Seasonal · Christmas Market · Bath

Bath Christmas Market 2026

Bath Christmas Market runs Thursday 26 November to Sunday 13 December 2026 — over 200 chalets through the Georgian streets, free to enter with no booking, and the Abbey lit behind it all. Add carol services, the Theatre Royal panto, and a steaming rooftop spa, and it's one of England's best festive weekends.

200+

Market chalets

26 Nov – 13 Dec

Confirmed 2026 dates

Free

Entry, no booking

8 min

Walk from Bath Spa station

Bath Christmas Market 2026 opening hours

The market opens daily from Thursday 26 November to Sunday 13 December 2026. Hours change across the week — Thursday to Saturday runs latest at 20:00, and Sunday closes earliest at 18:00.

Monday – Wednesday 10:00 – 19:00
Thursday – Saturday 10:00 – 20:00
Sunday 10:00 – 18:00

Dates and hours confirmed on bathchristmasmarket.co.uk, checked 8 August 2026. Always worth a last check before travelling.

Plan the festive weekend

Bath sells out for the market — book the room and the spa before the dates are even confirmed.

Hotels for the market → Book a festive Thermae session →

Bath Christmas Market

The Bath Christmas Market runs Thursday 26 November to Sunday 13 December 2026 — eighteen days of wooden chalets threaded through the city-centre streets around Abbey Green, Orange Grove, Saw Close, and the connecting lanes. Visit Bath puts the chalet count at over 200. Entry is free and no booking is required. Opening hours shift across the week: 10:00–19:00 Monday to Wednesday, 10:00–20:00 Thursday to Saturday, and 10:00–18:00 on Sunday — so the late-night browsing is a Thursday-to-Saturday thing, and Sunday closes earliest. The pull is the setting as much as the stalls: Georgian Bath stone, twinkling lighting, and the Abbey lit behind it all. The food and drink chalets — mulled wine, Bath sausages, hot chocolate, raclette, local cheese — are the reliable highlight. Weekends get very busy; a mid-week early evening gives you the same atmosphere with room to move. Come by train: Bath Spa station is an 8-minute walk from Abbey Green, and city-centre parking in December is expensive and scarce.

Carol services, panto and festive events

Bath Abbey runs a full programme of Christmas services — carol services, midnight mass, and Christmas Day worship in one of England's finest medieval churches. Services are free; a donation is welcome. Check bathabbey.org for the confirmed 2026 dates. The Pump Room on Stall Street serves a Christmas menu and a festive afternoon tea through December. The Theatre Royal stages its annual pantomime, one of Bath's most popular festive nights out — book early via theatreroyal.org.uk. Many of the city's pubs and restaurants run Christmas menus from late November.

A festive spa day at Thermae

A December session at Thermae Bath Spa is one of the most enjoyable things to do in Bath at Christmas — the open-air rooftop pool steams in the cold air with the city lit below. It's the perfect pairing with a market evening: warm up in the thermal water, then wander the chalets with a mulled wine. Thermae closes on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and usually shuts for part of the period for annual maintenance, reopening between Christmas and New Year. December sessions sell out — book ahead.

Getting to Bath for Christmas

Bath Spa station has direct trains to London Paddington (about 90 minutes), Bristol Temple Meads (12 minutes), Cardiff, and the South West. Trains run a reduced timetable on Christmas Day. The city centre is walkable from the station — the market, the Abbey, and the main hotels are all within 15 minutes on foot. If you must drive, the Park & Ride sites (Lansdown, Odd Down, Newbridge) are far cheaper than central parking and drop you in the centre in minutes.

Christmas Day in Bath

Bath on Christmas Day is quiet and largely closed — the market has finished, shops are shut, and the city returns to its residents. It's a fine day for a walk: the Bath Skyline and the canal towpath are empty and peaceful. Some hotels serve Christmas Day lunch (book months ahead for the better tables). The Roman Baths and Thermae are typically closed on the 25th. For a festive buzz, Christmas Eve evening is the night — the market runs late and the centre fills.

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Where to stay for the market

The Royal Crescent Hotel

Luxury

10 min walk from market

Christmas and New Year packages; the city's grandest setting. £400–900+/night in December.

The Queensberry Hotel

Boutique

5 min walk from market

Central, characterful, with the Michelin-starred Olive Tree below.

The Francis Hotel

Mid-range

3 min walk from market

On Queen Square — about as close to the market as a hotel gets.

Premier Inn Bath City Centre

Budget

12 min walk from market

The most affordable central option. Book months ahead for December.

Hotels in Bath, December →

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Bath Christmas Market — frequently asked

When is Bath Christmas Market 2026?
Bath Christmas Market 2026 runs from Thursday 26 November to Sunday 13 December 2026 — eighteen days, confirmed on the official market site. Opening hours are 10:00–19:00 Monday to Wednesday, 10:00–20:00 Thursday to Saturday, and 10:00–18:00 on Sunday. Entry is free and no booking is needed. Visit mid-week and early evening to avoid the heaviest crowds.
Is Bath Christmas Market free?
Yes — entry to the Bath Christmas Market is free and no booking is required. There is no admission charge to browse the chalets across the city centre (Visit Bath puts the count at over 200). You only pay for what you buy. Because there is no ticket, weekends and the final week before the market closes get extremely busy; a weekday early evening is the most comfortable time to visit.
How long do you need at Bath Christmas Market?
Two to three hours covers the market itself comfortably — long enough to walk all the chalets, eat, and have a mulled wine. To make a day or a weekend of it, pair the market with the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey, a Thermae spa session, and dinner. Many visitors stay one or two nights to enjoy the city lit up in the evening, which is when Bath is at its festive best.
Is Bath worth visiting at Christmas?
Bath is one of England's best cities for Christmas — the Georgian streets under market lighting are genuinely lovely, there's plenty to do (market, Abbey carols, the Theatre Royal panto, restaurants, and a steaming rooftop spa), and it's compact enough to cover on foot. The catch is crowds: market weekends and mid-December can be packed. A Tuesday or Wednesday in late November or early December gives you the atmosphere without the crush.
Is Thermae Bath Spa open at Christmas?
Thermae Bath Spa closes on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and is usually shut for part of the Christmas period for annual maintenance, typically reopening between Christmas and New Year. Check thermaebathspa.com for the confirmed 2026 schedule, usually announced in October or November. December sessions sell out quickly, so book ahead — a rooftop session on a cold evening is one of the highlights of Christmas in Bath.
Where is the best place to stay in Bath for Christmas?
For the market, the most convenient hotels are within 5–10 minutes of Abbey Green: The Francis Hotel (Queen Square, 3 min), the Queensberry (central, 5 min), and the Gainsborough Bath Spa (5 min). The Royal Crescent Hotel is 10 minutes' walk but unmatched in setting. Book months ahead — Bath hotels sell out for the Christmas Market period. Compare current December availability on Booking.com.

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