Girona’s Christmas market sits in Plaça de la Independència, a porticoed square in the Mercadal district, and last season it stayed open from 28 November to 5 January. Catalonia’s Christmas markets are town and city fairs selling crafts, nativity figures, turrón and local food, and the best of them are less than an hour and a half from Barcelona by train. Some run for weeks, like Girona, Sant Cugat and Tarragona. Others last one weekend: the Vic Medieval Market, the turrón fair in Cardedeu and the Fira del Gall in Vilafranca del Penedès.
Which Christmas markets near Barcelona can I visit by train? Girona, about 40 minutes by fast train and open until 5 January last season; Sant Cugat, 29 minutes from Plaça de Catalunya; Tarragona, 69 minutes; and, if your dates match, the Vic Medieval Market on the December long weekend or the Fira del Gall in Vilafranca the weekend before Christmas.
Which market fits your travel dates
Most visitors have fixed dates, so start there. These are last season’s dates; the 2026 dates come out in November and usually follow the same pattern. The chart shows how far each one is by train.
- Late November to mid-December. Girona, Sant Cugat and Tarragona are all open. If you are here from 6 to 8 December, make it Vic.
- 12 to 14 December. Add Cardedeu, the closest of the weekend fairs.
- The weekend before Christmas. The Fira del Gall in Vilafranca, last held on 20 and 21 December.
- Between Christmas and Three Kings. Only Girona and Vic’s Plaça Major craft fair, until 5 and 4 January.
| Market | Dates last season | Train from Barcelona | Journey time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Girona Christmas market | 28 November to 5 January | High-speed or R11 from Sants | About 40 or 79 minutes |
| Vic Medieval Market | 6 to 8 December | R3 from Fabra i Puig | 65 minutes |
| Sant Cugat Christmas fair | 28 November to 24 December | Ferrocarrils from Plaça de Catalunya | 29 minutes |
| Tarragona Christmas fair | 4 to 24 December | Regional train from Sants | 69 minutes |
| Cardedeu turrón fair | 12 to 14 December | R2 Nord from Passeig de Gràcia | 39 minutes |
| Fira del Gall, Vilafranca | 20 and 21 December | R4 from Sants | 66 minutes |
Is Girona’s Christmas market worth a day trip?
Yes, and it is the easy winner for a first-timer. The Girona Christmas market fills Plaça de la Independència with crafts, nativity figures, wooden toys, ceramics, cured meats, cheeses and turrón, open 10:30 am to 9 pm, closing at 7 pm on 24 and 31 December and 5 January.
The fast train from Barcelona-Sants takes about 40 minutes and the R11 regional train 79; from Girona station the square is a 12-minute walk. Pair it with the old town and the cathedral steps in the Girona day trip guide.
When to go to the Vic Medieval Market
Vic’s Medieval Market is the biggest of all: more than 400 stalls of craftspeople, traders and taverns across the old town, 10 am to 8 pm. Its 29th edition ran from 6 to 8 December 2025.
The R3 train leaves from Barcelona Fabra i Puig, not the city centre, and takes 65 minutes; Plaça Major is 417 m from Vic station. Outside those dates, a craft fair with more than 30 stands runs under the Plaça Major arcades until 4 January. The Vic day trip guide covers the rest of the town.
Which markets are quickest to reach from Barcelona
Sant Cugat is the quickest: sixteen designer huts beside the monastery in Plaça Octavià, 10 am to 9 pm until 24 December. The Ferrocarrils train from Plaça de Catalunya takes 29 minutes, then it is an 11-minute walk from Sant Cugat Centre. Good for a half day, not a full one.
Tarragona has about a dozen stalls of nativity figures, moss and crafts on the central stretch of Rambla Nova, 4 to 24 December last season, 10 am to 9 pm, plus a craft fair further along until 6 January. It is 69 minutes from Barcelona-Sants and the Rambla is 613 m from the station, so it combines well with the Roman city in the Tarragona day trip guide.
Cardedeu runs its Christmas and turrón fair over one weekend, 12 to 14 December last time, with more than 100 stalls. The R2 Nord takes 39 minutes from Passeig de Gràcia. Compare what you find with Barcelona’s own shops in turrón and Christmas sweets.
Vilafranca del Penedès holds the Fira del Gall, a poultry fair that reached its 361st edition in 2025, with live birds, Penedès cockerels, crafts and local food at Parc de Sant Julià. The R4 takes 66 minutes from Barcelona-Sants; it is a 13-minute walk from the station. It sits in cava country, covered in the Penedès day trip guide.
What to buy at a Catalan Christmas market
The souvenirs that make sense are the Catalan ones: a tió log with its painted face, a figure for a nativity scene, or a bar of craft turrón. Most markets are free to enter and stallholders set their own prices. For the markets inside the city, from the Fira de Santa Llúcia to Port Vell, see Barcelona’s Christmas markets.
What to know before you take the train
- Check the 2026 dates in November. The weekend fairs can shift by a day from last year’s.
- Vic is not on the central lines. Its trains leave from Fabra i Puig, on metro line L1.
- 25 and 26 December are holidays in Catalonia, and almost every market is shut.
- Buy a return ticket at the station machine before you board.
- Busy markets attract pickpockets, as anywhere crowded; the Barcelona safety guide covers the basics.
For more ways around Catalonia by train and bus, see Catalonia without a car, and for everything else on in the city, Barcelona at Christmas.
Prefer a festive village to a market? See Christmas villages near Barcelona, from Sitges to Olot.
Frequently asked questions about Christmas markets near Barcelona
Which Christmas market near Barcelona is best for a day trip?
Girona, for most visitors. Its market on Plaça de la Independència ran from 28 November to 5 January last season, the fast train takes about 40 minutes from Barcelona-Sants, and the old town is worth the trip on its own.
How do I get from Barcelona to Girona’s Christmas market?
By train from Barcelona-Sants. The high-speed service takes about 40 minutes and the R11 regional train 79 minutes. The market is in Plaça de la Independència, a 12-minute walk from Girona station.
When is the Vic Medieval Market?
On the December long weekend. Last year it ran from 6 to 8 December, with more than 400 stalls of craftspeople and taverns across the old town, open 10 am to 8 pm. The R3 train from Barcelona Fabra i Puig takes 65 minutes.
Are the Christmas markets near Barcelona open on Christmas Day?
Mostly not. Girona’s market closes on 25 and 26 December and 1 January, and the Sant Cugat and Tarragona fairs end on 24 December. Between Christmas and Three Kings, Girona and the Plaça Major craft fair in Vic are the ones still open.
What should I buy at a Catalan Christmas market?
Something you will not find at home: a tió, the Catalan Christmas log, a figure for a nativity scene, or craft turrón. Cardedeu’s fair, 39 minutes by train from Passeig de Gràcia, is built around handmade turrón.
Girona for a full day, Sant Cugat for an afternoon, Vic if your dates match.