definitely worth a visit after checking out the Christmas Market.

In terms of other markets we didn’t visit in the city, there’s the Ho Ho Holiday Craft Market. This is held in the Glebe Community Center for one day only on December 14th and has free entry. Slightly out of the city in the Ray Friel Recreation Complex you’ll find more markets. First is the free Local Delights Holiday Market for one day in November. The Merry Mingle Christmas Market is on for one day in December and also has free entry. Neither of the dates for these has been announced yet for 2025.

Easily one of the best Christmas markets in Canada is the Québec City German Christmas Market. From November 20th until December 23rd, the market is open all day Thursday to Sunday, as well as Monday the 22nd and Tuesday the 23rd. It is completely free to visit. For the month, five spots in Old Québec have wonderful German themed stalls, an ice rink, and a puppet theatre for kids. The 90 stalls spread across the five locations sell hot food and drinks, baked goods, local produce and arts and crafts.

Even better, every stall that sells drinks will charge you $2 CAD for a cute reusable holiday cup, which can then be returned for a refund or taken home as a souvenir. We had a hot chocolate with a shot of a maple syrup liqueuer, and it was the perfect thing for the weather! Walking around the cute old city with these beautiful stalls around and all the Christmas decorations is truly magical.

A market we didn’t end up visiting but might be worth checking out is the Grand Christmas Market. This is held at the Le Grand Marché or The New Grand Market slightly out of the city from November 22nd until December 24th. It is open every day and is free to visit with over 200 stalls with food, house bits, gifts, and live entertainment. Lastly, no Christmas visit to Québec city would be complete without going to Rue du Petit Champlain. This fairy-tale street is decorated so beautifully for Christmas during the holiday period. It also has many great shops that are great to look through so this street is definitely worth checking out.

Previously named the Toronto Christmas Market, the Distillery Winter Village was definitely one of our favourites. Held in the historic distillery district it runs every day between November 13th and January 4th except for Christmas day. The market is open from midday everyday running until 9pm during the week and 10pm on weekends. It has free entry during the week if you can get there then. However on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, it is ticketed from 4pm. Tickets range from $15-$30 CAD, depending on how flexible you need your entry time to be. So definitely worth it to visit during the week if you can, and it’s much quieter too!

As the market is held in an already established shopping area, there are so many places to shop. The distillery district has lots of craft shops that sell things like candles, soap, clothes and local food and drink. There are also temporary wooden chalets put up for the Christmas Village that sell more of that stuff. The actual area is huge and has a main stage for performances, lots of lights and a huge Christmas tree. Definitely one of the best Christmas markets in Canada and worth a visit!

Some other markets we didn’t get to but still might be worth visiting in Toronto are the Holiday Fair in the Square. This food and entertainment market has free entry and also allows dogs! The 2025 dates have not been announced yet. The One Of A Kind Winter Show is held in Exhibition Place from November 27th until December 7th, but entry does cost $23 CAD. Lastly there’s the Riverside C’mon Holiday Market which is a free market on November 23rd with more than 20 vendors selling holiday gifts.

We didn’t actually visit the Vancouver Christmas Market as we were in the city a bit early, and the price was a bit out of our range. Tickets are between $6.99 for a pre-booked general admission ticket up to $89.99 for a family season pass. The market is open from November 13th to December 24th and the hours change weekly so be sure to check the website. It is held indoors in the city and has over 90 German style huts. You can find food, drinks, clothing, accessories and lots of fun holiday gifts. There is heaps to see and do so definitely worth a visit if it’s in your budget.

That’s the main Christmas market in Vancouver, but there are definitely others you could visit too. The Shipyards Christmas Market is located in North Vancouver, is open from November 28th to December 24th, and is completely free! The European themed market has more than 75 stalls selling gifts and food, with a large Christmas tree, ice rink and live music. For the craft lovers there’s the Port Moody Christmas Craft Fair that’s held for one day, December 6th 2025. Slightly outside of the city, this market costs $2 CAD and is great for anyone looking for local handmade gifts.

Lastly, make sure to head to Granville Island from mid November and throughout December for some holiday lights. The whole 40 acre site has lights strung up and shining from sundown and there are also bigger light up pieces dotted around too. Apart from the lights, the island is full of some wonderful artisan shops and eateries, parks and live music. It is absolutely worth a visit, especially as access to the island is always free.

As we said earlier, we’re sure Canada is full of so many incredible Christmas Markets. We were lucky enough to visit five cities during the Christmas period and experience just some of what was on offer. If you’re also going to be visiting multiple different Canadian cities, we recommend getting around on Flixbus. They go between Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and many more cities in Canada so getting around is super easy! We really hope our list has given you some great ideas and made you super excited for Christmas in Canada. It really is magical!

If you want to see our visits to any of these markets or more of what we got up to in Canada, we have a playlist from our time in the country on our YouTube channel:

• How to See Vancouver on a Budget
• Where To See The Best Christmas Decorations In New York City
• Creating a Realistic Travel Budget: What You Need to Consider
• FlixBus: The Best Budget Way to Travel Europe Easily